'Psychic' conman jailed for swindling 1.3m Americans
A Canadian conman has been jailed for 10 years for swindling tens of millions of dollars from more than a million Americans by claiming to be a psychic.
Over two decades Patrice Runner, 57, amassed a fortune by promising wealth and happiness to his targets if they sent him money through the mail.
The scheme pulled in more than $175m (C$242m; £141m) from 1.3 million American victims.
A jury found Runner guilty in June on several charges related to the scheme.
"Patrice Runner's extravagant lifestyle, borne on the backs of millions of older and vulnerable Americans, has come to an end," said Chris Nielsen, a US postal inspector in Philadelphia. He called the 10-year term an "appropriate punishment".
According to authorities, the Canadian and French dual citizen directed the scam for the entirety of its 20-year operation, directing co-conspirators who ran the daily operations.
Under his scheme, millions of people received letters from Runner and his associates falsely claiming to be personal correspondence sent by well-known so-called "psychics" Maria Duval and Patrick Guerin.
The letters, prosecutors say, promised the recipient they could achieve a life of great prosperity with their help.
The recipients - mostly elderly and vulnerable Americans - were instructed to send money in exchange for an "astral-clairvoyant forecast".
Once a victim made a single payment, they would be "bombarded" with additional requests and letters, prosecutors said. The scheme sent thousands of nearly identical letters out each week.
The US Department of Justice said Runner used a number of shell companies registered in Canada and Hong Kong to hide his involvement while living abroad in a variety of countries, including France, Costa Rica, Spain and the Netherlands.
Runner has denied breaking the law, saying in a 2023 interview with Walrus Magazine that "maybe it's not moral, maybe it's bullshit... But it doesn't mean it's fraud".
Speaking to the Walrus from a New York detention centre, Runner bragged of his writing abilities, saying he could "get the attention of someone, and at the end, after a few minutes, the person sends a cheque, to get a product, to an address or company they've never heard of".
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.
