Somerset Police Arrest and Charge Palm Reader with Stealing Over $70,000 from Client

MILANOVICH operated Tracy’s Psychic Palm Reader out of a location on County Street. Anyone who believed they have been victimized by MILANOVICH is asked to contact Somerset Police Officer Donald Cormier at 508-679-2138.

,,,The subsequent investigation revealed that MILANOVICH convinced the victim that her daughter was possessed by a demon, and that cash and household items were needed in order to banish the spirit from her daughter.

MILANOVICH was found to have stolen approximately $71,000 from the victim and the victim additionally purchased multiple household items for her, like towels and bedding.

Somerset Police Arrest and Charge Palm Reader with Stealing Over $70,000 from Client

California psychic promised to 'bless' money, ran off with $100K

A California woman posed as a psychic and duped clients out of $100,000 by promising she could double their money with a blessing, police said.

The alleged scam landed Perlita Afancio-Balles, 29, on the Sacramento Police Department’s “most-wanted list” Tuesday.

Victims said Afancio-Balles — who went by the name Eva Maria — told them to leave their money with her, with the promise she’d return the “blessed” cash and that it would increase twofold, the Sacramento Bee reported.

California psychic promised to 'bless' money, ran off with $100K

UPDATED::2 charged in psychic scam; police say lawyer was swindled out of $1.5M

 UPDATED::Suspect in Las Vegas ‘psychic reading’ case died under house arrest

A 46-year-old man who died last week while under house arrest was one of five suspects awaiting trial in what authorities have called a long-running “psychic reading” scam that bilked a Las Vegas lawyer out of more than $1 million.

David Marks of Las Vegas died on Nov. 25 at Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center after suffering a medical episode at his home, according to Las Vegas police and the Clark County coroner’s office. His cause and manner of death had not been determined as of Monday.

He and his co-defendants — Sherry Marks, Peaches Marks, Nancy Marks and Rita Stevens — were indicted in June on 14 counts of theft and one count of multiple fraudulent transactions, according to court records.

UPDATE::  3 more charged in Las Vegas ‘psychic readings’ $1M scam

Las Vegas prosecutors on Thursday named three more people in a sweeping indictment in a long-running “psychic reading” scam that bilked a California lawyer out of more than $1 million.

Chief District Judge Linda Bell issued arrest warrants for Peaches Marks, Nancy Marks and Rita Stevens, whom prosecutors said had a roll in the scam that netted cash, jewels, airfare and a pair of $130,000 BMWs.

Stevens had previously been named in the case as an uncharged co-conspirator.

Two others, David Marks and Sherry Marks, were previously arrested in the case. Sherry Marks remains behind bars, while David Marks is free on his own recognizance.

A California lawyer who responded to a flyer for psychic readings was swindled out of $1.5 million by scammers who said she had to pay them to clear her chakras and eliminate her bad karma, police say.

Two people have been charged in Las Vegas in the monthslong scam, and a criminal complaint is pending against a third, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Sherry Marks, 52, and David Marks, 48, are charged with conspiracy, extortion and four counts of obtaining money under false pretenses.

Prosecutors were given until early June to file a criminal complaint against the third person, Peaches Marks. But Sherry and David Marks are due back in Las Vegas Justice Court later this month, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

2 charged in psychic scam; police say lawyer was swindled out of $1.5M: Description

Sacramento Police Looking for a 'Psychic' Who Allegedly Scammed People Out of $100,000

Police in Sacramento, California, are looking for a woman who allegedly scammed people out of $100,000 after claiming to be "psychic."

The woman, who went by the name "Eva Maria," had convinced several people who lived near her in South Natomas that she was a "psychic."

She gained their trust and promised to "bless" them and double any money she gave them, Sacramento Police said.

Sacramento Police Looking for a 'Psychic' Who Allegedly Scammed People Out of $100,000

This Upper West Side Psychic Parlor Specializes in Reincarnation (Its Own) - The New York Times

The psychic shop had been there for at least 10 years, a fixture on a block of prime real estate on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It had thrived even amid neighbors’ complaints and surprise visits from New York City inspectors who issued violations.

