Page 58 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - September 2021

58 Searching for Psychic Ann

Searching for Psychic

Ann: One Man's Fight

Against a Shadowy Group

of Grifters

Continued from Page 57

As he dug further, Elie found what’s described
in the lawsuit as an enterprise of named and
unnamed individuals who, for years,
committed, promoted and managed fraud and
extortion.

“There are lots of victims that have reached out
According to the lawsuit, the enterprise has an to me,” Elie told me in one email. “It's a sad It’s still too early to tell how far the network
identifiable structure, with each person situation that needs to be put on the FBI's reaches, but they think the people they’re
fulfilling a specific role. It consisted of a referral
radar.” dealing with are based in Texas. Either way,
network to funnel potential victims to different they’re reaching across state lines for their
organizations and psychics, people who engage ***** victims through social media. “Social media
with the client to set up payments, and others knows no boundaries in terms of states, so they
who maintain the bank accounts under different Paul Green and his client have slammed up are trying to contact and defraud whomever they
names across multiple states.
against similar roadblocks, the way Green tells can,” Green explained. “It doesn’t matter where
it. “We’ve talked to folks who said ‘Well, look, the individual is from.”
In the lawsuit, Elie said he wants all of his if someone wants to go to a psychic, whether it’s
money back. Under federal anti-racketeering a form of entertainment or it’s something they In the past, people who know the psychic and
laws, the lawsuit says, Elie is entitled to truly believe, they should be able to spend their mediumship industry told me that psychics who
$270,000 and payment of his attorney’ fees.
money the way they want to.’ And I agree,” won’t use their full, real names should raise a
Green said. What makes it different here are the red flag. If a psychic uses a stage name, they
I tried phoning the people named in the lawsuit. lies that were being told to entice Elie to fork generally have something to hide, Angela Lusk,
Unsurprisingly, I didn’t have a lot of luck. over the cash. a local psychic, said in 2018.

The lawsuit alleges individuals named Dillion
Before taking on Elie’s case, Green had only Another red flag, Lusk explained, was when an
Evans, Rita Evans, Valerie Williams and Sonya heard vague stories about these types of fraud. alleged psychic starts trying to extend the
Adams are involved. It includes the business He never took them all that seriously. “My duration of a reading to coax more money out of
entities Psychic Universe, Psychic Love Center, initial thought had always been ‘Well, that was a client. “If they give you a definitive price, for
Twin Flame Universe, Best Texas Psychic dumb. You shouldn’t have done that,’” Green a definitive service, then you can guarantee to
Reader and Psychic Readings by Francine.
said. some degree that you’re dealing with someone
Most of them trace back to a Dillion or Rita who’s not trying to sucker you,” she said.
Evans. But Elie came to Green equipped with a trove of
information. He'd hired private investigators Named American Psychic and Medium
Williams and Adams didn’t respond to requests that gave him access to extra resources, like Magazine’s Man of the Year in 2017, John
for comment. When I first called Francine, who
criminal databases. When he approached Green, Cappello said to watch out for psychics who ask
is actually Rita Evans, she hung up. The second he already had an idea of what was going on and clients to come back frequently for additional
time, she snapped, “Don’t bother me,” and then who was involved. “When we made contact information. “If they keep trying to use you as a
the phone line clicked dead. She didn’t have any with each other, he was ahead of the game,” piggy bank, that’s wrong,” Cappello said.
publicly available email address, so I messaged Green said. “He was doing research himself.
her Facebook page. She never responded.
Being the victim, he quickly decided ‘I need to As far as Elie’s lawsuit goes, the people named
do something about this. I need to protect in the filing have submitted several motions to
I rang a phone number listed for Dillion Evans, myself.’” the courts that would see the complaint
but he didn’t answer. I texted and asked to speak dismissed altogether. “It’s been painfully slow,”
to him about the allegations. When he called, I Green said, “On the surface, when you say Green said. “We are at a position where
told him about the lawsuit, how he was named
‘We’re suing an alleged psychic because they essentially if we don’t start getting responses we
in it, and how it alleges that he’s tied to psychic siphoned X amount of dollars,’ folks get a smile are going to have to seek the court's help in
services in Texas also named in the lawsuit. He on their face like ‘Are you kidding?’ But when ordering these individuals to start producing
was quick to point out that he didn’t live in you dive deep into [the question] ‘Well, how did documents.“
Texas. “So why would I be a psychic reader in they obtain all that money?’ I think folks are
Texas?” he asked.
quick to be more understanding.” In the meantime, Elie and Green are still just
trying to piece it all together. “We feel as though
I explained that a lot of this allegedly took place Part of what makes these cases so difficult, we’ve been gaining puzzle pieces, which is
through social media and that he wouldn’t have Green explained, is how common they have nice,” Green said. “Now, it’s just a matter of
to live in Texas to be involved. He replied, “So, become. After all, there are an unknown number figuring out where they go on the board.”
what are you after here? You lookin’ for some
of networks like this out there; Elie had
money? A little news piece?” stumbled upon only one of them, but he and Elie wants justice, but he also wants to send a
Green discovered more like them while warning to others. “It was a very traumatic
It wasn’t money I was looking for, I told him. researching for the lawsuit. They don’t have a experience," he said. "I continue to feel the
Rather, I wanted to give him the opportunity to full flow chart of who’s doing what, but they say financial and emotional ramifications, and I
comment on allegations. “You’re going to have
they know that people have different, distinct want nothing more than to alert other people so
to find a different Dillion Evans,” he said. roles in this network. “It is being operated like a other victims don’t fall into the same scam that I
“Sorry, bud.” Then, he hung up. I texted again, business,” Green said. “The problem is the type did." []
but he didn’t respond. of business that it is.”