The California blonde accused of fraud was in New York City yesterday pleading not guilty to charges. She allegedly conspired with David Birnbaum (of Brooklyn) and Vladimir Zuravel (of Queens) by posing as a member of the Guggenheim family and attempting to hawk fake investments.
Catarina Pietra Toumei, 45, said she was "innocent until proven guilty" outside of the Manhattan Federal Court yesterday. Her lawyer claimed Toumei never even met her alleged partners in crime, saying, "Her role in this alleged conspiracy was certainly not criminal... they hired her over the phone to work on commission, selling investments nobody ever bought." Among the more amusing details of the accusations is how Toumei claimed she was married to John Ratzenberger, aka Cliff Clavin from Cheers. She and Ratzenberger only dated.
