Lady Catarina Pietra Toumei and attorney arrive at the federal courthouse in San Diego on Thursday. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)
The third fake Guggenheim has stepped into the spotlight all on her own, turning herself in this week. A California woman is facing charges here in New York, with claims that she falsely represented the Guggenheim family, with two alleged partners in crime (Vladimir Zuravel and David Birnbaum) who were already charged with fraud. Lady Catarina Pietra Toumei, 45, will be arraigned on February 18th in Manhattan on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to SignOn San Diego. Currently all three conspirators are free on bond, but each could face up to 20 years behind bars.
Toumei says she heard she was "at large" after reading online reports, and yesterday she told the press, “I’m very, very anxious for the truth to come out." Her mother is certain her name will be cleared, and says there is "more to the story."
The complaint against Toumei was filed in Manhattan by Guggenheim Capital LLC, claiming she posed as a representative of the wealthy Guggenheim family and attempted to hawk fake investments of diamonds, gold, bank notes and crude oil. She also allegedly claimed to be the wife of John Ratzenberg (that's Cliff Clavin to Cheers fans). While the two did have a short relationship, they were never married. His rep says he "is saddened that her life has taken this turn."
At some point she also claimed to be a countess (though she says, “I never said I was a countess. That’s the silliest thing."). So why the "Lady" title? She explained it was given to her by European Royalty, and documents show she legally changed her name to Lady Catatrina Pietra Toumei in 2009. Of all the fake Guggenheims... this one definitely brings the most intrigue to the table. We look forward to more on Countess Lady Catarina Pietra Toumei Ratzenberg!
