
Woman claims fortuneteller who could ward off evil spirits made her $20,000 disappear
Hemanth Kumar Muneppa, 33, was arrested Thursday in the parking lot of a Hicksville bank, where authorities say he was attempting to get a 68-year-old woman to withdraw an additional $42,000 after previously convincing her to pay $20,000 for psychic services.
According to investigators, Muneppa worked out of a psychic and astrology business called Anjana Ji on South Broadway, where he posed as a fortune teller and offered to 'purchase the power to fight evil spirits' on the victim's behalf.
Police said the woman returned to the shop on Friday for further services, where Muneppa allegedly demanded another $42,000 and drove her to a nearby bank to retrieve the cash.
Bank employees, concerned that the woman was being scammed, alerted police and officers arrested the so-called fortune teller at the scene.
Muneppa, of South Richmond Hill, has since been charged with third-degree grand larceny, third-degree attempted grand larceny, and two misdemeanor counts of fortune telling - a rarely used statute in New York that criminalizes accepting money for spiritual services unless they are strictly for entertainment.
Prosecutors said the victim believed she was being targeted by evil spirits and turned to Muneppa for help.
In a written statement to prosecutors, Muneppa allegedly admitted, 'I did a few palm reading and astrology readings. She gave me a bunch of money… all $100 bills.'
He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Friday and was released without bail.
He has been ordered to wear an ankle monitor and stay away from the victim, NBC4 New York reported.
No attorney information for Muneppa was immediately available.
According to NBC4, Mueppa, a father-of-two, did not comment outside court on Friday.
The case has raised concerns in the community. Mehwish Saeed, who owns a clothing store near the psychic shop, said her daughter also visited the business and was misled.
NBC New York Privacy Policy
'Playing with somebody's feelings and giving them false hope - that's really bad,' Saeed said. 'They're just making people a fool, so they deserve to be punished.'
While fortune telling charges are uncommon and often difficult to prosecute, authorities said the case met the criteria for criminal charges.
According to the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review, such cases are frequently challenged on First Amendment grounds, making convictions rare.
Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Muneppa or the Anjana Ji shop is asked to contact the Nassau County Police Second Squad at 516-573-6200.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Marcus Morris Sr's brother and agent slam NBA star's 'insane' arrest 'real' reasons he was detained
The twin brother of NBA free agent Marcus Morris Sr. and the player's agent are disputing the reason for his shocking arrest in Florida on Sunday. Morris was arrested at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. According to arrest records in Broward County, Morris is being held on a charge of Fraud - Writing a Check With Insufficient Funds. But hours after the arrest, Morris' brother Markieff posted an angry statement on X, formerly Twitter: 'The wording is crazy. Damn for that amount of money they'll embarrass you in the airport with your family,' the post read. 'They could have came to the crib for all that. 'When y'all hear the real story on this s**t man. All I can say is Lesson learned. Bro will tell y'all tomorrow. This weird shit gave me a headache. Can't stop nothin!' Nearly half an hour later, Yony Noy - who represents both brothers - posted a statement of his own: 'Just so everyone understands this is zero fraud here or whatever crap outlets have said regarding fake checks or whatever the hell. This is due to an outstanding marker with a casino. Apparently if you have over $1,200 they can issue a warrant for your arrest. Absolute insanity!' A source told Daily Mail that the casino in question is in Las Vegas. According to the websites of multiple law firms, in the state of Nevada, an unpaid marker is treated as the equivalent of writing a bad check. Failing to pay a marker is treated as a class D felony and carries a penalty of fines and up to four years in prison. The Broward County Sheriff's Office did not immediately return a request for comment from Marcus has had a 13-year NBA career, beginning when the Houston Rockets selected him 14th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. He would go on to play for the Rockets, the Phoenix Suns, the Detroit Pistons, the Boston Celtics, the New York Knicks, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Most recently, he played the 2023-24 season with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. This incident is not Marcus' first run-in with the law. In 2012, he was arrested in Lawrence, Kansas on a battery charge after he and another person punched a bar employee while watching a Kansas-Missouri basketball game. Marcus entered a diversion agreement, paid a $300 diversion fee, and $60 in court fees. He also agreed to not come in contact with the victim or the bar for one year. At the time the diversion agreement was made, the prosecutor said that the case would be dismissed if Morris fulfilled the terms and remained 'out of trouble' during the 12 month period. Three years later, Marcus, Markeiff, Baltimore Ravens safety Gerald Bowman, and two other assailants were arrested in connection with the assault of 36-year-old Eric Hood in Arizona. Both Marcus and Markeiff were playing on the Phoenix Suns at the time. Hood, who had mentored the Morris twins, was allegedly 'sending an inappropriate text message' to the twins' mother. After a trial, the twins and Bowman were found not guilty while the other two assailants confessed.


