Purported Psychic Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Outrageous $4 Million Extortion Scheme

Press Release
Purported Psychic Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Prison for Outrageous $4 Million Extortion Scheme

Thursday, July 18, 2024
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia
USADC.Media@usdoj.gov

WASHINGTON – Gina Rita Russell, 35, formerly of New York, N.Y., and Los Angeles, California, was sentenced today to 125 months in prison for masterminding an elaborate fraud, extortion, and money laundering scheme, which resulted in a Maryland man embezzling more than $4 million from his Washington, D.C., employer. Russell is the sixth defendant to be sentenced in the case.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Special Agent in Charge David J. Scott of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

In April 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Russell, her ex-common-law husband Robert Evans, his brothers Tony John Evans and Corry Blue Evans, and the brothers’ parents, Archie Kaslov and Candy Evans, all of New York, on various charges related to the scheme. At one point, one of Russell’s coconspirators threatened to harm the Maryland man’s young children.

According to the government’s evidence, Russell met a New York woman in October 2009 in Manhattan and performed a psychic reading on her. Though Russell had no psychic powers, she convinced the New York woman that she did and told the woman that bad things would happen unless the woman raised large sums of money for Russell and her family. The woman started giving Russell money from her lawful jobs, but then Russell convinced her to lie to her father by claiming she needed money for therapy, extensive sleep studies, and university classes. After giving his daughter enormous sums of money, the New York woman’s father eventually stopped providing her with financial assistance.

Russell then convinced the woman to earn more money through sex work. The woman advertised sensual massage services online, including Backpage.com. Through one of her ads, she met a Maryland man, who eventually fell in love with and proposed to her, even though he was married and had children. Preying on his affection, Russell and the New York woman conspired with Robert Evans, Tony John Evans, Corry Blue Evans, and Archie Kaslov to extort money and gold bars from the victim. The New York woman told the Maryland man that she owed money to bad people from prior debts and that her life was in danger. As a result, the Maryland man embezzled more than $4 million from his employer between January and March of 2017. As part of the scheme, Russell had Tony John Evans impersonate a mobster during calls with the Maryland man. During one of those calls, Tony John Evans asked if he needed to remind the Maryland man where his children went to school. Russell also dictated threatening texts and provided the New York woman with instructions on what to tell the Maryland man.

The Maryland man converted embezzled funds to cash and gold bars which he delivered to New York drop-off locations, including a hotel room, believing the funds were going to mobsters. In reality, all of the funds the man embezzled and delivered to New York went to members of the Russell-Evans-Kaslov family.

In July 2019, Russell pleaded guilty to interference with interstate commerce by extortion. She was originally scheduled to be sentenced in May 2024, after her five co-defendants were sentenced. However, prior to her sentencing, the government learned that Russell engaged in similar criminal conduct in Los Angeles, convincing a woman there that she had psychic powers, working with the woman to defraud the woman’s father out of money, and persuading the woman to raise funds through sex work. The government brought Russell’s conduct to the attention of U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, who promptly issued a warrant for her arrest. Russell was arrested on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, and has been in custody ever since.

In addition to the prison sentence of 10 years and five months, Judge Chutkan ordered Russell to pay $4,217,542.86 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release.

Tony John Evans, 35, and Robert Evans, 37, both pleaded guilty to interference with interstate commerce by extortion and were each sentenced to five years in prison. Corry Blue Evans, 31, pleaded guilty to bank fraud and was sentenced to 41-months in prison. Archie Kaslov, 57, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 30-months in prison. Candy Evans, 55, pleaded guilty to tampering with a witness by corrupt persuasion or misleading conduct and was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kondi Kleinman and former Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Kent, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Lucas, Rick Blaylock, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Arvind Lal and Paralegal Specialist Angela De Falco, who assisted with forfeiture issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Oliver McDaniel and Melissa Goforth Koenig, who assisted with restraining funds.

