Archaic Pennsylvania law makes fortune telling for money illegal
BRENTWOOD, Pa. (KDKA) -- It's arguably the spookiest day of the year and a time when many gravitate towards tarot cards, spiritual readings and psychics.
But did you know there's a law on Pennsylvania's books that makes it illegal for fortune tellers to make money off predicting your future?
Take a step into a second-floor office space in Brentwood and you'll meet the "Pittsburgh Medium."
"I might do every weekend from mid-September until the end of November, I will do two events each weekend day," said Rev. Marjorie Rivera Kain, spiritualist minister and pastor of transformation.
It's a busy time for Marjorie Rivera Kain and she thinks people reach out for two reasons around this time of the year.
"The holidays are coming and that makes you think of family, and it makes you want to look into the year ahead," she said.
A quick survey of the room shows grounding rocks, candles and a legal disclaimer. She's aware of the archaic law still in the books in Pennsylvania that says it's illegal to predict the future or do tarot card readings and make a profit.
Criminal defense attorney Matt McClenahen once wrote a blog post about the very archaic law.
"Anything involving claims you have supernatural powers or the ability to talk to dead people or you can predict the future, or you can read someone's astrological sign and know what their personality is," said Matt McClenahen of McClenahen Law Firm.
McClenahen says police rarely enforce the law, but every so often it does come to court.
"There's been cases where you get a vulnerable senior citizen, maybe her husband has died, and you have some fraudster claiming that she can talk to the dead husband and he's sending messages beyond the grave and the next thing you know she's been bilked out of hundreds of thousands of dollars," said McClenahen.
Marjorie Rivera Kain posted the legal disclaimer, saying it's for entertainment, but said she doesn't even need it. She points to two certifications from her ministry study. Ultimately, she's happy about the law and says it weeds out the bad apples.
"So, in the psychic industry, there are people who are charlatans and there are people who will take advantage of you and so I think it's important that we have those sorts of laws because it helps the people who are doing what they say they are doing."
Marjorie Rivera Kain shared some tips to protect yourself:
- Always make sure the person you're in communication with publicly posts their prices and talks to you about it ahead of time
- Never agree to talk to someone who states they can force someone else to do something (like bring your lover back to you or change someone else's mind about a situation)
- Never fork over cash for any specialty teas
