May 4th 2024.
John Taylor, an aspiring movie star, received an email in 2019 that would change his life forever. The sender was Doug Liman, a renowned Hollywood director known for blockbuster hits such as The Bourne Identity. John was initially surprised by the email, but a quick Google search confirmed that it was indeed from the famous director.
Excited and in disbelief, John learned that Doug was searching for undiscovered talent for his new space film, which would star none other than Tom Cruise. John's name had been recommended by a producer he had previously worked with, and he couldn't believe his luck. It seemed like his dreams of global superstardom were finally within reach.
However, before he could start filming, John was instructed by Doug and Donna Langley, the chairperson of Universal Pictures, to undergo martial arts training to prepare for his physically demanding role. Although he had to pay $800 upfront for the lessons, John didn't think much of it as he had already been investing in acting classes. He saw it as another skill to add to his repertoire.
As filming approached, Doug would call John multiple times a day for hours on end. He also asked John to watch countless films and write character analyses, from dusk until dawn. John was eager to impress and was always waiting for his phone to ring, ready to do whatever was needed.
But then, John's preparation took an unexpected and horrifying turn. Donna wanted to make sure he could perform a specific scene in the film, so she asked him to jump on a Skype call. However, her camera was turned off, and she asked John to act out a scene where he was chatting up and kissing a "beautiful" woman. John reluctantly obliged, but her feedback was not positive. She said she didn't believe his performance.
Feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable, John was asked to take a break and "loosen up" before reconvening on Skype. Donna then asked him to reenact the scene with his trousers off. John, who was wearing underwear and only his upper body was visible on camera, complied. But then, he was asked to touch himself, and he finally snapped. He realized that this was not okay, and he felt completely disrespected.
It was at this moment that John realized he had been scammed. The Hollywood Con Queen had been impersonating Doug and Donna, and John had fallen for it. He had been swindled out of $5,000 by the con artist, who had been preying on aspiring actors and actresses for years.
The Hollywood Con Queen, whose real name is Hargobind Punjabi Tahilramani, had been pretending to be multiple Hollywood executives to dupe over 300 victims, totaling more than $1 million. This shocking case has been explored in a gripping new documentary series on Apple TV Plus.
The documentary, directed by Chris Smith, who also worked on the Fyre Festival documentary, includes interviews with Tahilramani himself. Through these interviews, Chris discovered that Tahilramani's motivation was not purely financial. He seemed to enjoy the psychological manipulation and destroying people's dreams.
After a four-year investigation, Tahilramani was arrested in a hotel in Manchester in November 2020. He is currently fighting extradition to the US, where he will face trial for his crimes. Despite the trauma and disappointment he experienced, John has learned from this experience and hopes to warn others about the dangers of falling for scams in the entertainment industry.
Hollywood Con Queen is now available to stream on Apple TV Plus, and it sheds light on the disturbing truth behind this elaborate and deceitful scheme. If you have a story to share about this or any other celebrity-related topic, please reach out to our entertainment team. We'd love to hear from you.
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