Contact: USADC.Media@usdoj.gov

Updated July 18, 2024

CultNEWS101 News: 6/29/2026

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ICSA: Meet the Author! Interview With Alexandra Stein

In this interview, author and cult expert Alexandra Stein discusses her book, Terror, Love, & Brainwashing: Attachment in Cults and Totalitarian Systems. Drawing from 25 years of research and her own ten-year experience in a political cult, Stein explores the manipulative social structures that allow authoritarian leaders to control and radically manipulate their followers.

Stein utilizes John Bowlby’s evolutionary attachment theory to decode how cultic and totalitarian systems operate. She argues that human beings have a core survival need to attach to others for protection. Cult leaders exploit this by isolating individuals from external support and enveloping them in an environment characterized by a destabilizing alternation between fear and apparent safety. This creates a highly damaging trauma bond, known as "disorganized attachment," where followers become glued to an unhealthy authority figure despite it working directly against their own survival interests.

Covering from this systemic control requires survivors to reconstruct a coherent, realistic narrative of their experience, strip away the cult's fiction, and rebuild trusting relationships. Stein notes a severe lack of public understanding, shared language, and trained therapists equipped to help survivors navigate these trauma-based experiences. Ultimately, she underscores that recruitment is accidental, as perpetrators hide their goals behind layers of deception. Stein emphasizes that targeted education on the mechanics of coercive environments is the most effective tool for empowering people to recognize and resist predatory relationships.

Cult Chat: Catching Up on the 2x2's / The Truth with Dr. Kyle Eggleton & Tristan Phipps

In this episode of Cult Chat, hosts Dr. Caroline Ansley, Liz Gregory, and Lindy Jacob catch up with advocates and former members Tristan Phipps and Dr. Kyle Eggleton to discuss recent developments within the high-control religious group known as the 2x2s (also called The Truth or The Church with no Name).

The discussion centers heavily on international pressure, including an FBI investigation into intercontinental abuse allegations, which has caused the opaque organization to tighten control and restrict information. The guests shed light on the group's "Living Witness" doctrine—the belief that salvation is achieved only by hearing God's word directly from celibate ministers (workers)—and trace its historical origins to Ireland. They explore the severe difficulty of tracking the group's financial networks, which involve multi-million-dollar cash donations passed to senior overseers through untraceable personal trust funds.

Ongoing Focus

News

Fox 4: Texas couple charged in $2.5M 'psychic' fraud, preying on grieving victims

The Brief: A Texas couple was arrested for allegedly running a $2.5 million "fortune-teller fraud" scheme that targeted emotionally vulnerable people.
The lead suspect used fake names to convince victims to send cash, credit cards, and gold coins to "cleanse" them of a financial curse.
The suspects face up to 20 years in prison per count if convicted, while the FBI continues to investigate to find additional victims.s

Group Profile

JAMA: "Maharishi Ayur-Veda: guru's marketing scheme promises the world eternal 'perfect health'"

This investigative article by Andrew A. Skolnick, originally published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 1991, exposes a deceptive marketing campaign orchestrated by the Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement and its brand, Maharishi Ayur-Veda. The movement heavily promoted claims that its products and techniques could grant eternal youth, "perfect health," and supernatural abilities like levitation.

The investigation was triggered after Deepak Chopra and two co-authors published a paper in JAMA portraying Maharishi Ayur-Veda as traditional, science-backed Indian medicine. However, the authors failed to disclose serious financial conflicts of interest. Chopra actually served as a primary officer and stockholder for Maharishi Ayur-Veda Products International (MAPI), the commercial entity profiting from the expensive herbal remedies, health mantras, and pulse diagnostics detailed in the article.

