crystal balls

NYC gay man says psychic scammed him for $1million to help him find love

A tarot card reading by a psychic
Posed by model (Photo: Shutterstock)

A gay man has attempted to sue a psychic medium he says swindled him out of $1million in a quest to find him love and banish “dark spirits” from his family.

According to a lawsuit filed Sunday with New York County Supreme Court in Manhattan, William Young of Brooklyn says he met the psychic in question in May 2021. Young was working at the gay bar XOXO in Manhattan. The soothsayer ran her psychic reading business from premises nearby.

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According to his lawsuit Young is gay and “suffers from a series of mental health issues including bipolar disorder and depression.” He became one of the psychic’s regular customers and the two became close.

“[She] told Young that his family was cursed by dark spirits and blamed them for his mental health difficulties. She claimed that the dark spirits were very strong and that so long as they were there, Young will not be able to find love or happiness or have a good relationship with his family,” Young’s lawyer wrote in the complaint.

“She told him that she could perform complex rituals that would help with the situation. She said these rituals would help Young find a future soul mate and also put him in a better situation financially.”

However, she allegedly said the strength of the “arcane and occult arts” was dependent on how much he was willing to spend, reports New York Daily News.

Young’s lawsuit says his first payment to her in May 2021 was for $100,000. Shortly later, he says made six more payments in a single week, ranging between $1,000-$20,000. He continued making payments over a six month period.

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In June 2021, the psychic allegedly told Young that she needed a car in which to pick up ingredients for spells and consult with her spiritual superiors on the best ways to help him. He duly put down a $5,500 deposit and paid the monthly fee on a leasehold vehicle for her.

The lawsuit goes on to allege that the psychic instructed Young to pay large chunks of money into third-party accounts, which would transfer the money to her.

Young says he ran out of money himself and began to use cash from a family joint account. However, the alleged scam came to an end when Young’s bank declined a payment to the psychic’s account of $496,000 via a third-party company. Young’s bank then froze his account.

In total, Young says he paid out just over $1million. Needless to say, he did not find his soul mate. Rather than help his mental health, the lawsuit said his relationship with the psychic worsened his feelings of anxiety. It alleged fraud and sought damages.

Three hours after the New York Daily News ran its story on Monday about the lawsuit, in an unexpected turnaround, Young voluntarily dropped his claims against the psychic and the other third-party defendants. Queerty has contacted Young’s lawyers for further comment.

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