Two sentenced in $3 million Florida fortune-telling fraud scheme

FLORIDA — Two people have been sentenced to prison for a fraud scheme that reportedly included a family curse, fortune telling, and the swindling of a victim out of more than $3 million, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida (USAO) has announced.

Michael Paul Guzman, 42, was sentenced to 38 months in prison, and Samantha Stevens, 51, was sentenced to 30 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles for orchestrating a fortune-telling fraud scheme and money laundering, the USAO said in its announcement.

According to the USAO and court documents, Stevens was portraying herself as a psychic/fortune teller in 2012 when she met a victim in Miami. Stevens reportedly gained the victim’s trust and convinced her that a curse had been placed on her and her family. Stevens claimed she needed to perform rituals on large sums of money to lift the curse. Failure to do so—the victim was reportedly led to believe—would result in harm to her and her family.

Stevens and Guzman allegedly spent the victim’s money on vehicles, property, and casino gambling.

The relationship between Stevens and the victim lasted several years. During this time, the victim was persuaded to give up more than $3 million, the USAO said. The scheme came to an end in 2016 when Stevens cut off communication with the victim after she no longer could pay for the rituals. Once Stevens severed the relationship, the victim contacted federal law enforcement.

In addition to the prison sentence, the defendants must pay $3.198 million in restitution to the victim.

Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge Matthew D. Line, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

IRS-CI, Miami Field Office, investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Haggerty prosecuted it, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Stone is handling asset forfeiture.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.