A Manhattan woman has been arrested and charged with grand larceny after allegedly defrauding a client out of nearly $90,000 by claiming she could remove a generational curse, according to police and court records.
Pamela Ufie, 29, was taken into custody on Thursday in connection with a 2023 incident in which she allegedly convinced a 43-year-old woman that her son was spiritually afflicted. Investigators say Ufie urged the woman to pay $87,000 for “specialty materials necessary to conduct rituals” intended to eliminate the curse.
Ufie has two prior arrests for similar conduct, though details from those cases are sealed. She pleaded not guilty during her arraignment on Friday. “She is presumed innocent and all the evidence will be presented in the courtroom,” her attorney, Albert Dayan, told Gothamist.
While storefront psychics are a familiar presence across New York City, claiming to possess supernatural powers for guidance or healing is considered a misdemeanor offense. The statute, rarely enforced, classifies fortune telling as a Class B misdemeanor, carrying a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail.
Despite its presence on the books, police data show that only 11 formal complaints have been filed in the past 15 years, resulting in just four arrests. Among those was a woman named Amanda Ufie, who shares Pamela’s last name. Authorities have not confirmed whether the two are related.
Bob Nygaard, a former Nassau County police officer turned private investigator, says he played a central role in tracking down both women. Nygaard specializes in psychic fraud cases and has long criticized what he sees as law enforcement’s indifference to such schemes.
“People walk into precincts and they’re told it’s a civil issue,” he said. “If you gave the money voluntarily, officers often don’t consider it criminal. But that’s a misunderstanding of the law.”
Nygaard says he was involved in all three of Pamela Ufie’s arrests. Most recently, he said he flew to New York from Florida after learning she had set up a booth near Bryant Park. When initial efforts to engage officers failed, he called 911 but received no response. Eventually, he ran down Fifth Avenue and knocked on a police cruiser as it idled at a red light.
“They were about to pull off,” Nygaard recalled. “I knocked on the back of the car, explained the situation, and got them to run her name. That’s when the warrant came up.”
NYPD confirmed that Ufie was arrested and charged, but did not comment on Nygaard’s specific involvement.
Though Ufie was initially charged with violating the fortune-telling statute, the final charges brought in court were for grand larceny and accosting. According to Nygaard, this reflects a broader reluctance among prosecutors to pursue fortune-telling charges directly. He attributes the hesitancy to concerns over potential religious or cultural defenses, even though courts have consistently upheld such prosecutions when financial fraud is involved.
“There’s always the claim that it’s part of their spiritual practice,” Nygaard said. “But if someone promises to lift a curse for tens of thousands of dollars, that’s not religion. That’s theft.”
He compared these operations to Ponzi schemes that exploit people in emotionally vulnerable situations, particularly those grieving a loss or coping with family trauma.
“These are calculated frauds that prey on pain,” he said. “The law exists to protect people from precisely this kind of manipulation.”
Pamela Ufie is scheduled to appear in court later this summer as the case proceeds.
