Apparent con-artist Kari Ferrell told Animal NY the other day that she'd turned herself in to Philadelphia police. Surprise: She lied! A Philadelphia musician she knew lured her back with talk of a trip to Portland.

Sam Tremble (pictured) had let Ferrell stay at his house in Philly for a few days after meeting her at his band's show in Brooklyn. She told various lies, including that she couldn't go to the South by Southwest music festival in Austin with the band because she had surgery scheduled.

Then a fellow band member got an email warning about Ferrell's grifter ways, from a mutual friend; a Google search turned up her warrant in Salt Lake City; and then the Observer story hit.

Deciding he could catch Ferrell, Tremble emailed her, "feigning concern for her health" and ignorance of all the news stories about her, and pretending he could take her on tour out West. No doubt wanting to get as far from New York as possible, Ferrell took the bait. Soon she was on a Chinatown bus to Philly.

Officers DeLuca and Green drove me to Chinatown in an unmarked black Explorer. They watched from across the street. When the bus arrived, I waved to Kari to get their attention. I want to say I hugged her, but I was anxious and I don't remember. I picked her bag out of the luggage storage and started walking behind her. The officers crossed the street and stopped her. I dropped her bag and walked away. They took her aside and questioned her for a moment. She didn't struggle.

Then Ferrell called Animal NY to say she had turned herself in. Because it's not like that lie would be almost immediately exposed in court. Wow. For some people, lying really is like breathing.

[CityPaper]

(Pic via CityPaper)