Crime & Safety
Montco Fortune Tellers Who Claimed To 'Remove Curses' Stole $600K From 2 Clients: DA
Convincing victims they were "plagued by a powerful curse," the suspects demanded huge payments, jewelry, and concert tickets, the DA said.
NORRISTOWN, PA — Two Montgomery County fortune tellers stole more than $600,000 from two of their victims while claiming to "remove curses" from them," the district attorney's office said.
Gina Marie Marks, 52, of Huntingdon Valley, and Steve Nicklas, 40, of Jenkintown, have been charged with corrupt organizations, theft by unlawful taking, and numerous related counts.
“These defendants, through their con scheme, preyed on people who were looking for help, guidance and hope, exploiting them for financial gain,” DA Kevin Steele said in a statement.
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The victim initially contacted the company run by the suspects, “Jenkintown Psychic Visions,” located at 475 Old York Road, for a psychic phone reading in Sept. 2022, police said.
Over the course of the next 11 months, until Aug. 2023, Marks and Nicklas convinced the victim that she was "plagued by a powerful curse preventing her from finding love and happiness," according to the DA's office.
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Marks and Nicklas then convinced her that the curse would destroy her marriage, business, and family if it was not removed, officials said. They then demanded large sums of payment over those months to "remove" the curse, including about $595,959 in cash, jewelry, clothing, gift cards, and even concert tickets, according to police.
The pair told the victim that her personal belongings were needed to defeat the curse, but they were never returned to her, the DA said.
A second victim contacted the pair in June 2023, and Marks demanded increasingly more personal and unorthodox information and payments from her, including a Chanel purse to "complete ritual," the DA found. She also threatened reputational damage to the victim if she did not follow her instructions, the DA said.
The second victim lost at least $18,000 to the pair, according to police.
The pair were arrested on Oct. 7. Marks’ bail was set at 10 percent of $50,000, and Nicklas’ bail was set at 10 percent of $25,000. Both posted bail and were released from custody.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for both on Oct. 20.
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