Woman arrested in Phila. as scam artist

Soon after moving to Brooklyn last year, 22-year-old Kari Ferrell told her new friends she was terminally ill. And then, she was pregnant. And then, her ATM card would work only at a few machines, so she'd exchange checks for money.

Her friends, dates, and even casual acquaintances spotted her cash, paid for cabs, and picked up the check at restaurants and bars.

Until they found out that law-enforcement officials don't believe any of the yarns spun by the woman whom bloggers have dubbed the "hipster grifter."

And though no one was allegedly taken for a Bernie Madoff-size ripoff, over the last month bloggers have chronicled her exploits with a combination of admiration and venom.

For authorities in Salt Lake City, Ferrell's lies amounted to $60,000 worth of forgery, bad checks, and theft. She's been on their "most wanted" list since October.

Her flight ended Sunday evening, when Philadelphia police arrested her as a fugitive in Chinatown. Philadelphia Detective Dave Smith said an unidentified caller tipped off police. It is unknown how long she was in Philadelphia before being arrested.

Ferrell is being held at the Riverside Correctional Facility in Northeast Philadelphia, with bail set at $250,000.

Little is known about Ferrell. Several bloggers reported that her former friends say she grew up in Salt Lake City. A spokesman for that city's police department, Sgt. Fred Ross, said he could not confirm that.

He added, though, that Ferrell called him Monday from jail. He would not give details about the conversation except to say that "she was polite" and had a question.

To her followers, Ferrell, with her large tattoo of a phoenix on her chest and her presence at concerts and clubs around Brooklyn, fits the mold of urban hipster.

Dozens of media and pop-culture blogs began tracking her movements and collecting stories from alleged victims about a month ago. An April 15 feature about Ferrell in the New York Observer was the first to use the nickname "hipster grifter."

Her appeal to readers, said Gawker blogger Hamilton Nolan, was "just the outrageousness of the stuff she had done."

He said more than a dozen New Yorkers had come forward with stories about being scammed. Ferrell, however, has not been charged in those allegations.

Ross said he credits her notoriety and eventual arrest to a video Salt Lake City police posted about her on YouTube. To date, more than 100,000 people have watched the video, which features a photo of Ferrell and details of her alleged crime spree.

Six warrants await her in Utah on felony charges ranging from forgery and bad checks to failure to appear and theft.

Ferrell will be held at the Riverside facility until a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 15. Ross said his office is in the process of extradicting her to Utah to face charges.

The Philadelphia Public Defender's Office, which is listed as Ferrell's attorney in court documents, would not comment on her case.

Just a few days before her arrest, Ferrell met with blogger Bucky Turco of Animal in New York. The May 1 post features a photo shoot and a video of an apology from Ferrell.

"I just want to let everybody know that I am very sorry for everything I've done," Ferrell said. "I made some pretty terrible decisions and just wish that I could take them all back."

She did not elaborate.