BEVERLY HILLS—Maria Gabriela Hashemipour, owner of the private Chez Gabriela spa and style studio in Beverly Hills, agreed to a plea bargain in a federal credit card scam indictment against her on Friday, January 21.Hashemipour pleaded guilty to one charge of access device fraud, and in doing so, she will have 40 other charges against her dropped in a case in which she is alleged to have possibly racked up around $1,000,000 in fraudulent credit card charges from celebrities.
Hashemipour, 51, was alleged to have stolen money from a long list of celebrities, which includes Anne Hathaway, Liv Tyler, Melanie Griffith and Cher. Despite her guilty plea, she may still face up to 10 years in prison, and fines of either $250,000 or twice her fraudulent charges, whichever is the higher amount. The amount will be reviewed at the sentence hearing.
Prosecutors say that she took at least $69,890 from Liv Tyler and at least $22,205 from Cher, two of the highest amounts from any of the celebrities allegedly targeted. Her studio’s website continues to showcase many of her celebrity clients who were alleged to have been victims, including a quote from Cher in which she describes her as the “Michelangelo of skin care.”
Hashemipour’s sentencing has been scheduled for April 11 by U.S. District Judge Manuel L. Real.
