Martha Stewart’s prison ‘best friend’ claims she ‘blew me off’ after promising $1M payment: report

That’s not a good thing. 

Martha Stewart’s alleged prison “best friend” claims the domestic doyenne promised her $1 million when they were behind bars but failed to cough up the cash. 

In an interview with Daily Mail, Lisa Guarino, 62, says she and Stewart, 83, were locked up at the same women’s minimum-security federal prison, FPC Alderson, in 2004 when the cookbook queen served five months for her role in a stock trading scandal. 

Guarino, who was reportedly behind bars for possessing and intending to distribute more than five pounds of cocaine, told Daily Mail that she and Martha “hit it off” from the beginning of Martha’s time at the West Virginia facility known as “Camp Cupcake.” 

Martha Stewart leaves a Federal Court after her sentencing hearing July 16, 2004 in New York City. Getty Images

Describing Stewart as her “best friend,” the ex-convict said she and the domestic icon “cried, laughed, and ate together” in prison.

“I took her under my wing, I protected her,” Guarino said, adding that Stewart was “grateful” for her help and guidance. 

According to Guarino, that gratitude allegedly motivated Stewart to promise her $1 million upon release. Guarino claims Stewart made the vow when Guarino’s family visited her at the prison. 

“She told my family they no longer needed to put money on my books because she was going to take care of me,” Guarino said, referring to her commissary account, which her family members had been contributing to so she could purchase basic items such as pencils and paper while in lockup. 

In this undated handout from Federal Bureau of Prisons, the administration building of the Alderson Federal Prison Camp is seen in Alderson, West Virginia where Martha Stewart served a five month sentence. Getty Images

In this undated handout from Federal Bureau of Prisons, a cell in the Alderson Federal Prison Camp is seen in Alderson, West Virginia. M Getty Images

Guarino also alleged that she was transferred to another facility to receive drug rehabilitation treatment to shorten her prison term just weeks before Stewart was released, and she found her commissary account empty. 

“I could’ve killed Martha when I found out she didn’t keep her word,” Guarino told Daily Mail. “She told my family they no longer had to put money on my books because she was going to take care of me, but she gave me a donut, a big fat zero.” 

“I then had my phone privileges suspended for three months so I couldn’t ask my family for money. It was hell and I suffered in part due to Martha not keeping her word.”

Martha Stewart in a still from the trailer for the Netflix documentary MARTHA.
Netflix

Guarino recently tried to make contact with Stewart, showing up outside an event at the Chevalier Theatre in Medford, Massachusetts, where Stewart was promoting her just-released 100th cookbook on Monday. 

According to the outlet, Guarino tried to get Stewart’s attention when the star arrived and waved to fans. 

“’Martha, it’s Lisa!’” Guarino shouted before Stewart entered the theater. The author reportedly left the event through a side exit and avoided the crowd outside the venue. 

Guarino took it personally, believing Stewart saw her and chose not to acknowledge her. 

Martha Stewart attends the 2024 WWD Honors at Cipriani South Street on October 29, 2024 in New York City. WireImage

“Martha blew me off after I saved her life in prison,” she said. “She jumped the fence to not have to look at me or say something to me and ran off.”

“I’m pissed off, I’m offended.”

Reflecting on her alleged relationship with Stewart, Guarino added, “I believed Martha when she told me in prison that we were friends, but I guess when she got back into her world, she went back to her old narcissistic ways.”  

“She has all the money in the world but part of me feels sorry for her.”

The Post has reached out to Stewart’s reps.

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