Latest news with #LadyMafia
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
How glam lawyer turned lawless ‘Lady Mafia' scammer swindled $10m from pals and clients – and blew it all in Las Vegas
As her gambling habit spiralled wildly out of control, Sara was dropping up to $100,000 a DAY in Vegas' casinos CASI-NO How glam lawyer turned lawless 'Lady Mafia' scammer swindled $10m from pals and clients – and blew it all in Las Vegas SARA King – AKA Lady Mafia – had the designer clothes, pink champagne and a husband descended from royalty – but her addiction to excitement turned this glam American lawyer into a lawless criminal. Dressed in head-to-toe Christian Dior, Sara looked every inch the high-powered lawyer as she strutted into federal court in Orange County, California. Advertisement 8 Sara King – AKA Lady Mafia – had the designer clothes, pink champagne and a husband descended from royalty Credit: Instagram 8 Her addiction to excitement turned this glam American lawyer into a lawless criminal Credit: United States District Court, central District of California Southern Division 8 Her ex-husband, Kamran Pahlav, was the grandson of Iranian Princess Ashraf Credit: Linkedin Her hair extensions were pulled back into a sleek bun and she was ready to do business. But she wasn't there to defend a client. It was the summer of 2023 and the 41-year-old attorney was facing charges of financial fraud and money laundering. Advertisement It was part of a criminal career that saw her swindle an estimated $10million from friends and business associates to fund a lavish lifestyle that included designer clothes, jewellery, a suite at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel and the best seat in all the casinos. In a case that both baffled and gripped America, King was dubbed 'the Anna Delvey of the OC', 'the Slot Whisperer' and – her favourite nickname – 'Lady Mafia.' After pleading guilty to her crimes, she was sentenced on May 5 this year by an Orange County federal judge to 21 months in prison, and ordered to pay more than $8million in restitution. Her shocking story has been laid bare in podcast The Binge Crimes: Lady Mafia, in which investigative journalist Michele McPhee spends hours with the glamorous scammer trying to unpick her tall tales. 'Her charisma pulls people in. She's obviously very attractive – she's not just pretty, she's glamorous – so I'm sure that helped her navigate her way around the shady underbelly," Michele tells Fabulous. Advertisement 'I think she spent most of the money on clothes. She's one of those people who has to be head-to-toe in designer labels,' says Michele, who believes that King doesn't quite comprehend the damage she has done, and points out that she changes her story many times during the podcast. 'It's very unusual that somebody would participate in anything like this podcast before they've faced a judge [for sentencing]. But I think she was motivated by wanting people to think she's innocent and that it was all a big mistake.' King grew up in Newport Beach, Orange County, home to sprawling mansions, golf courses and Ferraris. Anna Delvey dons neon prison suit on video call from ICE custody Money wasn't tight, and her parents enjoyed a happy marriage and were successful insurance brokers. She wanted what they had – and more. Before embarking on a life of dodgy deals, King built a successful career in law, fuelled by her burning ambition to be a badass businesswoman instead of a trophy wife. Advertisement 'I wanted to be the 'It' girl. I wanted to have a seat at the boys' table, without sleeping around,' she said in the podcast. 'I can sell anything. I can sell fire to the devil.' With a million-dollar home in Newport Beach, and an ambitious husband, Gerar Jamal – a consultant in the environmental industry, who she married in 2014 – King soon had everything she'd dreamed of. But she didn't stop there. I wanted to have a seat at the boys' table. I can sell anything – I can sell fire to the devil Sara King Describing her high-flying job at a law firm as 'a lot of work and not a lot of money,' by 2017 King was looking for new opportunities to fund her pink-champagne lifestyle. She and Gerar began to invest in different ventures, including money lending, where they would rake in high interest for funding short-term loans. King – who hung out in Orange County's hottest spots, where she met men who'd offer her more chances to invest in their dodgy deals – said: 'I was looking for a way out of law. It was so miserable and I needed to make money.' Advertisement She soon earned a reputation as a 'fixer' who could help rich people get anything they wanted, from prostitutes to puppies. In May 2018, after her marriage had broken down, a mutual friend introduced her to Kamran Pahlavi, the handsome grandson of Iranian Princess Ashraf, who apparently invested in real estate. After a two-hour dinner in Beverly Hills, the pair clicked. 'I was just taken aback by the pizzazz of it all,' said King. 'I felt a connection, and to this day I wish I never did. 