Janet Adams plead "no contest" to charges of fraud. BAS reported the self-described psychic's arrest in December, 2008. Adams originally plead not guilty, but prosecutors threatened to add fraud charges on behalf of two other victims, and Adams agreed to accept a jail term of up to six years and to make restitution to all three victims. The case filed against her involved an elderly woman who gave Adams $80,330 based on promises that it would keep the victim's husband from dying, and would avert harm to other people. According to the Oakland Tribune: A number of victims approached police after Adams' Dec. 18 arrest, but prosecutors could only press charges in cases with "intrinsic fraud," [San Mateo County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve] Wagstaffe said. "When you get a quid pro quo — 'your husband will die if you don't give me money,' what she's saying is, 'I will prevent it from happening,' and that's the falsehood," Wagstaffe said. "She can't prevent the husband from dying in two weeks unless she has some powers we don't know about." If that was the case, "she probably wouldn't have pleaded no contest," Wagstaffe added. Robert Byers, Adams' attorney, took a less skeptical attitude, saying Adams changed her plea because "she wanted to take responsibility for her actions." "She feels bad for the harm she has caused," Byers said. "She's upset that she has kind of dragged other fortune tellers through the mud, and their names were hurt." Adams previously spent two years in jail and paid $22,000 in restitution for fraud while telling fortunes at the Half Moon Bay pumpkin fair. According to the Tribune: Dianna Czellecz, one of the women who went to police after Adams' arrest, said the psychic took at least $1,000 from her while she battled alcoholism last year. Czellecz said news of Adams' plea gave her "the chills in a good way. "I'm going to have a really good weekend now," Czellecz said. "She so deserves it." |
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Bay Area SkepticsThe San Francisco Bay Area's skeptical organization since 1982 |
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At the annual meeting of the
At the annual meeting of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific this week, BAS member Dr. David Morrison, who writes the NASA "Ask an Astrobiologist" column, reported that the number of questions about the "killer planet" Niburu and "doomsday 2012" questions have expanded astronomically, so to speak. David read some of the emails he has received, and they indicate a portion of the public is being seriously alarmed by the hype about these alleged future disasters allegedly about to impact Earth.
Some have written about committing suicide, others have mentioned panic and anxiety attacks, and many have expressed great concern over whether the government is lying to them about the coming disaster. Take a look at the column for an eye-opening view of some of the fears and misconceptions held by our fellow citizens -- and Morrison's clear-headed and informative responses. Like Dave, I am outraged at the hucksters on cable TV and from Hollywood who are trying to make a buck out of scaring the daylights out of people with half-baked pseudoscience.
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