FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 24 (UPI) -- A Florida woman has been arrested for allegedly scamming a California woman out of $800,000 for protection from voodoo curses and bad luck, prosecutors say.
Peaches T. Miller, 33, of Miami, has been detained in Broward County, Fla., on an arrest warrant from authorities in Santa Clara County, Calif., the San Jose Mercury News reported Wednesday.
The warrant accuses Miller of grand theft and extortion. A hearing to consider Miller's extradition to California has been set for Thursday.
Court documents indicate the victim sought Miller's psychic assistance during a divorce proceeding and child custody battle in 2002.
The women sent Miller checks totaling $838,390 between 2002 and 2010 for the purchase of expensive gold and silver mirrors, tabernacles and other items that had to be imported from Italy and Spain so Miller could "vanquish the evil," court documents said.
The alleged victim became suspicious when Miller hired a lawyer to arrange a repayment schedule as the victim's daughter got older and was no longer subject to custody battles. A private investigator hired by the alleged victim believed the repayment plan was Miller's attempt to reduce possible criminal charges to a potential civil action.
The investigator presented his findings to the FBI and Santa Clara County prosecutors, who sought Miller's arrest.