'He told me, 'I have no money, all my watches are fake, I have nothing to my name, so if that's what you're interested in, please walk.' He came clean about everything, saying, 'I have a lot of baggage, I have three ex-wives, I have kids. But I want to make something of myself'.' Advertisement Fixer for the rich Besotted, King suggested they start a business together – but the pressure to make more money led her to take more risks. 'I think they genuinely had love for each other,' says Michele. 'She was the female Bernie Madoff [the US fraudster who was jailed for operating a dodgy 'pyramid' investment scheme] and he was the real housewife of Orange County, who got to sit around and not do much.' In January 2022, business was booming for her company, King Family Lending. She established herself as someone who could supply short-term loans to celebrities and professional athletes – as long as they were happy to pay the 30% interest. Advertisement Hobnobbing with NFL stars, including Tom Brady, bragging about her high-profile connections and shopping for designer clothes were all in a day's work for her. 8 King lived a lavish lifestyle with fast cars and a wardrobe full of designer labels Credit: United States District Court, central District of California Southern Division 8 She regularly went on shopping sprees at high-end boutiques Credit: Instagram 8 Sara posing with NFL stars Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen at The Match golf event She also reportedly harboured ambitions of going into politics. Advertisement She and Kamran married in February 2022 – but behind the facade, King was doing less lending and more spending. She was using her investors' money – which was intended to fund high-interest loans – to splash out on her own lavish lifestyle and gambling habit. And the collateral she claimed she had collected to guarantee them didn't exist. By November 2022, Kamran had called time on their relationship – later claiming it was due to all her lies – and moved to Morocco. By the end of the year, they were divorced, after Kamran cited 'irreconcilable differences'. Meanwhile, King moved into a $6,000-a-night suite at the Wynn in Vegas, which she'd been gifted because she was such a 'good customer' – complete with marble counters, a private infinity pool and a butler. Advertisement 8 Crime podcast host Michele McPhee Credit: Catherien SaintLouis @sony music 8 Phony socialite Anna Delvey on trial for fraud in New York City Credit: John Marshall Mantel/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News In the casinos, where she was once known as The Slot Whisperer for her winning streaks, King's luck was starting to run out. At one point, she was gambling away $20,000 a day. 'I always had that kind of money, so 20 grand a day is no big deal,' she said. 'It got scarier when I was dropping $50,000 to $100,000 a day.' Advertisement On November 11, 2022, it all fell apart. King was lying in the bath of her suite when hotel staff burst into her room and ordered her to leave. Gambling $20k a day A Beverly Hills lawyer named Ronald Richards, who was representing one of the clients she'd swindled, was on her tail and had informed the Wynn of her dodgy deals. He also set about shutting her gambling down by making sure she was barred from casinos. 'As she got kicked out of each one, I'd call her and say, 'How was your escort today?' because I wanted her to know I was on to her,' Ronald told Michele in the podcast. 'Sometimes she was mad, because she was embarrassed. I told her, 'I'm going to cut off everything you like to do. Your days of gambling are over and we'll make sure no casino allows you to ever wager a dollar'.' Advertisement On February 11, 2023, he filed a lawsuit against King on behalf of the man named 'Laurent R', just one of the investors in King Family Lending who'd lost millions, and the federal prosecutor drew up a criminal complaint of wire (financial) fraud and money laundering charges. Ronald also tipped off the media, and King hit the headlines for being a scammer. That's when she realised she'd reached the end of the road. In March 2023, she checked herself into rehab – then checked out again, heading to her LA apartment, where eviction notices were waiting for her. Betrayal, lies and theft Her parents took her home to Orange County, then her mum drove her to the FBI headquarters in Los Angeles. Advertisement There was no warrant for her arrest, so she claims she wrote to the Attorney General to get a meeting about her case. In June 2023, King appeared in federal court and pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering, admitting she'd caused five investors to lose more than $8million. Three of them – all former close friends – were watching from the gallery, including trauma surgeon Amal Obaid-Schmid, who'd lost her family's life savings of $400,000. While King agreed to pay restitution of at least $8,785,045, the real total of her scamming has been estimated to be nearer to $10million, with more possible victims who, as yet, haven't come forward. Before King's sentencing, which was postponed twice, she was lying low in a small apartment with her parents back in Orange County and joking that she was taking Prozac to get through it all. Advertisement Kamran is still in Morocco, a non-extradition country, and hasn't faced any charges. 