Desperate to reunite with his former girlfriend, a man from Illinois decided to answer an ad for a psychic.
It was an ad found on the back pages of newspapers and magazines.
On the other end of an 800 number that was advertised was a female who allegedly identified herself as a nun with the Houston Order of Dominican Sisters.
She said she could help.
But after wiring the psychic thousands of dollars and waiting three months, the man said his former girlfriend never reappeared.
Russell Turbeville is a veteran consumer fraud prosecutor with the Harris County DA's office.
His busy desk often sees cases of thievery by fortune tellers and psychics. "If you give a large amount of money expecting a miracle, my experience of 28 years is, it's probably not going to happen and the person that is promising you the miracle is lying to you."
While the district attorney's office does receive a lot of complaints about these types of businesses, they say they don't hear about most of the thefts. That's because, they say, the victims are simply too embarrassed to call in and file a report.
But the alleged victim in this case did call, and after a lengthy investigation by HPD's Major Offenders Division, 40-year-old Michelle Evans, was charged with felony theft and, officials say, she is no stranger to police nor 11 News.
You see, Evans, who works out of this store front off Louetta, was arrested for committing a similar crime in 1994.
Court records obtained by 11 News this time reveal that from June through August of last year, the alleged victim sent Evans more than $72,000.
Her bond has been set at $100,000.
And, by the way, officials say she is no Dominican Sister.
