By Tim Binnall
An upstate New York psychic managed to avoid jail time after pleading guilty to defrauding a heartbroken man who enlisted her to help him win back his former fiancée. According to a local media report, at the center of the cautionary tale was self-proclaimed mystic Patsy Brown, who operated as a fortune teller in the community of Vestal. Around two years ago, the unnamed victim visited her now-shuttered shop for a simple tarot card reading, but soon fell under her spell after his lovesick nature was revealed. When Brown told him that she could use her 'gift' to foster a reunion with his former fiancée, the man was persuaded to hand over a considerable amount of cash for various rituals designed to do just that.
Alas, the ceremonies failed to rekindle the relationship between the man and his departed paramour. Meanwhile, Brown reneged on her promise to return the money after the spells did not work. The victim subsequently hired a private investigator to document the psychic's misdeeds. That information was turned over to Vestal police, who arrested Brown last year on multiple charges. At a hearing earlier this month, the psychic pleaded guilty to the crime of 'scheme to defraud in the first degree.' She was sentenced to five years probation and slapped with $20,000 restitution to be paid to the heartbroken man, as well as another individual who also fell victim to her pernicious ways.