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Gypsy: Madam Laura (AKA Laura Merino)
Location: 2011 Artesia Boulevard, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Phone: (310)-374-9045, (310)-374-9157
Notes: Please be informed that Laura Merino from Redondo Beach, California, IS related to Sonia Merino and her daughter-in-law, Nasta Merino, both, of Manhattan Beach, California. Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach are adjacent neighborhoods, located just south of Los Angeles.
Also: Kimberly (daughter of Laura); (310) 370-7659; 17013 Hawthorne Blvd.; Lawndale, CA 90260
The Merino is a scam/crime family in the South Bay area.
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After reading the information, presented on your website, I decided to "reopen" a case from some years back. My original reason for visiting Laura was for some simple advice, concerning a job, back in 1991. Unfortunately, it was at a time, when I was more vulnerable, and that initial visit opened up a whole "Pandora's Box" of things, which I didn't want to get involved in. She came on with things involving a "bad luck" being passed from generation to generation, and said that she needed to do work in her church. For that she required $240 for candles. About a month, she told me that she required $1,000 for work involving my job. About a month later, she came on with the following: She told me that the bad luck in the family was "so strong" that she required $4,900, which was a "magic number" for "the work." She told me that she works with "certain numbers." Immediately, I became upset with her and expressed it to her, because I expected more results from the money, which I had given to her previously. Then, she told me that, in ONE MONTH, that money would be returned to me, and the work would be completed. Unfortunately (or, I should say, fortunately) I din NOT have that amount of money in my account. Then she pulled out that expression that "the spirits" are telling her that I DO have the ability to pay that amount. Immediately, I told her that her "spirits" are wrong, because I was telling her the truth. (I must emphasize that I was always being truthful with her!) She then asked me how much I am capable of "putting up for the work." I said $3,000. She pressured me to go to the bank immediately, so that I could withdraw that amount from the bank, so that she could "begin her work." I then began to question, I thought that she has already begun the work several months ago. She never got the complete $4,900 from me, but after a month, of course, I didn't have any money returned after that month passed, as originally promised. One other thing is that she also told me that she was going to "loan" the remaining $1,900 to the church to "match her numbers."
After several months, I didn't visit her much, because I decided on my own to look for a new job. Of course, I never saw those $3,000, and she never brought up the subject matter. I found a new job in January, 1992. Immediately, I assessed my financial situation, and I decided to make every effort to pay off the student loans, car payments, and credit cards. Since I didn't want to "lose track" of those $3,000, I saw her about once a month, but she would always bring up this subject of "evil spirits." Since, my job required travel, I was not able to keep any appointments set up anyway. There was in 1993 another attempt by her to request $3,000 "for the work" in 1995. I began to see that she was NO GOOD, because, as I questioned her on some matters, I realized that she would become very defensive. Then, she would never allow me to speak and would rudely interrupt me. I realized that she was no listener! The good thing is that things did improve in my life, but this was attributed to my being very prudent in paying off completely my car payments, the student loans, and most of the credit card debts. I closed most of the credit card accounts, once they were paid off. I began to think that IF she can see "in her work" that I don't have an open credit card account, there would be "no source" of money for her. I did NOT come up with the "required" $3,000, and at the end of 1995, she put more pressure on me to pay. It happened that my job "saved" me at an important moment, because I had to take a trip for about a week out of town, and I had to cancel my appointments with her. On the flight, I realized that I was "free" for the moment, and I reassessed my financial situation. It was such that I wasn't able to save money, but I did an excellent job of eliminating my debts, in 3 years, AND I did manage to find the "excuse" to cancel my appointments with her and avoid paying her any more money. I did tell her that she owed me $3,000. She did NOT like that and "sort of" backed down. In addition, I expressed my dissatisfaction with her.
In June, 1996, I relocated out of southern, California, to the San Francisco, Bay Area. I "kept" one appointment before I moved. Actually, I didn't let her know anything, but on this last appointment, she came on with this crap again about evil spirits, and she also made a statement, which was "the straw that broke the camel's back." Her statement was, "A person's life is written in a book!" At that point, I realized that nothing could be further from the truth! I strongly believe that the future is not determined, or "etched in concrete." Instead, there is free will, and we are always making choices and decisions. There are always several possible futures from any point in the present. I decided to NOT make an issue out of that, I simply walked out, and I decided that I would have nothing to do with her.
I did develop a plan, which would involve an attempt to get back at least the $4,000. This would involve waiting a few years, in which she would forget about me. My intention is to "surprise" her, one of these days, by exposing her for the fraud she is and possibly even confronting her. One thing is that I am NOT afraid of her. I know where she is, but she knows nothing about where I live. Presenting information about her on this website is just a start! I intend to also report her to the Better Business Bureau and, anonymously, report her to local authorities.
I wish to also include the following excerpt, concerning the others in her family, from a website:
*That Love Bug is Possessed*
03/20/02 - Two self-described psychics, Sonia Merino, 50 and her daughter-in-law, Nasta Merino, 23 were arrested and charged with five counts each of mail fraud for allegedly conning clients into paying thousands of dollars in fees to free them from bad karma.
The pair advertised in a South Bay newspaper mailer, offering psychic readings for as little as $10 but would then tell clients that additional sessions, ranging up to $20,000, were needed to drive away a curse or some negative spiritual force.
One client told investigators that he gave Sonia Merino more than $518,000 in checks, a 1999 Volkswagen Beetle, a CD player and a personal computer over a three-year period after first going to her for a tarot card reading in 1996 after a failed romance.
He says Sonia told him he needed a series of costlier sessions including a request for $750,000 to pay a group of psychics to conduct all-night meditations on his behalf. One victim was quoted in the affidavit as saying that Sonia Merino threatened to put a curse on her when she refused to pay several thousand dollars for a series of sessions. Another told of being badgered with phone calls every few hours throughout the night.
Sonia Merino also sold clients what she described as "holy water" from the Vatican but analysis showed it was Manhattan Beach tap water, authorities said. Nasta Merino was accused of selling at least one person "holy water" from Ste.-Anne-de-Beaupre, a Catholic shrine near Quebec City, Canada, which is frequented by invalids seeking miracle cures. It, too, came from a local tap.
In addition to mail fraud, Sonia and her husband Steve, 44, were charged with tax fraud for allegedly underreporting $750,000 in income from 1995 through 1999.
http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Crimes/In Person/Major Person/psychic_scams.htm
This Madam Laura is a disgusting woman! She is a liar and a corrupt fraud! Her chatter about life being "written in a book" is nothing but a bunch of ridiculous nonsense. Then her other talk about doing the "work of God", Christ, Buddha, and religion is a very vile insult to the noble principles of any religious truth! With her means of trickery in defrauding people of their money - and this applies to her entire crime family - she has earned some exceedingly negative karma! Please publish this! This way, anyone doing a search on this particular scam artist, Madam Laura, in Redondo Beach, will be prevented from losing their hard-earned money and their confidence in themselves. Improvements in my life were attributed to prudence (financial and other areas of my life) - Not Madam Laura's "Work", which is only a lot of BULL!
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