AC-2023-LON-002337 - [2025] EWHC 1985 (Admin)

Fecha: 29-Jul-2025

Factual Background to the alleged Offences and Extradition Request

Factual Background to the alleged Offences and Extradition Request

The Applicant, Mr Hargobind Tahilramani (also known as Gobind Lal Tahil), an Indonesian national born on 31 October 1979, is sought for extradition by the Government of the United States of America, a Category 2 territory under the Extradition Act 2003.

The charges against the Applicant stem from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California. A grand jury sitting in the Southern District of California returned an indictment on 6 October 2020, charging the Applicant with multiple offences.

The indictment charges the Applicant with:

Count 1: Conspiracy to commit wire fraud, contrary to Title 18, U.S. Code, §1349, carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment.

ii)

Counts 2 & 3: Wire fraud, contrary to Title 18, U.S. Code §1343, each carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years' imprisonment.

iii)

Counts 4 to 8: Aggravated identity theft, contrary to Title 18, U.S. Code §1343, each carrying a maximum penalty of 2 years' imprisonment.

Although not necessary for extradition under Part 2 of the 2003 Act, the extradition request details evidence linking the Applicant to the frauds. The alleged conduct for Counts 2 to 8 post-dates November 2016, a period during which the Applicant was in the UK on an expired visitor's visa and could not have left and re-entered.

The alleged offences involve a worldwide, fraudulent scheme that took place between 2013 and August 2020. The Applicant is alleged to be the “mastermind” of this scheme. The core of the fraud involved impersonating well-known entertainment industry executives and their representatives to induce over 300 victims to travel to Indonesia to participate in non-existent film projects.

Victims were persuaded to pay non-existent or exorbitant fees or expenses, with the promise of repayment. These monies were allegedly received by the Applicant himself and were never repaid. The victims were primarily US-based entertainment industry professionals.

The request details instances where the Applicant is alleged to have impersonated various individuals to deceive victims. In relation to Mr Greg Mandarano, for example, it is alleged that:

The Applicant contacted Mr Mandarano by email, falsely representing himself as “Huilang Jing”, an executive at the China Film Group.

ii)

Mr Mandarano and his writing partner were persuaded by the Applicant, still posing as “Huilang Jing”, to travel to Indonesia to pitch a script at their own expense.

iii)

In Indonesia, Mr Mandarano was charged an excessive rate of $900 per day for a driver, approximately ten times the average cost in the country.

iv)

During a meeting in Jakarta, the Applicant then pretended to be “Anand Sippy”, Vice President of Development of the China Film Group, and instructed Mr Mandarano to re-write his script.

Over a period of three months, Mr Mandarano and his partner made four trips to Indonesia, each lasting several weeks, operating under itineraries that allowed only three hours of sleep per night.

vi)

The Applicant also pressured Mr Mandarano to “buy out” his writing partner.

10.

In the case of Mr Casey Grey, who worked in the security industry, it is alleged that:

He was informed by a colleague about a supposed opportunity with Jean Pritzker. This opportunity was, in fact, non-existent, as Mr Grey's colleague had been deceived by the Applicant, who was impersonating Ms Pritzker.

ii)

On 12 July 2017, the Applicant, while pretending to be Ms Pritzker, emailed Mr Grey (who was in America at the time). The email included a four-page “non-disclosure agreement” purportedly between Ms Pritzker and Mr Grey, conveying the impression that the Applicant was Ms Pritzker and could offer work to Mr Grey. This email forms part of the allegations for Counts 3 and 5, relating to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

iii)

Mr Grey was offered a fictional job surveying film sets in Indonesia, with a promised daily payment of $5,000.

iv)

Mr Grey travelled to Indonesia and, consistent with the wider fraudulent scheme, was persuaded to incur expenses from his own funds, including two upfront payments of $2,500. None of these expenses were reimbursed. To conceal the non-reimbursement, the Applicant provided Mr Grey with a forged wire transfer receipt, which a bank later confirmed to be a fabrication.

11.

Further alleged fraudulent conduct includes two phone calls made by the Applicant on 23 August 2020 to Tony Nevada and Tom Ohmer. In these calls, the Applicant impersonated “Doug Limer” in an attempt to induce them to participate in a similar scheme, though these attempts were unsuccessful. These calls are directly linked to Counts 7 and 8, which allege aggravated identity theft.

12.

The alleged conduct has gained significant public notoriety, with reports identifying the Applicant as the “Hollywood Con Queen” and references in podcasts, documentaries, and books.