She might not have been able to see the future, but she saw the writing on the wall.
A thieving Upper East Side psychic who duped a victim into paying $14,500 for a rock she says the victim need for a spiritual ritual, pleaded guilty Thursday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Scam artist Betty Vlado, 42, conned three victims out of $55,000 by telling them they had black auras that needed to be cleansed.
“Is it true you led them to believe you had special powers and that you could cleanse their spirits and for that you took the money for telling them you could do occult type things?” asked Justice Larry Stephen in Manhattan Supreme Court.
“Yes,” replied Vlado who wore sunglasses and a leopard print head scarf.
In the no jail plea deal, Vlado copped to one count of grand larceny, one count of fortune telling and promised to pay full restitution to the victims by January 15th 2014.
The kooky “clairvoyant” also must pay interest on the stolen cash and a fine of $5,000. She coughed up $25,000 before leaving court today.
The most gullible victim in the scheme was taken for a total of $50,000 after she was lured through a flier to Vlado’s fortune-telling parlor at 247 East 77th Street in 2011.
Vlado even got her to buy the pricey rock she claimed was a “meteorite from a NASA insider” court documents state.
The way-too-trusting victim also bought jewelry “to clean out bad energy” and for “visualization,” and purchased bath salts to change the color of her “third eye” and her “aura,” records show.
“My client has entered this plea voluntarily,” said the crystal gazer’s defense lawyer Paul Ascher. “She has acknowledged and accepted legal responsibility and is truly sorry for her actions.”