
Mass-mailing fraud scheme nets $175 million from those seeking wealth and happiness
A Canadian man, Patrice Runner, has been convicted by a federal jury in the Eastern District of New York for running a mass-mailing fraud scheme that lasted for more than two decades and stole over $175 million from victims in the United States. Runner sent letters to millions of U.S. consumers, including many elderly and vulnerable individuals, falsely claiming to be personalized communications from “psychics” like Maria Duval. In exchange for a fee, these letters promised that the recipient could achieve great wealth and happiness with the psychic’s assistance. Once a victim made a single payment, they were inundated with dozens of additional letters, all falsely purporting to be personalized communications from the psychics and offering additional services and items for a fee.
How the psychic fraud scheme worked
The scheme’s letters frequently stated that a psychic had seen a personalized vision regarding the recipient of the letter, but in reality, the scheme sent nearly identical form letters to tens of thousands of victims each week. Runner and his co-conspirators obtained the names of elderly and vulnerable victims by renting and trading mailing lists with other mail fraud schemes. The “psychics” identified in the letters sent by the scheme had no role in sending the letters, did not receive responses from the victims, and did not send the additional letters after the victims paid money. Victims lost thousands of dollars, with some making dozens of payments in response to the fraudulent letters.
Runner directed the scheme for the entirety of its 20-year operation, providing instructions to co-conspirators who ran the day-to-day operations through a Canadian company. Runner used a series of shell companies registered in Canada and Hong Kong to hide his involvement in the scheme while living in multiple foreign countries, including Switzerland, France, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, and Spain. Runner was extradited from Spain to the United States in December 2020.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said,
“This case exemplifies the commitment of the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch and its partners in the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to investigating and prosecuting fraud schemes targeting Americans, no matter where in the world those schemes originate. We will work with our law enforcement partners in the United States and around the world to bring to justice criminals who target Americans.”
Runner’s psychic fraud conviction
Runner was convicted of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, eight counts of mail fraud, four counts of wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was found not guilty on four counts of mail fraud.
Runner is currently in prison and will be sentenced at a later date. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for each count. The judge from the federal district court will determine the sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
Four other people, including Maria Thanos, 59, from Montreal, Canada; Philip Lett, 52, from Montreal, Canada; Sherry Gore, 72, from Indiana; and Daniel Arnold, 61, from Connecticut, have previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit mail fraud in connection with this mass-mailing fraud scheme.
More information on elderly fraud victims
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available. The Federal Trade Commission also provides a hotline at 877-FTC-HELP and a website at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov to receive consumer complaints.
More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. The Department of Justice provides information about a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which are available at www.ovc.gov.
Image Credits
In-Article Image Credits
Patrice Runner psychic fraud envelope via Department of Justice with usage type - Public DomainPatrice Runner psychic fraud letter via Department of Justice with usage type - Public Domain
Patrice Runner psychic fraud letter via Department of Justice with usage type - Public Domain
Patrice Runner psychic fraud letter via Department of Justice with usage type - Public Domain
Patrice Runner psychic fraud letter via Department of Justice with usage type - Public Domain
Featured Image Credit
Patrice Runner psychic fraud envelope via Department of Justice with usage type - Public Domain