By Tim Binnall
The attorney for a self-proclaimed psychic who is on trial for fraud offered a rather unorthodox argument in her defense by positing that she cannot be found guilty because she actually lived up to her promise to thwart the evil spirits that plagued her client. According to a local media report, the intriguing legal gambit was put forward by Glen Lansky as part of his opening statement in the case against purported clairvoyant Jaycee Wasso. Authorities in Florida contend that the fortune teller bilked her client, Lin Halfon, out of a staggering $1 million after convincing her that a family curse was poised to take the life of her mother and only the seasoned sorcerer could prevent it from happening.
At the start of the trial on Tuesday, state prosecutors produced troubling texts wherein the psychic warned Halfon that "darkness is going to possess you" and, ultimately, "take away your whole family." Understandably alarmed by Wasso's messages, the woman followed her advice and sought out a "rich soulmate" in the form of Richard Rappaport, who she married and subsequently convinced, under false pretenses, to fund her fight against the evil spirits that had taken aim at her. When it was eventually revealed that the fortune teller and a pair of accomplices had spent the money on all manner of lavish goods, the proverbial house of cards quickly fell apart.
In defending Wasso at her trial, Lansky mused that his client never physically coerced Halfon and, instead, "the threats are supposedly, 'if you don’t pay me, the evil spirits are coming.'" He went on to posit that the psychic had actually fulfilled her end of the deal because "the evil spirits never came, that's what she paid for." While it will be up to a jury to decide if the argument holds water, Halfon herself may beg to differ as, despite seemingly having the best intentions at heart, she also wound up pleading guilty to fraud charges for lying to Rappaport about why she needed so much money. This resulted in a suspended jail sentence, deportation back to her home country of Israel, and a divorce, which would seem to suggest that those evil spirits weren't entirely eradicated.