RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Arrest probably wasn’t in the cards for a self-proclaimed fortune-teller authorities say scammed a Southern California woman out of $50,000 by claiming to cure her of parasites and her family of a curse.
Andres Pena Meneses of Riverside was arrested Tuesday.
Police say Meneses had a Chicago conviction for posing as a phony faith healer before setting up shop in Riverside.
A woman told police she paid him $50,000 for parasite- and curse-removal services.
Other customers told investigators that Meneses used a live snake as a prop that was hidden in mattresses they were told to bring from home.
Riverside Police Department