The tenants in the apartment had a history of evading city restrictions on home-operated businesses by finding loopholes in the rules, offering a case study into how psychics continue to thrive in modern-day New York. For years, the apartment has been a revolving door for psychics who promise a $5 or $10 peek at the future, a cottage industry that has proved to be recession-proof and common-sense-proof.

What happened to the passing woman lured inside that day last year eventually brought visits from detectives. Two separate investigations led to the recent arrests of three women who worked as psychics in the apartment, at 143 West 69th Street. Each was convicted of felony larceny charges and forced to repay the victims up to $60,000 apiece. 

Yet as recently as last week, fortunetellers appeared to be operating again in the same location, demonstrating how resistant the fortunetelling business can be to law enforcement.

This Upper West Side Psychic Parlor Specializes in Reincarnation (Its Own) - The New York Times

UPDATED::Psychic arrested for scamming clients out of more than $800K

UPDATE:: New York psychic appears in court charged with swindling a dozen victims out of more than $1 MILLION, including a Canadian woman 'she took $740k from, insisting it would be used to buy gold coins that would be placed in a temple to protect her from danger'

A New York fortune teller accused of swindling a dozen 'vulnerable' clients out of more than $1 million across a five year period appeared in a Manhattan court on Friday, as prosecutors pursue a litany of fraud charges.

Looking more morose than mystic, shamed clairvoyant Ann Thompson, 42, solemnly emerged from the holding room of the Manhattan Supreme Court, dressed in a grey tank-top with her hair scraped back.

Thompson last appeared in court in August, where she pleaded not guilty to 17 counts, including scheme to defraud, grand larceny, and forgery, in relation to complaints made by 12 of her former clients.

Prosecutors say she touted herself as a renowned psychic medium and advertised readings for five dollars, operating out of the storefront 'Psychic Zoe' on West 35th Street, near Seventh Avenue.

A self-proclaimed psychic in Midtown has been arrested for allegedly conning at least two vulnerable out-of-town clients out of more than $800,000 over the last five years, The Post has learned.

Ann Thompson, 42, who operated her years-long supernatural scheme under the name “Psychic Zoe” out of the second-story of a W. 35th building near Seventh Avenue, was finally nabbed Wednesday morning on charges of grand larceny, scheming to defraud and fortune-telling, authorities said.

Thompson, who represented herself as a renowned psychic medium and advertised $5 readings, told her victims they “needed to provide her with funds for a spiritual protection plan to ensure that family members would be protected,” an NYPD spokeswoman said.

Psychic arrested for scamming clients out of more than $800K

‘Psychic’ gets federal prison time after swindling Houston woman of $1.6M - HoustonChronicle.com

A Florida woman who claimed to be a psychic healer with a direct line to God was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after she swindled a woman she met at the Galleria into giving her more than $1.6 million to lift a curse.

Sherry Tina Uwanawich, 29, the proclaimed Gypsy healer, relocated to Fort Lauderdale where investigators caught up with her in a wire fraud scheme that dated back to 2007. Last week, Uwanawich, who sold her services under the name Jacklyn Miller, was sentenced by a federal judge to 40 months in prison plus three years of supervised release.

At her plea hearing in June, she told U.S. District Judge Rodolfo A. Ruiz she had God-given powers to ward off curses and had witnessed curses removed, according to her lawyer Jim Lewis. She also admitted at that hearing to an elaborate scheme to take more than a million dollars from a woman she considered a friend.

‘Psychic’ gets federal prison time after swindling Houston woman of $1.6M - HoustonChronicle.com

Vision Church of Atlanta adds psychic medium to ministerial staff - The Christian Post

The Vision Church of Atlanta, Georgia, a progressive congregation, has added a psychic medium who claims to commune with the dead to their staff.

Lakara Foster, who holds a doctorate of ministry from The Interdenominational Theological Center, is now a licensed minister at The Vision Church of Atlanta, Rolling Out reported. She is also the creator and star of the YouTube series “The Gift,” which she argues God told her to do. It follows her life as a medium, minister, and spiritual teacher.

“God told me to do the show. Honestly, I was reluctant at first because I felt very vulnerable and thought I would get a lot of pushback and negative feedback being a minister and a medium. I thought people wouldn’t understand but I knew I still had to do it. I knew I had been called to do it. When I asked God, ‘Why this gift? Why not singing? God said, ‘I promised my people eternal life. How will my people know that I’ve kept promise if you don’t demonstrate your gift?’” she told Rolling Out.

