Psychic Sylvia Mitchell allegedly thought of the perfect solution to a client's "addiction" to money--let Mitchell hold on to it.
Now the former West Village clairvoyant is facing charges after she was arrested in, of all places, Mystic, Conn. after allegedly bilking several customers out of thousands.
The search for Ms. Mitchell, 36, began last month, when a Florida woman swore out a complaint against her, accusing her of taking $27,000 to help the victim address her attachment to money.
Ms. Mitchell promised to return the money upon request, but did not, the woman told detectives. Eventually Ms. Mitchell returned $10,000, but then disappeared. The woman hired a private investigator, Bob Nygaard, to try to find Ms. Mitchell.
In the end, a State Police investigator tracked down Mitchell's newest parlor and she was arrested for being a fugitive, and for giving police a false name.
In February, 2010, the Daily News reported that Mitchell was accused of convincing one of her clients to go on a Ralph Lauren shopping spree for the psychic.
The Village Voice's Joe Coscarelli is less than commiserative.
"A bunch of people say Mitchell ripped them off, but, to be fair, that's sort of her job, so our sympathy level is low," Coscarelli writes.