A Canadian man who posed as a mail-order psychic for two decades has been jailed for 10 years. Prosecutors say he swindled tens of millions of dollars from more than a million Americans.
Patrice Runner, 57, pulled in more than $175 million (C$242 million; £141 million) from 1.3 million victims, the BBC reported. A jury found him guilty the previous June. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, eight counts of mail fraud, four counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. On four other counts of mail fraud, the verdict was not guilty.
“Patrice Runner’s extravagant lifestyle, borne on the backs of millions of older and vulnerable Americans, has come to an end,” said Chris Nielsen, a US postal inspector in Philadelphia. He called the 10-year term an “appropriate punishment”.
Authorities say Runner, a dual citizen of Canada and France, directed the scam for all of its 20 years while co-conspirators handled the daily work. Millions of people got letters that were passed off as personal notes from well-known so-called psychics Maria Duval and Patrick Guerin. Prosecutors say the letters told recipients they could enjoy a life of great prosperity with the psychic’s help. Most of those who got them were elderly or vulnerable, and they were told to send money for an “astral-clairvoyant forecast”.
One payment was enough to mark a person as a target. Prosecutors said victims were then “bombarded” with further requests and letters. Thousands of near-identical letters left the operation each week.
The US Department of Justice said Runner hid his involvement behind shell companies registered in Canada and Hong Kong while he lived abroad, in France, Costa Rica, Spain and the Netherlands among other places.
Speaking to The Walrus from a New York detention centre, Runner boasted about his skill as a writer. He said he could “get the attention of someone, and at the end, after a few minutes, the person sends a cheque, to get a product, to an address or company they’ve never heard of”.
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- Canadian Man Sentenced for Operating $175M Psychic Mass …
- 'Psychic' conman jailed for swindling 1.3m Americans – BBC