Vision Church of Atlanta adds psychic medium to ministerial staff - The Christian Post

Why do a quarter of people across the world believe humans have psychic abilities? | The Independent

Mind reading and the ability to predict the future are not skills people generally associate with the human race. Yet, research shows many people genuinely believe in the existence of psychic powers.

You would think that instances of proven psychic fraud over the years would weaken the credibility of the claims. There have been historical cases, such as Lajos Pap, the Hungarian spiritualist medium, who was found to be faking animal appearances at seances.

And then more recently, self-described psychic James Hydrick was revealed as a trickster. Hydrick confessed his paranormal demonstrations were tricks learned in prison.

Another notable example involved televangelist Peter Popoff. His wife used a wireless transmitter to broadcast information about sermon attendees to Popoff via an earpiece.

Popoff claimed to receive this information by paranormal means and rose to fame hosting a nationally televised programme, during which he performed seemingly miraculous cures on audience members.

But despite such cases, there are still many people who firmly believe in the power of psychic ability. According to a US Gallup survey, for example, more than one-quarter of people believe humans have psychic abilities – such as telepathy and clairvoyance.

Why do a quarter of people across the world believe humans have psychic abilities? | The Independent

Fortune teller uses asparagus tips to tell your future - Mirror Online

Many fortune tellers rely on tea leaves but Jemima Packington uses asparagus to predict the future.

Jemima, who claims to be the world’s only “Asparamancer”, tosses spears of the vegetable into the air and interprets how they land.

And her predictions for 2012 include two royal pregnancies and British glory at the London Olympics – but a dismal performance for the England football team at Euro 2012.

Jemima, 56, from Bath, has made dozens of accurate ­forecasts, including the credit crunch and predicting a second royal baby for Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn.

Fortune teller uses asparagus tips to tell your future - Mirror Online

Medium tries to help find missing Welch girls | KTUL

"I just want people to know that heaven is real the angels are real," said Natasha Brock. She describes herself as a medium and an investigator.

"I do hypnosis work where I'm able to put people into a light trance in order to access information and clues about missing people," she said.

And she's been talking to people about Lauria Bible and Ashley Freeman, who have now been missing for 19 years.
,,,
"I just want this mother to finally get the peace that she deserves after 20 years," said Brock.

If that were the case, you would take your fake ass psychic bullshit and leave this mother alone.  Your a deluded piece of crap on par with Sylvia Brown.  The dead dont speak!!

I would think the media, in this case Burt Mummolo and KTUL, would be more skeptical of the claims of self-professed psychics. This is unethical and exploitative, and this TV station should have exercised better judgement.

Medium tries to help find missing Welch girls | KTUL

A Canadian Woman Was Just Arrested and Charged with Witchcraft - VICE

After a months-long investigation by police in a small Ontario town, a Canadian woman who sold herself as a psychic has been charged with witchcraft.

This weekend police in Milton, a small town in Ontario, arrested 32-year-old Dorie Stevenson who was running a psychic business out of her basement. She was charged with extortion, fraud over $5,000 [$3,813 USD], and witchcraft/fortune telling. If you’re thinking, whoa, Canada has witchcraft laws? Well, the answer would be yes, but they’re probably not exactly what you think.

It's covered under section 365 in the Criminal Code under the title “pretending to practice witchcraft.” It focuses on anyone who “fraudulently” gets paid to tell fortunes, “pretends to exercise or to use any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment, or conjuration,” or using their “skill in or knowledge of an occult or crafty science” to find where lost things are.

A Canadian Woman Was Just Arrested and Charged with Witchcraft - VICE

‘Psychic’ busted for allegedly scamming woman out of $12K

A Westchester County “psychic” has just been busted for the third time in fewer than two years — this time for allegedly bilking a woman out of her life savings by convincing the client she’d been cursed in a past life as a mute Egyptian healer.

Accused serial Scarsdale scamster Janet Lee, 44, was arrested Tuesday in Bedford and charged with third-degree grand larceny for allegedly ripping off a 64-year-old local resident for more than $12,000, according to court documents.