Skolnick uncovers a widespread pattern of misinformation used to manipulate the media and scientific institutions. The TM movement rented university space and sent false-flag letters to prestigious journals to create a veneer of scientific credibility. Prominent researchers were deceptively tied to their literature, including one neuroscience student whose institutional advisers explicitly banned him from claiming their facilities backed TM's herbs. Eminent physicist Heinz Pagels strongly denounced the movement's exploitation of quantum mechanics as a "wish-fulfilling fantasy" designed to deceive the public. Former high-ranking defectors admitted they were actively trained to lie—a tactic known as the "SIMS shuffle"—to exploit media gullibility and advance the guru's multi-billion-dollar empire.

AI Research Disclosure: To bring you the most relevant stories, parts of this newsletter utilize artificial intelligence (AI) tools to search the web, source articles, and assist with content curation. This content is for informational purposes only; we recommend verifying critical facts independently.

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Texas couple indicted for psychic fraud scheme allegedly stealing millions from vulnerable people

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

For Immediate Release

U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington

Victim in Washington State sent more than $2 million to “psychic” for “cleansing” of alleged curse

Seattle – Two Texas residents were arrested this week on an indictment from the Western District of Washington for their scheme to defraud emotionally vulnerable victims by posing as “psychics” who could “cleanse” the victims’ romantic bad luck, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Bridgette Doreen Evans, AKA Jolene Travis, 47, and her partner, Vinnie John Uwanawich, 44, of Frisco, Texas, will make their initial appearance in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas today on charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, four counts of wire fraud, and four counts of mail fraud.   

“As alleged in the indictment, these perpetrators of ‘fortune teller fraud’ came into the lives of these victims at a time when their judgement was clouded by emotional loss and feelings of hopelessness,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Floyd. “Ms. Evans preyed upon their needs, convincing victims that she could ‘remove a curse’ and help them find love. In truth her scheme was simply to help herself to their wealth, leaving them further devastated.” 

“This case is yet another demonstration of how fraudsters exploit vulnerable situations to gain their victims' trust, even creating fake identities in an attempt to evade accountability and further schemes that last years,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “The schemes may change, but the greed driving them does not. The FBI and our partners will follow the money to unravel these scams and ensure the conspirators responsible face the consequences of their actions.”

According to the indictment, Evans and Uwanawich stole at least $2.5 million from at least three victims between April 2021 and July 2024. Evans operated under the fake name Jolene Travis and advertised her “psychic services” on social media.  Her posts were designed to attract people who were struggling with romantic or personal problems: people experiencing divorce, death of a loved one or feelings of isolation. 

Evans allegedly told the victims she could perform readings and rituals to determine the cause of their misfortune. Ultimately, she told them their “curse” was tied to their money or finances. After asking for a detailed accounting of the victims’ financial holdings, she would tell the victim the only way to remove the curse was to liquidate the holdings and send the money in gold coins or cash so that she could “cleanse” the money. She represented to the victims that after she cleaned it, she would return it to them.  While she returned some small amounts to clients to lull them into further trusting her, she never returned the vast majority of the $2.5 million. 

Uwanawich, Evans’ husband, facilitated her fraud by managing bank accounts that received payments from victims, selling gold coins, transferring and spending fraud proceeds, and vouching for Evans with victims. 

The indictment details how Evans used the fake identity because she had previously been convicted of psychic frauds in Florida and Texas. In fact, during part of the fraud scheme, Evans was incarcerated in Florida, so Evans’ co-conspirators took on the Jolene Travis alias to keep the fraud going.

Evans allegedly convinced a second victim to send $86,000 in electronic payments to Evans for her “cleansing work.” A third victim was defrauded of more than $258,000 when Evans convinced her to take out loans to buy a Corvette to be delivered to Evans and to give Evans access to her credit cards to pay off the victim’s “karmic debts.” 

Evans also operated under the names Joy John and Joy Paige. The FBI continues to investigate the scheme and wants anyone who thinks they may be a victim to report the crime to www.ic3.gov.

Conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud crimes are all punishable by up to twenty years in prison.