'She betrayed me. Lied to me. Stole from me. Embarrassed me. Humiliated me. That's not bad for a reason to break up,' he has said. He added: 'When I realised what she had done, I left and never looked back. To tell you the truth, it kills me to do this, but she is sick and she needs to be stopped before she scams the wrong person and she gets in real trouble.' He also claimed that King had sent him threatening messages following their split, including one that warned: 'Just wait and see, your time is coming.' 'Obviously, he's going to want to separate himself from all this,' says Michele. Advertisement Anna Delvey comparisons While awaiting her sentencing, King tried to find employment. 'Everybody recognised her, so she couldn't work,' reveals Michele, who says she forged a genuine friendship with King over the course of making the podcast. 'She got a job at Nordstrom [the department store], but got fired once they realised who she was, so ended up working as a home helper for the elderly, which was a huge step down. 'People have compared her to Anna Delvey, but Sara herself points out she's not a total fraud because she had money, she was an attorney and she's savvy,' says Michele. 'I have respect for her work ethic. She was definitely a hustler and that's what's so mesmerising. She could have easily lived that Real Housewives life and gone to Pilates at the country club all day long, but she wanted to work. Advertisement 'She's a smart woman, but she had such a facade, and she told so many little white lies.'
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
How glam lawyer turned lawless ‘Lady Mafia' scammer swindled $10m from pals and clients – and blew it all in Las Vegas
SARA King – AKA Lady Mafia – had the designer clothes, pink champagne and a husband descended from royalty – but her addiction to excitement turned this glam American lawyer into a lawless criminal. Dressed in head-to-toe 8 Sara King – AKA Lady Mafia – had the designer clothes, pink champagne and a husband descended from royalty Credit: Instagram 8 Her addiction to excitement turned this glam American lawyer into a lawless criminal Credit: United States District Court, central District of California Southern Division 8 Her ex-husband, Kamran Pahlav, was the grandson of Iranian Princess Ashraf Credit: Linkedin Her hair extensions were pulled back into a sleek bun and she was ready to do business. But she wasn't there to defend a client. It was the summer of 2023 and the 41-year-old attorney was facing charges of financial fraud and money laundering. It was part of a criminal career that saw her swindle an estimated $10million from friends and business associates to fund a lavish lifestyle that included designer clothes, jewellery, a suite at the In a case that both baffled and gripped America, King was dubbed 'the Anna Delvey of the OC', 'the Slot Whisperer' and – her favourite nickname – 'Lady Mafia.' After pleading guilty to her crimes, she was sentenced on May 5 this year by an Orange County federal judge to 21 months in prison, and ordered to pay more than $8million in restitution. Her shocking story has been laid bare in podcast The Binge Crimes: Lady Mafia, in which investigative journalist Michele McPhee spends hours with the glamorous scammer trying to unpick her tall tales. 'Her charisma pulls people in. She's obviously very attractive – she's not just pretty, she's glamorous – so I'm sure that helped her navigate her way around the shady underbelly," Michele tells Fabulous. 'I think she spent most of the money on clothes. She's one of those people who has to be head-to-toe in designer labels,' says Michele, who believes that King doesn't quite comprehend the damage she has done, and points out that she changes her story many times during the podcast. 'It's very unusual that somebody would participate in anything like this podcast before they've faced a judge [for sentencing]. But I think she was motivated by wanting people to think she's innocent and that it was all a big mistake.' King grew up in Newport Beach, Orange County, home to sprawling mansions, golf courses and Ferraris. Anna Delvey dons neon prison suit on video call from ICE custody Money wasn't tight, and her parents enjoyed a happy marriage and were successful insurance brokers. She wanted what they had – and more. Before embarking on a life of dodgy deals, King built a successful career in law, fuelled by her burning ambition to be a badass businesswoman instead of a trophy wife. 'I wanted to be the 'It' girl. I wanted to have a seat at the boys' table, without sleeping around,' she said in the podcast. 