'Psychic' Gets Prison After Scamming Texas Woman Out Of $1.6 Million To Remove Family Curse
(CBSDFW.COM) - A Florida woman who claimed to be a psychic was sentenced to prison after scamming a Texas woman out of $1.6 million in order to remove a family curse, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.
Officials said Sherry Tina Uwanawich, 28, received 40 months of prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud. She was also ordered to pay restitution for the fraud scheme.
According to the case, Uwanawich met her victim in Houston in 2007 and told her that a curse was placed on her and her family.
The 28-year-old was able to get the victim to give her large amounts of money for items like crystals and candles to remove the curse. Uwanawich convinced the victim that her and her family would be harmed if she didn't give the "psychic" money.
Officials said this went on for years even after Uwanawich moved to South Florida. The 28-year-old eventually told the victim in 2014 that there was never any curse.
During the years of fraud, the victim had given Uwanawich a total of about $1.6 million.