Fugitive Pleads Guilty in $10M Psychic Scam that Targeted Seniors, NJ Feds Say

• A German man ran a $10M psychic mail fraud targeting seniors
• He was caught in Italy, returned to America for trial
• The scam promised free services but sent fake bills with threats

Fugitive Admits to $10M Psychic Mail Scam

A German resident has admitted to running a massive psychic mail fraud scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims to the tune of over $10 million.

Arrest and Extradition

58-year-old Georg Ingenbleek was indicted in 2020 and had been a fugitive. He was apprehended in Bolzano, Italy, last year and extradited this past May to face an indictment charging him with two counts of mail fraud, to which he pleaded guilty earlier this week.

Fraudulent Psychic Mail Solicitations

Federal authorities in New Jersey said from 2011 through 2016, Ingenbleek created numerous direct mail solicitations supposedly from world-renowned psychics that falsely and fraudulently claimed to offer, among other things, great fortune.

Many of the letters falsely promised that the psychic services being offered were free; however, Ingenbleek directed his co-conspirators to send fraudulent billing notices to those customers who claimed they owed money for those services.

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The fraudulent billing notices included threats of legal action if the bills, usually in the $20 to $50 range, weren't paid.

According to officials, this psychic scheme brought in over $10 million.

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Charges and Sentencing

The mail fraud charges each carry up to 20 years in prison and fines of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Sentencing is scheduled for December 17th.