The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the FBI.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dane A. Westermeyer. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Texas is assisting with the initial appearance today.

evans_indictment.pdf

Contact

Press contact for the U.S. Attorney’s Office is Communications Director Emily Langlie at (206) 553-4110 or Emily.Langlie@usdoj.gov. 

Texas couple charged in $2.5M 'psychic' fraud, preying on grieving victims

Amber Kite

FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth

June 16, 2026

The Brief

A Texas couple was arrested for allegedly running a $2.5 million "fortune-teller fraud" scheme that targeted emotionally vulnerable people.

The lead suspect used fake names to convince victims to send cash, credit cards, and gold coins to "cleanse" them of a financial curse.

The suspects face up to 20 years in prison per count if convicted, while the FBI continues to investigate to find additional victims.

FRISCO, Texas - A Texas couple has been arrested on federal charges for allegedly running a multi-year "fortune-teller fraud" scheme that swindled emotionally vulnerable victims out of at least $2.5 million.

Bridgette Doreen Evans, 47, and her husband, Vinnie John Uwanawich, 44, both of Frisco, Texas, are facing charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, alongside four counts each of wire and mail fraud. The made an initial court appearance last week in the Eastern District of Texas.

According to an indictment filed in the Western District of Washington, Evans posed as a psychic named "Jolene Travis," using social media to target individuals struggling with divorce, isolation, or the death of a loved one.

Cursed cash

The backstory: Prosecutors allege that between April 2021 and July 2024, Evans convinced victims that their personal and romantic misfortunes were tied to a financial "curse." After obtaining detailed accounts of the victims' finances, Evans allegedly told them the only way to break the curse was to liquidate their holdings and ship the funds to her in cash or gold coins for a spiritual "cleansing."

Evans allegedly promised the victims that the money would be returned after it was purified. Instead, prosecutors say she kept the vast majority of the funds, occasionally returning small amounts only to "lull" the victims into a false sense of security.

One Washington state victim alone sent more than $2 million to the couple, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

What they're saying:

"These perpetrators of ‘fortune-teller fraud’ came into the lives of these victims at a time when their judgment was clouded by emotional loss and feelings of hopelessness," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said in a statement. "Ms. Evans preyed upon their needs... leaving them further devastated."

Federal authorities noted that Evans used multiple aliases, including Jolene Travis, Joy John, and Joy Paige, to obscure her identity because she had prior convictions for psychic fraud in Texas and Florida. The scheme was so institutionalized that when Evans was briefly incarcerated in Florida during the conspiracy, her co-conspirators took over the "Jolene Travis" alias to keep the operation running, the indictment states.

Fortune-teller fraud

Uwanawich is accused of facilitating the fraud by managing the bank accounts that received the stolen money, selling the gold coins, and directly vouching for Evans to suspicious victims.

The indictment details multiple other victims, including one who sent $86,000 in electronic payments, and a third who was defrauded of $258,000. In the latter case, Evans allegedly convinced the victim to open credit cards and take out car loans to buy a Chevrolet Corvette for Evans in order to clear "karmic debts."

"The schemes may change, but the greed driving them does not," said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Seattle field office. "The FBI and our partners will follow the money to unravel these scams."

If convicted, Evans and Uwanawich face up to 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud.

What you can do:

The FBI is continuing to investigate the scope of the fraud and urges anyone who believes they may have been targeted by Evans under any of her aliases to file a report at www.ic3.gov.

The Source: Information in this article is from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Washington.

https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-couple-charged-psychic-fraud-bridgette-evans-vinnie-uwanawich

Legal Actions Targeting Fraudulent Psychic Operations

High-profile legal actions targeting fraudulent psychic operations, mass-mailing scams, and individuals using spiritual claims for extortion or defamation have led to several major rulings and lawsuits in federal and state courts over the past year.

