American man charged in alleged psychic mail-fraud scheme

A 61-year-old on Monday appeared before a federal court in Miami over allegations he ran a fraudulent scheme involving letters falsely claiming to be from psychics.

What was the fraud? Mael Chemla—a U.S., French, and Israeli national—operated a mailing fraud scheme where he sent letters to U.S. citizens posing as various psychics, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The personalized letters informed Chemla’s alleged victims that the fictitious psychic had foreseen that a windfall of cash would come the person’s way if he or she sent a payment to unlock it. Authorities said Chemla then deposited the victims' checks into U.S. bank accounts he’d already created in the names of the made-up psychics. He then wired the money to European bank accounts controlled by an accomplice, according to federal investigators.

Between September 2016 and November 2020, Chemla and his accomplice collected over $4 million from thousands of victims across the United States, according to investigators. Many of his victims were elderly and otherwise vulnerable, the DOJ said in a Tuesday statement.

What are the charges? Chemla is charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, and mail fraud, and is being prosecuted by the White Collar and Corporate Enforcement Section of the DOJ’s U.S. Criminal Division. The case is also being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. If convicted, Chemla faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on all three counts.