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A man who went to a fortune teller for help in his love life has claimed he was scammed for more than $700,000.
The Brooklyn man, 32, told police he first consulted the New York-based psychic in 2013 who told him evil spirits were keeping him from the woman he said he loved, the New York Times reported.
Priscilla Delmaro, 26, a fortune teller who works from premises on Times Square, and another man, Bobby Evans, 27, now face grand larceny charges.
After being told that he and the woman were “twin flames” kept apart by negativity the man made payments the over the next 20 months totalling $713,975.
The multiple payments included $80,000 for an 80-mile bridge, the psychic claimed would trap evil spirits in another realm; $30,000 for a gold Rolex watch, which was meant to cleanse the sins of the past; $40,064 for a Tiffany diamond ring to “protect his energy” and other charges amounting to $40,000.
The man, who has not been identified in court documents, made the payments before discovering Michelle was dead in February 2014, but the psychic claimed she could reincarnate her.
The man then made further payments in order to find the “new” Michelle, before he eventually went to the police.
He also approached a private investigator, Bob Nygaard, who by coincidence had worked on a previous case involving Ms Delmaro.
“Michelle did share deep affections for the victim, however she was dealing with personal health problems and some family issues,” Mr Nygaard said.
The victim was hoping that Priscilla Delmaro could remove the obstacles that were keeping them apart. Delmaro basically preyed upon the victims desires by selling him false hope.”
The man lost his apartment, sold his car and borrowed $28,000 from family and friends to fund his fortune teller's demands.
Ms Delmaro and Mr Evan were arrested on 26 May and remain in jail. They deny the allegations against them.
Additional reporting by AP
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