A Florida woman posing as a psychic conned a woman out of more than $3 million. She and her partner were sentenced to federal prison.
A Florida woman posing as a psychic has been sentenced to federal prison after she and a partner conned a woman out of more than $3 million, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
For years, Samantha Stevens used fortune-telling and rituals to convince her victim that her family was cursed, federal authorities said.
The 51-year-old woman has been sentenced to two years and six months in prison. Her accomplice, Michael Paul Guzman, 42, has been sentenced to three years and two months in federal prison, according to court records.
Both pleaded guilty to money laundering charges in a deal with prosecutors, authorities said.
Stevens, who claimed to be a psychic and fortune teller, befriended the victim in Miami 10 years ago and convinced her that her family was cursed, officials said.
To lift the curse, Stevens claimed she needed to perform cleansing rituals on large sums of money, prosecutors said
Without the rituals, harm would befall the victim and her family, Stevens told her, according to prosecutors.
The fraud ended in 2016 when Stevens stopped communicating with the victim when she said she couldn't pay anymore, federal authorities said.
The victim then contacted federal law enforcement, prosecutors said. The victim had paid more than $3 million to the fake psychic and her partner, according to court records.
Stevens and Guzman spent the victim's money on vehicles, property and casino gambling, officials said.
As part of their plea deal, Stevens and Guzman agreed to pay nearly $3.2 million in restitution, prosecutors said.
