Jenkintown Psychic Visions
PHILADELPHIA - A lovelorn woman who gave a Pennsylvania psychic more than $400,000 to help her snag the man of her dreams is off to court to get her money back after magnets, vinegar, Jell-O and desecrating a grave didn’t work.
Odd rituals, saucy photos and a mandate to bed the man are among the allegations in Carmela Ciotti-Hooper's lawsuit, filed Aug. 7 in Philadelphia federal court against Jenkintown Psychic Visions and a woman named Gina Marks going by the name Naomi Nicklas, who was arrested last month.
Ciotti-Hooper enlisted Nicklas' aid in 2023 with her romantic troubles, which included a "love interest" who has an ex-wife, the lawsuit says. Nicklas is alleged to have told Ciotti-Hooper that she and the man were "soulmates/twin flames" and started her with affirmations and a ritual to break a curse.
Ciotti-Hooper says she was instructed to buy two white pillowcases, two black pillowcases, six magnets, 24 red roses and 24 white roses. She laid down and placed the magnets on her head, chest and abdomen for 25 minutes while visualizing the man calling her to tell her he misses her.
She'd also wear the pillowcases and tell spirit guides to undo her bad luck.
"Defendant Naomi further instructed Plaintiff to write down all of (the man's) kids' names, his ex-wife's name, put them in a mixture of vinegar and lemon and write down 'whatever plans you have to stay in his life will be soured. Whatever plans you have to control him and keep him from me will be soured,'" the lawsuit says.
The psychic allegedly then told Ciotti-Hooper that she needed money to fight psychics in Florida who were helping the ex-wife. She also allegedly demanded "potentially compromising pictures" to be sent to the her to determine which ones to send to the man. There was also a ritual involving Jell-O and pictures, the suit says.
"Defendant Naomi regularly encouraged Plaintiff to have sexual relations with (the man) to 'seal our fate' and that Defendant Naomi would return all of Plaintiff's money to her upon it happening, which never happened," the lawsuit says.
Ciotti-Hooper says eight wire transfers to Nicklas amounted to more than $400,000 and she was also tricked into ordering and shipping handbags to Nicklas.
"Many transfers were noted as needed 'to protect against evil spirits, remove curses or ensure health and safety,'" the suit says.
Of course, this arrangement soured. Nicklas promised "problems" if money didn't arrive, the suit says. But money was running out, and watching "The Matrix" over and over at various frequencies to "get onto another timeline that is different from the one everyone else is on" wasn't helping her love life, Ciotti-Hooper says.
Neither did refusing to look at the time on her watch, clocks or phone. A "demonic figure" appeared when Ciotti-Hooper admitted to being out of money. Then $2,000 went to a man who would dig up and clean out a plot in a Florida cemetery.
Ultimately, Ciotti-Hooper asked for half of her money back. Nicklas told her she was "forfeiting" and that "there will be penalties," the suit says.
"Now I'm going to tell people, would you like me to contact everyone and show them your naked pictures?" Nicklas said, according to the lawsuit. "Because now I feel violated. So I think you should be violated."
The lawsuit charges the defendants with wire fraud, extortion, RICO violations, fraudulent misrepresentation, conversion, intentional infliction of emotional distress, unjust enrichment, consumer protection violations, theft by fortune-telling, financial exploitation, practicing medicine without a license and blackmail.
