Psychic conman defrauds 1.3 million Americans through letters, jailed

A 57-year-old Canadian man, Patrice Runner, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for running a massive psychic scam that swindled over $175 million from more than 1.3 million Americans. Runner had been running his elaborate scam for two decades.

Runner, who US authorities had been pursuing since 2014, was given a 10-year sentence by a New York judge on Monday.

A Postal Inspector from Philadelphia called the 10-year term an “appropriate punishment” for preying on vulnerable Americans.

For over two decades, Runner, a dual citizen of Canada and France, directed a mail-based scheme promising wealth and happiness to unsuspecting victims, mostly elderly and vulnerable Americans, according to the BBC.

The scam involved sending letters from Runner and his associates falsely claiming to be personal correspondence of the famous psychics, Maria Duval and Patrick Guerin.

These letters falsely promised recipients a prosperous future if they sent money for an “astral-clairvoyant forecast”.

Once a victim paid, they were bombarded with additional requests, prosecutors said, reported the BBC.

Runner and his associates sent thousands of letters each week.

The US Department of Justice stated Runner used shell companies in Canada and Hong Kong to hide his involvement while living in various countries.

Runner denied wrongdoing, telling Walrus Magazine in 2023, “maybe it’s not moral, maybe it’s bullshit… But it doesn’t mean it’s fraud”, reported the BBC.

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”, reported the BBC.

A jury found Runner guilty in June on several charges related to the scheme, including conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.

“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”.