She was a 27-year-old medical student in 2007, suffering from depression and going through hard times, when a self-proclaimed spiritual counsellor approached her at a mall in Houston with the promise of supernatural help. The
'Psychic' who promised to lift curse gets prison time
Uwanawich claimed she had "God-given powers" and could communicate with the spirit world, according to court documents. She said a witch in South America, where the student's family was from, had cursed the student's mother before she died.
The student, who remained anonymous in court documents, took out student loans and worked extra hours at a nightclub to pay for the removal of the family curse. Soon, Uwanawich demanded gift cards, clothing and a leased automobile, court documents said. Eventually, the student gave the psychic hundreds of thousands of dollars from an inheritance she received after her father's death.
When Uwanawich moved to South Florida in 2008, the student would deposit money into her bank accounts, according to court documents. Over the course of seven years, the student paid between US$550,000 and US$1.5 million.
In 2014, when the student was visiting Uwanawich in Florida, Uwanawich admitted that the curse was a lie, according to court documents.
Soon after the student learned the truth, she reached out to Bob Nygaard, a retired New York police officer and private investigator who specialises in psychic fraud. Nygaard, who has helped prosecute at least 40 fortunetellers across the country, compiled a case for the student and took it to the Broward County Sheriff's Office in Florida, he said.
It sat there for years until the FBI, which he had worked with before, contacted him for advice on a different psychic fraud case, Nygaard said. When he mentioned the medical student's case, the FBI decided to pursue it.
There is a pattern among these cases, Nygaard said.
"They isolate the victim from friends and family," he said. "Then they exacerbate already existing fears, usually related to love, money or health. Then they say they're the only one that can help."
Nygaard, who doesn't believe in psychic capabilities, said these cases were not about proving whether a person actually had supernatural abilities. He said he looked for false promises and misrepresentations that can be prosecuted.
"I give her a lot of credit because she's very brave and strong for wanting to come forward," Nygaard said of the student. "It's very difficult when someone pretends to be your confidante and then they pull the emotional rug out from under you."
Uwanawich claims she was born into "Gypsy culture" and forced by her family into being a fortuneteller who would contribute all funds to the "Gypsy family," according to court documents. She also said that her "Gypsy husband" would physically assault her if she did not swindle money for him.
After Uwanawich came clean, she told the student that they should write a book together, but the student would have to pay US$30,000 ($46,700) to write it, Nygaard said. Uwanawich said she would be able to repay the student once the book made US$30 million ($46.7 million) in revenue, he added.
"I go around all the country and deal with these confidence crimes and get police to take these crimes seriously," said Nygaard, who added that he was currently investigating 40 other cases. "Don't look down on the victim. Credit the con."
Written by: Mariel Padilla
© 2019 THE NEW YORK TIMES