North Huntingdon police seeking woman in $10,000 fortune-telling scheme
Feb. 27—North Huntingdon police are looking for a woman accused of taking more than $10,000 from a township man through a fortune-telling scheme.
They have an arrest warrant for Alexis Candy Mitchell, 29, on charges of theft by deception and fortune telling. Mitchell's last known address is in Monroeville, but authorities said she has no ties to the area and has addresses in Texas, Florida, California and Nevada.
Township police filed the charges last week after the man reported in September that he sought out a psychic reading for spiritual help. He enlisted the services of "Psychic Novena," according to investigators.
During August, he made several payments through various electronic means totaling more than $10,000. Some of the money was reimbursed by credit card companies, according to an announcement by Westmoreland County District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli.
Police identified Mitchell as the suspect.
It's not the first time she's gotten in trouble for fortune telling in Westmoreland County.
Mitchell was charged by Irwin police in 2019 with fortune telling, identity theft, attempted identity theft and forgery. At the time she was doing business as "Psychic Novena Saint." An Irwin woman reported to authorities that she paid Mitchell $100 for a crystal ball reading, $500 for a spiritual kit and $125 for a cleansing healing ritual to eliminate evil casts an acquaintance had put on her, according to court papers.
Mitchell claimed the woman needed a $3,800 spiritual cleansing of all her possessions and is accused of using the woman's identity in an unsuccessful attempt to apply for financing to purchase $3,300 worth of furniture, police said.
Mitchell has been free on $10,000 unsecured bail in that case. She was scheduled for plea court four times in 2019 and a bench warrant letter was issued after she apparently failed to appear for a January 2020 status conference, according to court records.
Psychic readings can turn illegal if the fortune teller makes promises that typically come with a price tag, according to AARP. They can charge for one service and then continue to come up with more costly additions. The association advises reading seekers to not give out personal information or succumb to pressure to pay for additional services.
Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta by email at rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .