Fortune teller told woman she was cursed, had parasites before taking $50K, CA cops say
.jpeg "Riverside, California, police located a significant amount of cash, along with several items such as a voodoo doll, tarot cards, altars, religious and satanic type objects, and a small live snake, a news release said.")
A fortune teller in Riverside, California, is accused of bilking a woman out of $50,000 by telling her that her family was cursed and that she had parasites, among other things, police say.
Andres Pena Meneses, 31, was arrested last week on grand theft and theft by false pretenses charges, according to police.
Meneses, who was going by the name Carlos, convinced the woman that she had parasites in her body after she visited his place of business to have her fortune read. She paid Meneses several hundred dollars to force out the parasites, the Riverside police said in a news release.
Meneses later reached out to the woman and told her that her family was cursed and that she needed to pay him large sum of money in order to lift it, according to the release.
“He continued to convince the victim her children were also in trouble, and through his false pretenses, the victim ended up paying ‘Carlos’ over $50,000,” the release said.
After identifying the suspect, police learned that Meneses had a prior arrest and conviction in Chicago for posing as a faith healer and stealing from victims in late 2019.
Police said they retrieved several voodoo dolls, tarot cards, “religious and satanic type objects,” and a live snake during a search of Meneses’ home and place of business.
“While at the business conducting the search, several customers arrived and told detectives Mr. Meneses instructed them to bring their bed mattress from home,” the news release said. “They went on to say Mr. Meneses and his staff would cut open the mattress and claim to have found the live snake inside with demonic type items and letters stating the victims’ family was in danger. The snake appeared to be a small pet python and detectives located its carrying container inside the business during their search.”
Meneses advertised his services, which included claims that he could rid customers of diabetes, headaches, sleep disorders and nightmares, on the radio.
He was arrested and released after posting $57,000 bail.