The notable cases from 2025 and 2026 include:
1. United States v. Georg Ingenbleek (April 2026)
• The Case: A federal judge in New Jersey sentenced German national Georg Ingenbleek to 70 months in prison and ordered a massive $`13.6 million forfeiture for orchestrating a multi-million dollar psychic mail fraud scheme.
• The Fraud: Between 2011 and 2016, Ingenbleek ran a predatory mass-mailing operation targeting vulnerable individuals across the U.S. The letters claimed to be personalized insights from well-known psychics offering "free" services and items to bring good fortune. Once victims engaged, the operation sent aggressive follow-up billing notices demanding money and falsely threatening legal action and prosecution if they didn't pay. Ingenbleek was indicted in 2020, captured as a fugitive in Italy in 2024, and extradited to the U.S. in 2025.
2. Rebecca Scofield v. Ashley Guillard (February 2026)
• The Case: A federal jury in Boise, Idaho, ordered a viral TikTok "tarot card reader" to pay `$10 million in damages to a University of Idaho history professor in a massive defamation lawsuit.
• The Fraud: Self-proclaimed psychic Ashley Guillard posted over 100 videos to TikTok claiming her "spiritual intuition" and tarot readings proved the history department chair was responsible for ordering the tragic 2022 stabbings of four Idaho college students. Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge Raymond Patricco ruled the claims entirely defamatory, stating they relied purely on "spiritual intuition" with zero objective basis. The February 2026 trial ended with a unanimous jury awarding $`7.5 million in punitive damages alone to punish the behavior and deter similar online "psychic" accusations.
3. United States v. Gina Rita Russell (Late 2024 / Ongoing Impact)
• The Case: Sentenced to over 10 years (125 months) in federal prison, self-purported psychic Gina Rita Russell was penalized for masterminding an elaborate fraud, extortion, and money laundering ring.
• The Fraud: Operating out of New York and Los Angeles, Russell weaponized her position as a spiritual advisor to psychologically coerce a Maryland man. Through extortionate spiritual threats and manipulation, she forced the victim to embezzle more than `$4 million from his Washington, D.C., employer to fund her lifestyle.
4. Pennsylvania Record Civil Filing: Spells & Blackmail Action (August 2025)
• The Case: A civil lawsuit was filed against an individual operating as a psychic and spiritual practitioner, alleging severe financial exploitation.
• The Fraud: The lawsuit outlines a classic multi-layered psychic fraud mechanism. It charges the defendant with civil RICO violations, extortion, unjust enrichment, "theft by fortune-telling," and practicing medicine without a license. The plaintiff alleges the psychic manipulated her into paying exorbitant fees for personalized spells, using emotional distress and eventual blackmail to extract funds.
Common Red Flags Identified in Recent Litigation
Civil and criminal court filings from these cases highlight a distinct pattern used by fraudulent spiritualists to exploit victims:
• The "Personal Vision" Mass Mailer: Automated form letters sent to thousands of elderly or isolated individuals simultaneously, falsely claiming a famous psychic had a specific, individualized vision of their upcoming wealth or tragedy.
• Karmic and Legal Extortion: Demanding escalating fees to "cleanse" a curse or prevent a tragedy, often shifting into aggressive legal threats or spiritual blackmail if the victim attempts to stop paying.
• Unsubstantiated "Intuition" as Fact: Using spiritual tools (like tarot cards or mediumship) to publicly fabricate criminal allegations against innocent individuals for internet clout or financial gain via social media monetization.

A Primer on Cold Reading

Jim Underdown

Point of Inquiry

February 5, 2025

"The art of cold reading has convinced millions of people that gimmicks like crystal balls, palm reading, tarot cards, and other alleged paranormal abilities are real. People walk away from astrologers, mediums, and psychics saying “there’s no way he could have known that” or other exclamations of amazement. But are these skills really paranormal, or can they be explained by a series of techniques just about anyone can master with practice?"

http://pointofinquiry.libsyn.com/a-primer-on-cold-reading