Times
2 hours ago
- Times
NatWest faces questions over links to collapsed 79th Group
NatWest is facing scrutiny over its relationship with a collapsed £200 million investment group which insolvency practitioners suspect was a Ponzi scheme. 79th Group attracted thousands of investors from the UK and overseas, before collapsing into administration in April, two months after the City of London police announced an investigation into a 'suspected widespread fraud'. The company has denied wrongdoing. Insolvency practitioners estimate 79th Group owes more than £200 million to about 3,700 people. Some investors have life savings at risk. The matter was raised in parliament this month. The 'main account' of the group was held at NatWest, according to administrators from Kroll and Quantuma. It is understood that the relationship originated at the bank's Southport branch, which is near 79th Group's Merseyside head office. The bank also holds an outstanding charge over a 79th Group entity which was first registered 20 years ago. That company went into insolvency in May. Investors' funds were paid into a 'treasury account [and then] transferred out to other entities', administrators said in a recent report to creditors. They are investigating the 'flow of funds'. Investors' money does not appear to have been 'ring-fenced' and was instead 'pooled' in group accounts. No formal loan accounts appear to have been recorded or board minutes yet identified relating to the management of investors' money, insolvency practitioners have claimed. The bank declined to answer a series of questions over its banking relationship with 79th Group, including how much money was received and processed by the bank; whether it had continued to receive investor funds after the arrests; whether it had failed to detect serious irregularities; and whether NatWest was investigating. A NatWest spokeswoman said: 'Combating fraud is a top priority and we are committed to preventing criminal activity. We will not make any further comment on this case.' Contractual agreements between the group and investors stated that funds would be used for specific projects, including a £250 million holiday park in north Wales and a mining venture. City of London police said in February that four people had been arrested and that 'a large amount of cash, luxury watches and jewellery were found during searches of properties, all of which were seized'. All people arrested have been released on bail and inquiries continue. There have been no charges. The Times reported this month that 79th Group's board included a former senior HM Revenue & Customs official who was in charge of combating fraud for the tax office. Andy Cole, former director of specialist investigations at HMRC, was a non-executive adviser. There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Cole or that he is being investigated. He has not been arrested. Administrators from Grant Thornton have told 79th Group investors that 'we believe this is a Ponzi', the term for a fraudulent investment scheme in which early investors are paid with money from later investors rather than legitimate business activities. Banks have a regulatory duty to counter the risk that they might be used to further financial crime. Lenders face strict 'know your customer' and anti-money laundering rules; adherence requires due diligence, transaction monitoring and reporting of suspicious activity. Three sets of insolvency firms are engaged on the case. Administrators are liaising with NatWest over the outstanding charge owed to the bank, which has said it is not in a position to release it, according to its report. In 2021, NatWest was fined £264.8 million for anti-money laundering failures related to the gold trading business Fowler Oldfield. This month Barclays was fined £39.3 million for failing to tackle financial crime risks in its dealings with Stunt & Co, which received £46.8 million from Fowler Oldfield.


Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Why I forgave the fraudster who scammed me out of £300 for fake festival tickets - after finding her by accident on TikTok
A music fan who was scammed out of £300 for fake concert tickets says she has forgiven the fraudster who conned her – after finding her by accident while browsing videos on TikTok. Bristolian music lover Laura was tricked into buying fake V Festival by one–time serial con artist Jodie Gayet, handing over £300 for two tickets worth £200 each in a deal that was too good to be true. But in an incredible stroke of fortune, she found Ms Gayet 10 years later while browsing TikTok, and reached out to say she had forgiven her after learning that the fraudster had been battling a gambling addiction. The pair met 'face–to–face' for the first time in a video call with MailOnline this week following their chance encounter via social media. Ms Gayet, from Lowestoft, tearfully admitted she had not expected forgiveness after conning Laura and others out of a total of £10,000 for non–existent tickets, for which she was given six months in prison. 'Forgiveness is not something that you ever expect to get when you did the terrible thing I did,' she said. 'I did some bad stuff, but I'm not a bad person.' For Laura, who asked us to use her first name only, it was cathartic to be able to forgive the woman who had stolen from her. She said: 'I felt really stupid and disappointed in myself back then, which passed, but to hear her story now you realise people do make mistakes.' Jodie says she turned to crime to feed a gambling addiction that began when she had a termination at 18, playing online bingo before winning a £33,000 slots jackpot. She spent £8,000 of her winnings and lost the rest chasing her next big win, which never came – so she took out loans to keep playing and cover up the loss. Working at the Chelsea Building Society in Norwich, she then pilfered the bank account of an 89–year–old man with Alzheimer's and his 95–year–old wife, believing they would not notice the money was gone. In all, she stole £19,000 from them. 