'I can sell anything. I can sell fire to the devil.' With a million-dollar home in Newport Beach, and an ambitious husband, Gerar Jamal – a consultant in the environmental industry, who she married in 2014 – King soon had everything she'd dreamed of. But she didn't stop there. I wanted to have a seat at the boys' table. I can sell anything – I can sell fire to the devil Sara King Describing her high-flying job at a law firm as 'a lot of work and not a lot of money,' by 2017 King was looking for new opportunities to fund her pink-champagne lifestyle. She and Gerar began to invest in different ventures, including money lending, where they would rake in high interest for funding short-term loans. King – who hung out in Orange County's hottest spots, where she met men who'd offer her more chances to invest in their dodgy deals – said: 'I was looking for a way out of law. It was so miserable and I needed to make money.' She soon earned a reputation as a 'fixer' who could help rich people get anything they wanted, from prostitutes to puppies. In May 2018, after her marriage had broken down, a mutual friend introduced her to Kamran Pahlavi, the handsome grandson of Iranian Princess Ashraf, who apparently invested in real estate. After a two-hour dinner in 'I was just taken aback by the pizzazz of it all,' said King. 'I felt a connection, and to this day I wish I never did. 'He told me, 'I have no money, all my watches are fake, I have nothing to my name, so if that's what you're interested in, please walk.' He came clean about everything, saying, 'I have a lot of baggage, I have three ex-wives, I have kids. But I want to make something of myself'.' Fixer for the rich Besotted, King suggested they start a business together – but the pressure to make more money led her to take more risks. 'I think they genuinely had love for each other,' says Michele. 'She was the female Bernie Madoff [the US fraudster who was jailed for operating a dodgy 'pyramid' investment scheme] and he was the real housewife of Orange County, who got to sit around and not do much.' In January 2022, business was booming for her company, King Family Lending. She established herself as someone who could supply short-term loans to celebrities and professional athletes – as long as they were happy to pay the 30% interest. Hobnobbing with NFL stars, including Tom Brady, bragging about her high-profile connections and shopping for designer clothes were all in a day's work for her. 8 King lived a lavish lifestyle with fast cars and a wardrobe full of designer labels Credit: United States District Court, central District of California Southern Division 8 She regularly went on shopping sprees at high-end boutiques Credit: Instagram 8 Sara posing with NFL stars Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen at The Match golf event She also reportedly harboured ambitions of going into politics. She and Kamran married in February 2022 – but behind the facade, King was doing less lending and more spending. She was using her investors' money – which was intended to fund high-interest loans – to splash out on her own lavish lifestyle and gambling habit. And the collateral she claimed she had collected to guarantee them didn't exist. By November 2022, Kamran had called time on their relationship – later claiming it was due to all her lies – and moved to Morocco. By the end of the year, they were divorced, after Kamran cited 'irreconcilable differences'. Meanwhile, King moved into a $6,000-a-night suite at the Wynn in Vegas, which she'd been gifted because she was such a 'good customer' – complete with marble counters, a private infinity pool and a butler. 8 Crime podcast host Michele McPhee Credit: Catherien SaintLouis @sony music 8 Phony socialite Anna Delvey on trial for fraud in New York City Credit: John Marshall Mantel/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News In the casinos, where she was once known as The Slot Whisperer for her winning streaks, King's luck was starting to run out. At one point, she was gambling away $20,000 a day. 'I always had that kind of money, so 20 grand a day is no big deal,' she said. 'It got scarier when I was dropping $50,000 to $100,000 a day.' On November 11, 2022, it all fell apart. King was lying in the bath of her suite when hotel staff burst into her room and ordered her to leave. Gambling $20k a day A He also set about shutting her gambling down by making sure she was barred from casinos. 'As she got kicked out of each one, I'd call her and say, 'How was your escort today?' because I wanted her to know I was on to her,' Ronald told Michele in the podcast. 