The woman had sought out Lee’s services in June after growing “despondent” that she’d never achieved her dream of a career in writing or filmmaking, according to a statement provided to The Post by Bob Nygaard, a private investigator she recruited to help bring the psychic to justice. Nygaard said the statement also was submitted to authorities.

‘Psychic’ busted for allegedly scamming woman out of $12K

Milton, Ont. ‘Psychic’ Dorie 'Madeena' Stevenson Charged With 'Witchcraft' | HuffPost Canada

Halton Regional Police have arrested a 32-year-old woman from Milton, Ont. and charged her with extortion, fraud over $5,000 and pretending to practise witchcraft.

Dorie "Madeena" Stevenson was arrested Thursday after a five-month investigation, according to police. Officers also recovered evidence from her property after executing a search warrant.

One of Stevenson's alleged victims told police they had been defrauded of more than $60,000 after consulting with the woman, who owns the registered business Milton Psychic.

Milton, Ont. ‘Psychic’ Dorie 'Madeena' Stevenson Charged With 'Witchcraft' | HuffPost Canada

UPDATED::So-called psychic arrested at Miami International Airport on...

UPDATE::  ‘Just outrageous:’ Maryland psychic cons $341,000 from five clients

Marks also employed up-to-date techniques. Phone “spoofing” enabled her to make calls that appeared to be coming from a different phone number than the one she was using. Using that ruse, prosecutors said, Marks was able to tell a client her ex-boyfriend would call at a precise time — warning the client she was not to answer it — and the client would indeed see the ex’s phone number pop up on her phone screen at the exact predicted time.

“It just seems like that’s the worst of the worst, when you prey on people when they were down,” Circuit Judge John Maloney told Marks at the conclusion of the case on Friday, when he sentenced her to six years in prison. “That is just outrageous.”

Nationwide, consulting with fortune tellers and psychics is fairly common. Nearly 1 in 7 Americans say they have done so, according to a 2009 study by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life.

UPDATE::  Maryland 'Psychic' Convicted of Scamming Clients Out of $340K

A Maryland woman who said she was a psychic and scammed customers out of $340,000 to cure them of "curses" pleaded guilty Friday to multiple counts of felony theft. 

Gina Marie Marks, who identified herself as Natalie Miller in her meetings with clients, stole from five people who sought her help over the course of more than two years. 

Marks said Friday that she would return all of the payments she received. She walked out of court in Montgomery County with her husband, who wrapped a coat over her head.

She was adamant that her services are legitimate and she really is a psychic.

The world of psychic fraud gets a bit twisted as alias use is prominent.  I believe Marks has been then subject of a few postings here on H&C as well as FB.

Marks, a twice-convicted swindler and author of the book "Miami Psychic," was minutes from boarding a flight to Barcelona on Thursday at Miami International Airport when two Miami-Dade police officers introduced themselves and took her aside

"They informed her she had a warrant for her arrest and, at that moment, it was like the end of the world. It was total shock on her face," private investigator Bob Nygaard said.

Marks, a self-described gypsy priestess, was wanted in Maryland on a grand theft warrant, alleging she'd ripped off $82,000 from a woman who believed she had psychic power.

It was the victim's private investigator, Nygaard, who tracked Marks down at the airport and arranged for police to make the arrest. 

So-called psychic arrested at Miami International Airport on...

The scam, the psychic, and the sin of wanting more - CNN

This is a rather odd case that needs to be read, leaving me with mixed feelings as the reporters spent two years investigating. By the time the news agency was able to secure an interview with Duval, she appeared to have dementia and was unable to answer questions.  While the investigation was only 2-years in duration, resulting in the book A Deal with the Devil: The Dark and Twisted True Story of One of the Biggest Cons in History, the scam spans decades and is world-wide in scope with culpability by Duval.

The letters appeared to be handwritten and signed by the psychic. They contained personal details, like a recipient’s name, age or hometown. It seemed as if the psychic had intuited this information. It had actually been pieced together from “suckers lists” sold by companies known as data brokers and from information the victims themselves unknowingly provided in the past.

