South Florida Woman Who Claimed She Needed Money To Lift Curse Sentenced To Prison
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - A South Florida woman was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $1.6 million in restitution for orchestrating a fraud scheme involving a 'fortune-telling."
Federal authorities say Sherry Tina Uwanawich, who also goes by the name Jacqueline Miller, 28, was sentenced on September 6, to 40 months in prison.
Uwanawich was holding herself out as a psychic, fortune teller when she met a female victim in Houston, Texas in 2007, authorities said.
Uwanawich convinced the victim that a curse had been placed on her and her family and that she would have to cough up large sums of money to purchase items, such as crystals, candles and the like, which were needed to lift the curse.
Uwanawic convinced the victim that failure to do so would result in harm to her and family.
Authorities say that the relationship between the victim and Uwanawich lasted for years and that during that time the victim was induced to give up approximately $1.6 million dollars.
Feds say the scheme came to an end in 2014, when Uwanawich admitted to the victim there had been no curse.
Uwanawich had previously pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