'Sometimes she was mad, because she was embarrassed. I told her, 'I'm going to cut off everything you like to do. Your days of gambling are over and we'll make sure no casino allows you to ever wager a dollar'.' On February 11, 2023, he filed a lawsuit against King on behalf of the man named 'Laurent R', just one of the investors in King Family Lending who'd lost millions, and the federal prosecutor drew up a criminal complaint of wire (financial) fraud and money laundering charges. Ronald also tipped off the media, and King hit the headlines for being a scammer. That's when she realised she'd reached the end of the road. In March 2023, she checked herself into rehab – then checked out again, heading to her LA apartment, where eviction notices were waiting for her. Betrayal, lies and theft Her parents took her home to Orange County, then her mum drove her to the FBI headquarters in Los Angeles. There was no warrant for her arrest, so she claims she wrote to the Attorney General to get a meeting about her case. In June 2023, King appeared in federal court and pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering, admitting she'd caused five investors to lose more than $8million. Three of them – all former close friends – were watching from the gallery, including trauma surgeon Amal Obaid-Schmid, who'd lost her family's life savings of $400,000. While King agreed to pay restitution of at least $8,785,045, the real total of her scamming has been estimated to be nearer to $10million, with more possible victims who, as yet, haven't come forward. Before King's sentencing, which was postponed twice, she was lying low in a small apartment with her parents back in Orange County and joking that she was taking Prozac to get through it all. Kamran is still in Morocco, a non-extradition country, and hasn't faced any charges. 'She betrayed me. Lied to me. Stole from me. Embarrassed me. Humiliated me. That's not bad for a reason to break up,' he has said. He added: 'When I realised what she had done, I left and never looked back. To tell you the truth, it kills me to do this, but she is sick and she needs to be stopped before she scams the wrong person and she gets in real trouble.' He also claimed that King had sent him threatening messages following their split, including one that warned: 'Just wait and see, your time is coming.' 'Obviously, he's going to want to separate himself from all this,' says Michele. Anna Delvey comparisons While awaiting her sentencing, King tried to find employment. 'Everybody recognised her, so she couldn't work,' reveals Michele, who says she forged a genuine friendship with King over the course of making the podcast. 'She got a job at Nordstrom [the department store], but got fired once they realised who she was, so ended up working as a home helper for the elderly, which was a huge step down. 'People have compared her to Anna Delvey, but Sara herself points out she's not a total fraud because she had money, she was an attorney and she's savvy,' says Michele. 'I have respect for her work ethic. She was definitely a hustler and that's what's so mesmerising. She could have easily lived that Real Housewives life and gone to Pilates at the country club all day long, but she wanted to work. 'She's a smart woman, but she had such a facade, and she told so many little white lies.' Live News The Binge Crimes: Lady Mafia is out now on all podcast providers
The Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
How glam lawyer turned lawless ‘Lady Mafia' scammer swindled $10m from pals and clients – and blew it all in Las Vegas
SARA King – AKA Lady Mafia – had the designer clothes, pink champagne and a husband descended from royalty – but her addiction to excitement turned this glam American lawyer into a lawless criminal. Dressed in head-to-toe Christian Dior, Sara looked every inch the high-powered lawyer as she strutted into federal court in Orange County, California. 8 8 Her hair extensions were pulled back into a sleek bun and she was ready to do business. But she wasn't there to defend a client. It was the summer of 2023 and the 41-year-old attorney was facing charges of financial fraud and money laundering. It was part of a criminal career that saw her swindle an estimated $10million from friends and business associates to fund a lavish lifestyle that included designer clothes, jewellery, a suite at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel and the best seat in all the casinos. In a case that both baffled and gripped America, King was dubbed ' the Anna Delvey of the OC ', 'the Slot Whisperer' and – her favourite nickname – 'Lady Mafia.' After pleading guilty to her crimes, she was sentenced on May 5 this year by an Orange County federal judge to 21 months in prison, and ordered to pay more than $8million in restitution. Her shocking story has been laid bare in podcast The Binge Crimes: Lady Mafia, in which investigative journalist Michele McPhee spends hours with the glamorous scammer trying to unpick her tall tales. 'Her charisma pulls people in. She's obviously very attractive – she's not just pretty, she's glamorous – so I'm sure that helped her navigate her way around the shady underbelly," Michele tells Fabulous. 'I think she spent most of the money on clothes. She's one of those people who has to be head-to-toe in designer labels,' says Michele, who believes that King doesn't quite comprehend the damage she has done, and points out that she changes her story many times during the podcast. 