Seduced by Duval’s promises, US investigators say, people paid around $40 each time they corresponded with her in exchange for her guidance, lucky numbers and talismans. This seemingly simple scheme became one of the longest-running mail frauds in history — infiltrating more than a dozen countries, spanning more than 20 years and raking in more than $200 million in the United States and Canada alone. In America, it ensnared 60 times more victims than Bernie Madoff’s infamous Ponzi scheme…

Our initial investigation showed that Duval was not operating the business or mailing the letters — as so many victims had been led to believe. Instead, a complex network of international shell companies and front operations had been used to hide the letters’ true origins from investigators. Eventually we identified ringleaders on the beaches of Thailand and in the secrecy havens of Switzerland and Monaco — and determined that the operations had passed through an endless number of hands over the years.

The scam, the psychic, and the sin of wanting more - CNN

See also::  Chapter One: Who is behind one of the biggest scams in history?

Wilmington psychic's future: 1 year and 1 day in prison

A Wilmington psychic reader busted for filing false tax returns was read her future: one year and a day in prison.

Forty-year-old Candy Miller, whose business was loacted on Concord Pike, was sentenced Thursday on charges she filed false tax returns for the years 2010, 2011 and 2012, underreporting her total income by more than $1 million.   

The unreported income was received from her clients, who were told by Miller that she was removing the negativity from their lives by anonymously donating their money to charities she had selected.

"In fact, Miller made no donations and spent all the money on personal expenses," said Kim Reeves, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Wilmington. "The offense resulted in a total tax loss of $337,430."

Wilmington psychic's future: 1 year and 1 day in prison

Center Twp. woman charged with theft, fortunetelling - News - The Times - Beaver, PA

In an unusual circumstance, a Center Township woman has been charged with illegal fortunetelling, a misdemeanor charge under the Pennsylvania crimes code.

According to a police report, Sophey M. Mills, 27, is accused of scamming two people out of about $3,200 each through her business, Psychic and Tarot Card Readings by Sophia.

Police said the the alleged victims contacted authorities after having multiple visits with Mills. In both cases, Mills suggested that they create “mojo” or “healing” jars filled with money in order to “rid them of evil spirits or negativity that is influencing their life,” police said.

According to the report, Mills’ clients were told to place $100 bills in the jar, along with an egg wrapped in a white T-shirt and various other items. One of the victims had $3,000 in the jar at one point, police said, and the other had $2,300.

In both cases, police said, Mills cracked the eggs and told the clients to run away because evil was trapped in the egg. They ran but then later contacted Mills to have their money returned. Mills refused to return the cash because “the evil was still too strong,” police said.

Center Twp. woman charged with theft, fortunetelling - News - The Times - Beaver, PA

UPDATED::Exorcism excise: U.S. psychic pleads guilty to $3.5 million tax evasion | Reuters

UPDATE::  A Psychic Who Charged $3.5 Million for Exorcisms Is Going to Prison

A purported psychic who charged an elderly Massachusetts woman $3.5 million for exorcisms and “spiritual cleansing” has been sentenced for evading taxes.

Federal prosecutors say 41-year-old Sally Ann Johnson, of south Florida, was sentenced Wednesday to two years and two months in prison. She was ordered to repay the woman and pay $725,000 to the IRS.

A self-proclaimed psychic who was paid $3.5 million by an elderly Massachusetts woman in exchange for claiming to cleanse her of demons pleaded guilty on Thursday to trying to avoid paying taxes.

Sally Ann Johnson, 41, for more than seven years provided what she described as healing services to a resident of the island of Martha’s Vineyard, who was more than 70 years old when she first met the spiritual healer, according to court papers. 

Johnson, who ran businesses including Psychic Match Inc and Flatiron Psychic, admitted in Boston federal court that she tried to impede the administration of tax laws.

Exorcism excise: U.S. psychic pleads guilty to $3.5 million tax evasion | Reuters

Police: Suspect claimed to be psychic, scammed victim out of thousands of dollars | WTOP

Police in Manassas Park, Virginia are asking for help identifying the suspect in a scam that defrauded at least one victim out of several thousand dollars.

The man claimed to be a psychic who could predict the winning numbers in the upcoming Powerball drawing on Oct. 25.

He used a third party app to communicate with the victim after the fake Powerball win. He also uses a fake Facebook profile with the name of Angel Cruz Oliviero as part of the scam, police said.

Police: Suspect claimed to be psychic, scammed victim out of thousands of dollars | WTOP