A defendant extradited from Germany appeared in federal court in Miami to face conspiracy, mail-fraud and wire-fraud charges, the Justice Department said on November 3. The indictment alleges that letters presented as personalized messages from psychics promised recipients a financial windfall if they sent payment.

Prosecutors allege that victims’ checks were deposited into U.S. bank accounts opened in the names of purported psychics, then wired to European accounts controlled by a co-conspirator. The department says the alleged scheme operated from September 2016 through November 2020 and collected more than $4 million from thousands of U.S. victims. The charges remain allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

Why it matters

  • The alleged movement of victim payments through domestic accounts to European accounts underscores the cross-border dimension of the case.
  • The charges concern an alleged mail-and-wire fraud operation targeting thousands of consumers, including elderly and otherwise vulnerable people.