Fortune teller accused of fraud

[The Straight Story]

Mother of two claims psychic defrauded her of $136,000
Woman claimed client was cursed now barred from telling fortunes

ORLANDO, Fla. -

A Windermere fortune teller, accused of stealing nearly $136,000 from a client, is now barred from telling fortunes.
...

She is free on a $22,000 bond, but prohibited from telling fortunes until the charges are resolved.

The alleged victim, Priti Mahalanobis, said she was curious about how "Mrs. Starr" might give her insight into a relationship, so she paid $20 for a reading, then $200 for a follow-up, before draining bank accounts, a family business and a cache of jewelry.

Asked why it should be a crime to accept money from a client who willingly turned it over, Mahalanobis said, "She intended to defraud. She used lies and manipulation to continue to defraud us and made false statements also."

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/Mother-of-two-claims-psychic-defrauded-her-of-136-000/-/1637132/8495960/-/7xo50az/-/index.html

[HillWilliam]

1. What is they say about a fool and his money?

The "Miss Cleo" persona lives on...

[DeathToTheOil]

2. Priti Mahalanobis???

[redqueen]

10. Not exactly a very rare name...

[cthulu2016]

3. What if a church received that $136,000 as donations from

someone who couldn't well afford them?

Would the church have been said to have "used lies and manipulation"?

[Renew Deal]

5. There is no charge to walk into a church or even to come back

And there is typically no fortune telling at churches.

[wtmusic]

14. Churches survive on fortune telling

i.e. the promise of Heaven.

If Priti promised eternal life and drained her client's wealth similarly - is that fraud?

[Renew Deal]

17. The "promise of heaven" is not fortune telling

not even in the broadest definition of "fortune telling."

[Scuba]

18. Splitting hairs won't work here. Lots of people have been bilked by "religion".

[Renew Deal]

20. I think that anti-religious bigotry is irrelevant here

It has nothing to do with this story and the comparisons to "fortune telling" are intentionally specious.

[wtmusic]

23. As is anti-fortune telling bigotry

Eternal life is not a fortune? Please explain.

[redqueen]

22. Churchgoers are encouraged to donate,

not required.

The analogy is extremely weak.

[wtmusic]

24. Encouraged, intimidated, prodded perhaps?

Led to believe, in many cases, that their "donations" will influence their future?

What's the diff?

[redqueen]

25. An invoice.

Are you being facetious?

[wtmusic]

26. Not at all

and I have no idea what you mean by your reply, although it seems like you consider the government a good judge of fortune-teller competency.

Maybe they should be licensed, like cosmetologists.

[redqueen]

29. If you hand someone an invoice, you are charging them.

If you don't, you're not.

That's pretty clear. You can hint and suggest and cajole and all that, and sometimes that's enough. But the evidence to support that has to be pretty strong. Strong enough that I doubt you would be able to make a case that all churches of all religions everywhere do this. Some churches, some preachers, some priests or reverends or whatever, sure... they might cross some line with their rhetoric. Most though? Please.

[polly7]

27. What you say may be true with some churches, but when I attended church

my donation was given with the expectation it was helping people with aid projects, local and international.

[Lance_Boyle]

31. The Church of Scientology operates very differently.

This ruling must send chills down the spines of their Florida branch operators, as it could apply word for word to their activities.

[redqueen]

32. Careful now...

you'll have their lawyers after you.

[Renew Deal]

4. How does the court know the fortune teller lied?

And shouldn't they all be accused of fraud?

[redqueen]

6. Some places require such entertainers

to post a sign or somehow inform the clients that it is for entertainment only.

Not sure that's the case where she works, but it's one possibility.

[Ecumenist]

7. I never understand how people are sucked into doing things like this.

[easttexaslefty]

9. Acute grief

Can suck some to people into doing this.

[redqueen]

12. +1

Also if one grows up in an environment where superstitions are treated as credible, then that person is far more susceptible to being manipulated using those irrational beliefs.

[HillWilliam]

34. Yup, just like that

My brother never got over the loss of his grandmother. There was some pathology there, trust. Being the good little reichwinger/racist/homophobe Kreeshchyin (definitely not Christian except in his warpedass mind), he resorted to supersition. After he detroyed his marriage and drank himself to death, I had to go help pick up the pieces, discovering at $1300+ phone bill, $1200 of which was to "psychic" services.

Dude was the total model of a teabagger before teabagging was fashionable. Sheep and fool, just like the lot of them.

[Ecumenist]

33. I understand grief but there are "readers" that DO NOT DO THIS, ie, stealing from you.

The fake "gypsy" types are known criminals and tend to be sprinkled throughout the cities,

[jberryhill]

8. Bet she didn't see that coming

[DeathToTheOil]

11. $10,000 says she did

[snooper2]

13. She's a Individual & Family Services Professional

LOL

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/priti-mahalanobis/19/2b2/5a7

[Sheepshank]

15. Our local weatherman is one of the worst furtune tellers around n/t

[Fuzz]

16. Fortune teller? Fraud? Can't be. Big government once again stomping its boot on the throat of job

creators.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

19. Fortune telling fraud???!!! Is anything sacred anymore people??!!!!

[SidDithers]

21. A fool and his money are soon parted...nt

Sid

[Nuclear Unicorn]

28. You'd think she would have predicted this. n/t

[pinboy3niner]

30. I'm chomping at the bit to weigh in on this, but...

[Louisiana1976]

35. ....