'I never thought what I was doing was wrong. I wasn't stealing – I was just borrowing this money because I was going to win it back and I would pay it back, and they would never know,' she said. It wasn't long before the theft was discovered and she was sentenced to six weeks' jail time in 2011 at 21, heavily pregnant. She gave birth four days after being freed. But without proper support or counselling for her addiction she found herself craving the next big win again, setting up an account on classified ads site Gumtree with a plan to fund her gambling. She messaged someone selling real V Festival 2014 tickets – which featured the likes of the Killers and Lily Allen on its line–up – and asked for their order confirmation as proof, modifying it to add her name and an old address. Her fake ticket listing, complete with a convincing confirmation, was priced below face value to draw in victims – which is how she and Laura came to cross paths as the music fan hunted out tickets as a gift for a friend. Laura recalled: 'I think it had sold out on the official site and I was looking at eBay, Gumtree... and that's where I saw Jodie's listing.' The confirmation gave the listing an air of legitimacy, she admits. Laura also said she had been taken in by how 'engaged' Jodie was in selling the tickets – which were to be sent by post, long before the advent of the e–ticket. But after sending the cash, Laura was fobbed off with excuses that the tickets had been lost in the post. It then dawned on her that she had been scammed. 'As the event got closer the dialogue changed – her story was changing and changing and it was then that I felt a bit dim,' she admits. Half of Brits see social media as a safe place to buy tickets despite scams More than half of Brits still see social media as a 'safe space' to buy gig tickets despite the fact they offer no protection from fraudsters. A survey conducted by Get Safe Online, a UK online safety resource, found that 17 per cent of people had a negative experience buying tickets through 'unprotected' platforms. But around 54 per cent still see them as a reasonable place to buy tickets. Around 90 per cent of recent Oasis scams unfolded on social media, with fans losing an average of £346 each, according to Lloyds Bank. GSO recommends using reseller sites such as Viagogo, which is listed as a commercial partner on its website, to combat fraud. Its CEO, Tony Neate, says fans need 'safe alternatives' to social media. 'I had to phone my mum and tell her I had been scammed and I had to repurchase the tickets. But Jodie's story had been so believable.' Laura reported the scam to Action Fraud – and once again, the law caught up with Jodie, who it emerged had conned others out of £6,000 with the same trick. She was given a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for two years – but returned to court after pulling the same stunt again a year later in 2015, depriving would–be festival–goers out of another £4,000. It guaranteed her a six–month jail term, with a judge describing her as having a 'nasty dishonest streak', the Eastern Daily Press reported. Her father and brother paid victims back, the court had been told. Jodie served 12 weeks behind bars, serving the rest of her sentence on an electronic tag. It was the wake–up call she had been needing. She now admits: 'I was acting as a very selfish person. I knew what I was doing was wrong and, I'll be honest, I really didn't care what I did to get the money. 'The world could have been on fire and I wouldn't have noticed. Again, I told myself I was just borrowing this money from these people because I would win it back.' Almost a decade on, Jodie now works with anti–fraud body We Fight Fraud to help people spot potential scams, with her own story showing how easy it is to deceive people into handing over money. Among her hot tips are to avoid buying tickets on social media and not to bank transfer - instead buying from primary ticket vendors directly or from secondary resellers that have a guarantee of a refund if the ticket either doesn't arrive or isn't valid for entry. These scams have reared their heads amid the Oasis reunion tour – with mad fer it fans losing a reported £346 each buying fake tickets, according to Lloyds Bank. She shares her experiences of gambling addiction, recovery and imprisonment with 50,000 followers on TikTok – and it's there that fate saw fit to bring she and Laura together again 10 years on. Laura said: 'I was just scrolling through and she appeared on my feed telling her story of the fraud. I thought it sounded familiar... then realised that she was the person who had scammed me. The algorithm got me!' She sent Jodie a message explaining who she was, and the pair reconnected. Jodie even made reparations with a donation to the anti–knife crime charity Mikey's World, founded after teen Mikey Roynon was stabbed to death in 2023. The charity is very close to Laura's heart. And earlier this week, they spoke 'face–to–face' via a video call for the first time, joined by a MailOnline reporter. Laura said sagely: 'People make mistakes, don't they? If we were all crucified for every mistake we make there wouldn't be many of us around, would there? 'Yes, absolutely, I forgive her. It was a long time ago, and what Jodie is doing now, the fact she's working with We Fight Fraud, makes it so easy to forgive her. She only buys festival tickets from official vendors now. 'If something seems too good to be true it probably is,' she concluded. Jodie, who is now a mother to three, has also written a book, Me, Myself and My Addiction, recounting her experiences of gambling addiction and turning to crime. She hopes her story will inspire others to use their own bad experiences to do good in the world. Her voice breaking, she summed up: 'It gives a person hope that you can move on from the past and do good. 'I'm devastated by what I did, even now. I never meant to hurt Laura or any of my victims. 'But it is amazing to have her here and I'm grateful she's in my corner.'