'It's very unusual that somebody would participate in anything like this podcast before they've faced a judge [for sentencing]. But I think she was motivated by wanting people to think she's innocent and that it was all a big mistake.' King grew up in Newport Beach, Orange County, home to sprawling mansions, golf courses and Ferraris. Anna Delvey dons neon prison suit on video call from ICE custody Money wasn't tight, and her parents enjoyed a happy marriage and were successful insurance brokers. She wanted what they had – and more. Before embarking on a life of dodgy deals, King built a successful career in law, fuelled by her burning ambition to be a badass businesswoman instead of a trophy wife. 'I wanted to be the 'It' girl. I wanted to have a seat at the boys' table, without sleeping around,' she said in the podcast. 'I can sell anything. I can sell fire to the devil.' With a million-dollar home in Newport Beach, and an ambitious husband, Gerar Jamal – a consultant in the environmental industry, who she married in 2014 – King soon had everything she'd dreamed of. But she didn't stop there. I wanted to have a seat at the boys' table. I can sell anything – I can sell fire to the devil Sara King Describing her high-flying job at a law firm as 'a lot of work and not a lot of money,' by 2017 King was looking for new opportunities to fund her pink-champagne lifestyle. She and Gerar began to invest in different ventures, including money lending, where they would rake in high interest for funding short-term loans. King – who hung out in Orange County's hottest spots, where she met men who'd offer her more chances to invest in their dodgy deals – said: 'I was looking for a way out of law. It was so miserable and I needed to make money.' She soon earned a reputation as a 'fixer' who could help rich people get anything they wanted, from prostitutes to puppies. In May 2018, after her marriage had broken down, a mutual friend introduced her to Kamran Pahlavi, the handsome grandson of Iranian Princess Ashraf, who apparently invested in real estate. After a two-hour dinner in Beverly Hills, the pair clicked. 'I was just taken aback by the pizzazz of it all,' said King. 'I felt a connection, and to this day I wish I never did. 'He told me, 'I have no money, all my watches are fake, I have nothing to my name, so if that's what you're interested in, please walk.' He came clean about everything, saying, 'I have a lot of baggage, I have three ex-wives, I have kids. But I want to make something of myself'.' Fixer for the rich Besotted, King suggested they start a business together – but the pressure to make more money led her to take more risks. 'I think they genuinely had love for each other,' says Michele. 'She was the female Bernie Madoff [the US fraudster who was jailed for operating a dodgy 'pyramid' investment scheme] and he was the real housewife of Orange County, who got to sit around and not do much.' In January 2022, business was booming for her company, King Family Lending. She established herself as someone who could supply short-term loans to celebrities and professional athletes – as long as they were happy to pay the 30% interest. Hobnobbing with NFL stars, including Tom Brady, bragging about her high-profile connections and shopping for designer clothes were all in a day's work for her. 8 8 She also reportedly harboured ambitions of going into politics. She and Kamran married in February 2022 – but behind the facade, King was doing less lending and more spending. She was using her investors' money – which was intended to fund high-interest loans – to splash out on her own lavish lifestyle and gambling habit. And the collateral she claimed she had collected to guarantee them didn't exist. By November 2022, Kamran had called time on their relationship – later claiming it was due to all her lies – and moved to Morocco. By the end of the year, they were divorced, after Kamran cited 'irreconcilable differences'. Meanwhile, King moved into a $6,000-a-night suite at the Wynn in Vegas, which she'd been gifted because she was such a 'good customer' – complete with marble counters, a private infinity pool and a butler. 8 In the casinos, where she was once known as The Slot Whisperer for her winning streaks, King's luck was starting to run out. At one point, she was gambling away $20,000 a day. 'I always had that kind of money, so 20 grand a day is no big deal,' she said. 'It got scarier when I was dropping $50,000 to $100,000 a day.' On November 11, 2022, it all fell apart. King was lying in the bath of her suite when hotel staff burst into her room and ordered her to leave. Gambling $20k a day A Beverly Hills lawyer named Ronald Richards, who was representing one of the clients she'd swindled, was on her tail and had informed the Wynn of her dodgy deals. He also set about shutting her gambling down by making sure she was barred from casinos. 'As she got kicked out of each one, I'd call her and say, 'How was your escort today?' because I wanted her to know I was on to her,' Ronald told Michele in the podcast. 