Gina Rita Russell, 35, a self-proclaimed psychic formerly residing in New York and Los Angeles, was sentenced to 125 months (over 10 years) in prison for orchestrating an elaborate extortion scheme that resulted in a Maryland man embezzling over $4 million from his Washington, D.C. employer.
Russell, along with five co-conspirators, convinced the victim that she possessed psychic abilities and that he was in grave danger.
Officials say she manipulated him into believing that he needed to pay large sums of money to appease malevolent forces, which she claimed were threatening his life and the lives of his loved ones.
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Under Russell’s influence, the victim embezzled funds and gold bars from his employer and delivered them to various drop-off locations, including hotel rooms in New York, under the false pretense of paying off dangerous individuals.
In reality, the money went directly to members of Russell’s family.
Russell pleaded guilty to interference with interstate commerce by extortion in 2019. Her sentencing was initially scheduled for May 2024 but was expedited after authorities discovered that Russell had engaged in similar criminal activities in Los Angeles, where she had defrauded another individual using her purported psychic powers.
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In addition to the prison sentence, Russell was ordered to pay over $4 million in restitution to the victim and his former employer.
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