Radio host and accused Ponzi schemer used ‘hoodoo spell’ to thwart probe, feds say - The Washington Post

Federal agents likely were not bracing for many surprises when they pushed through the doors of a Chevy Chase, Md., condo building on Aug. 2. This was — on paper at least — a fairly routine alleged Ponzi fraud.

But when investigators began picking through the penthouse apartment owned by financial adviser and former radio host Dawn J. Bennett, agents from the FBI bumped into one oddity after the next, according to court documents.


Sure, there were the accoutrements of excess — the closet was clogged with hundreds of pairs of shoes. But agents also discovered biographical information on attorneys with the Securities and Exchange Commission. They additionally turned up handwritten notes detailing something called a “Beef Tongue Shut Up Hoodoo Spell,” a procedure calling for slitting open an animal tongue. Another note was scratched with an incantation: “I cross and cover you[,] come under my command[.] I command you to hold your tongue.”

Then, the two freezers: Inside, the shelves were crowded with dozens of sealed jars, many inked on the lids with the initials of SEC staff, the documents say. The bizarre findings, according to an affidavit filed in federal court this week, suggested Bennett had “many times cast a ‘hoodoo spell’ in hopes of paranormally silencing the SEC attorneys” handling her case.

Radio host and accused Ponzi schemer used ‘hoodoo spell’ to thwart probe, feds say - The Washington Post