NEW YORK – Prosecutors say that when two lovelorn women wandered into a New York City fortune-teller's shop, the soothsayer foresaw lucrative opportunities — for herself.
The Manhattan district attorney's office says Sylvia Mitchell promised to rid both customers of their problems.
They say that, instead, she bilked one out of $128,000 and another out of more than $10,000.
Mitchell went on trial Thursday on grand larceny and other charges.
The first customer was a Singaporean immigrant contending with loneliness and an unrequited workplace crush while working a demanding job.
The second is a Naples, Fla.-based ballroom dance instructor. She turned to Mitchell after losing a job and being dumped by a boyfriend within a day.
The defense says there's no evidence Mitchell failed to provide the services for which she was hired.
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