'Sometimes she was mad, because she was embarrassed. I told her, 'I'm going to cut off everything you like to do. Your days of gambling are over and we'll make sure no casino allows you to ever wager a dollar'.' On February 11, 2023, he filed a lawsuit against King on behalf of the man named 'Laurent R', just one of the investors in King Family Lending who'd lost millions, and the federal prosecutor drew up a criminal complaint of wire (financial) fraud and money laundering charges. Ronald also tipped off the media, and King hit the headlines for being a scammer. That's when she realised she'd reached the end of the road. In March 2023, she checked herself into rehab – then checked out again, heading to her LA apartment, where eviction notices were waiting for her. Betrayal, lies and theft Her parents took her home to Orange County, then her mum drove her to the FBI headquarters in Los Angeles. There was no warrant for her arrest, so she claims she wrote to the Attorney General to get a meeting about her case. In June 2023, King appeared in federal court and pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and money laundering, admitting she'd caused five investors to lose more than $8million. Three of them – all former close friends – were watching from the gallery, including trauma surgeon Amal Obaid-Schmid, who'd lost her family's life savings of $400,000. While King agreed to pay restitution of at least $8,785,045, the real total of her scamming has been estimated to be nearer to $10million, with more possible victims who, as yet, haven't come forward. Before King's sentencing, which was postponed twice, she was lying low in a small apartment with her parents back in Orange County and joking that she was taking Prozac to get through it all. Kamran is still in Morocco, a non-extradition country, and hasn't faced any charges. 'She betrayed me. Lied to me. Stole from me. Embarrassed me. Humiliated me. That's not bad for a reason to break up,' he has said. He added: 'When I realised what she had done, I left and never looked back. To tell you the truth, it kills me to do this, but she is sick and she needs to be stopped before she scams the wrong person and she gets in real trouble.' He also claimed that King had sent him threatening messages following their split, including one that warned: 'Just wait and see, your time is coming.' 'Obviously, he's going to want to separate himself from all this,' says Michele. Anna Delvey comparisons While awaiting her sentencing, King tried to find employment. 'Everybody recognised her, so she couldn't work,' reveals Michele, who says she forged a genuine friendship with King over the course of making the podcast. 'She got a job at Nordstrom [the department store], but got fired once they realised who she was, so ended up working as a home helper for the elderly, which was a huge step down. 'People have compared her to Anna Delvey, but Sara herself points out she's not a total fraud because she had money, she was an attorney and she's savvy,' says Michele. 'I have respect for her work ethic. She was definitely a hustler and that's what's so mesmerising. She could have easily lived that Real Housewives life and gone to Pilates at the country club all day long, but she wanted to work. 'She's a smart woman, but she had such a facade, and she told so many little white lies.'
NDTV
10-05-2025
- NDTV
US Lawyer Jailed For Spending Rs 74 Crore Of Clients' Money On Gambling
A US lawyer has been sentenced to 21 months in jail after she embezzled Rs 74 crore ($8.7 million) of clients' money to fuel her gambling habit in Las Vegas. The woman, identified as Sara Jacqueline King, was handed the sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering charges, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. California-based King, 41, recruited investors under her business name, King Family Lending LLC, to "provide short-term, high-interest loans to celebrities, professional athletes and other high-net-worth individuals" in a fraud scheme between January 2022 and January 2023. As per the prosecutors, King recruited investors to fund the business loans, claiming that the investments were secured by the same collateral as the loans. She promised to hold the collateral, and if a borrower defaults, she would sell it to pay the investor in full. However, she never funded any loan and instead spent the money on herself. The lawsuit stated that King "spent the majority of the funds loaned by complainant to King Lending to gamble in Las Vegas fund an extravagant lifestyle, and for other personal uses by King". "Complainant is informed and believes that King moved into the Wynn Las Vegas resort and hotel, lived there for six months, and gambled 24/7." King's attorney, Sam Cross, batted for a lenient, six-month sentence for her client, but Assistant US Attorney Jennifer Waier argued that the amount of money lost by the victims and the fact that she was an attorney required a stiffer sentence. Ms Waier also informed that King appeared on the 'Lady Mafia' podcast to discuss her crimes before sentencing. 'It was brazen. It went on for a long time," said Ms Waier, adding that King had sensationalised her crimes. 'She was stealing money and playing the slots in Las Vegas. She lived on $9 million for a long period of time.'
