A psychic freed from prison in Florida after defrauding elderly victims there of more than $2 million is now being held on a first-degree felony charge in Washington State for allegedly chasing spirits in the Seattle area.
Linda Marks, 69, was arrested Monday in Washington State and booked into the Skagit County Community Justice Center after a Mount Vernon woman contacted authorities about her, the Skagit Breaking Community News reported.
Marks is well known in South Florida where she was sentenced to four years in prison in 2006 after being convicted in federal court for defrauding elderly victims of more than $2 million, the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reported. Her family operated psychic parlors in upscale neighborhoods there.
Mount Vernon Police said in a statement that a woman contacted them about turning over a "large sum of money" to Mark for "spiritual cleansing and destroying evil energy," the website said.
When the victim asked Marks to return her money, she told the victim she needed to give her more money in order for the original amount to be returned, Skagit Breaking Community News said.
The victim hired a private investigator, who in turn learned about Marks’ previous cases in Florida, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
The Sun-Sentinel said Mount Vernon Police are now asking for other residents to step forward if they believe they have allegedly been victimized by Marks. The newspaper said she is currently being held under $75,000 bond.
"These cases are all psychological manipulation under the guise of assistance," Bob Nygaard, a former police officer and Boca Raton-based private investigator of fortunetelling schemes, per the Sun-Sentinel. "They sell false hope. That's a very powerful product when you’re a person that's desperate."
Nygaard, who assisted the Washington woman in the case, claimed that the she lost more than $50,000 with Marks, the newspaper stated.
Nygaard said the woman had initially reached out to Marks because she was depressed after experiencing relationship troubles, a concussion, and feelings of guilt for inheriting money that her siblings did not.
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