Man Testifies Psychic Earned Trust Before Swindling Him
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A British film student says he was drawn into a psychic's web with a piece of red string.
As WCBS 880's Irene Cornell reported, Rob Millet testified in Manhattan Supreme Court that he sought the help of Greenwich Village fortune teller Sylvia Mitchell after learning his boyfriend was moving back to east Texas and his mother was ill. The psychic had him cut a red thread in six-inch pieces and tie them in knots, he said. Mitchell told him at 10:00 that night to hold the thread tight and pray that the knots would vanish, Millet testified. And strangely enough, they did.
Mitchell had then gained Mitchell's trust. She told him he'd have to pay $10,000 to receive any more help, he testified. To his regret, Millet came up with the money.
Man Testifies Psychic Earned Trust Before Swindling Him
Mitchell is on trial for grand larceny and other charges. She is accused of duping several people -- including a Singaporean immigrant out of $128,000 and a dancer out of $27,000.
"Sylvia Mitchell wasn't into cleansing spirits," Assistant District Attorney James Bergamo told jurors in his opening statement Thursday. "She was into cleaning bank accounts."
The defense says there's no evidence Mitchell failed to provide the services for which she was hired. She could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the top charge against her.
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