Los Angeles Times
07-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Suspended Newport Beach attorney gets 21 months behind bars in fraud case
A suspended Newport Beach attorney was sentenced Monday to 21 months in federal prison for stealing $8.7 million in a loan fraud scheme that sustained a lavish lifestyle and gambling habit. Sara Jacqueline King, 40, pleaded guilty July 24, 2023, to wire fraud and money laundering. U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ordered King to pay $8,785,045 in restitution. King's attorney, Sam Cross, argued for a sentence of six months behind bars if Carter would not grant home confinement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Waier argued that the amount of money lost by the victims and the fact she was an attorney required a stiffer sentence. Waier also pointed out the defendant appeared on the 'Lady Mafia' podcast to discuss her crimes before sentencing. Cross argued that King was suffering from an addiction to Xanax and was consuming 10 drinks a day as she played slot machines in Las Vegas to maintain her lifestyle. 'It was important to her to be successful,' Cross said, adding she was caught in a 'vicious cycle.' 'The real wealth she had was her family,' Cross said. King has 'lost everything,' including her career as an attorney. Her law license was suspended when she pleaded guilty and she faces disbarment, Cross said. 'She has been humbled and lost everything, except for them,' Cross said of her family and friends at her hearing Monday. Carter also previously ruled a 'default judgment' in a federal civil suit regarding the defrauding of a lender of about $10.2 million. Since she pleaded guilty 'she has been productive,' Cross argued. King checked herself into a rehabilitation facility and has continued her therapy, Cross said. She got a job at Nordstrom selling purses but she lost it when her employer found out about her case, Cross said. Cross also pointed out that King helped prosecutors in the case against John Tamahere McCabe of Kailua, Hawaii, who pleaded guilty on Friday in federal court to scamming an elderly man in Irvine out of $1.8 million. Waier argued King 'sensationalized' her crimes on the podcast and then failed to disclose it to probation officials. 'It was brazen,' Waier said of King's crimes. 'It went on for a long time.' 'How was she able to maintain this lifestyle?' Carter asked the prosecutor. 'She was stealing money and playing the slots' in Las Vegas, Waier said. 'She lived on $9 million for a long period of time.' Waier said the Irvine man in McCabe's case lost his home and is now living out of a motel. But King did help prosecute McCabe because she had valuable evidence on her smartphone, and she was given credit for that in the punishment that prosecutors advocated, Waier said. 'The government has the far better argument,' Carter said. 'This is a lot of money.' The judge also noted she had a 'lavish lifestyle.' Carter ordered three years of supervised release for King when she is released. She has until July 14 to report to prison. According to her plea agreement, King Lending purported to 'provide short-term, high-interest loans to celebrities, professional athletes and other high-net-worth individuals secured by the borrower's own assets, including designer handbags, watches, luxury automobiles, yachts and earnings from guaranteed professional sports contracts.' King recruited investors to fund the business loans, claiming that the investments were secured by the same collateral as the loans, prosecutors said. She promised to hold the collateral and if a borrower defaulted she would sell it to pay the investor in full, prosecutors said. King said she would keep a percentage of the interest earned from the loans and pass along a percentage to the investor along with the initial investment, prosecutors said. But she never funded any loan and instead spent the money on herself, prosecutors said. In the lawsuit, she was accused by British Virgin Islands-based LDR International Limited of giving King 97 loans amounting to $10.2 million from January through October of 2022. In one case, the collateral was a vintage Avengers comic book worth $25,000, the plaintiff said in the suit. According to the lawsuit, King 'spent the majority of the funds loaned by plaintiff to King Lending to gamble in Las Vegas, fund an extravagant lifestyle, and for other personal uses by King. Plaintiff is informed and believes that King moved into the Wynn Las Vegas resort and hotel, lived there for six months, and gambled 24/7.'
