Phony psychic sentenced to 18 months in prison for tricking woman out of life savings

By Christine Clarridge
Seattle Times staff reporter

A phony psychic who fled prosecution in Seattle and ended up on Canada's most-wanted list was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for tricking a woman into turning over her life savings in an effort to win back her ex-boyfriend.

According to charging papers, Sophie Evon, 79, and Sylvia Lee met the then-26-year-old victim at a video store in summer 1999 and convinced the woman that she needed a $300 "spiritual cleansing" to help her win back her ex-boyfriend. They claimed the ex-boyfriend had been cursed by his former girlfriend.

Over the next couple of days, charging papers allege, Evon and Lee told the victim, a recent immigrant from China, that she could free her boyfriend from a curse and be reunited with him by doing what they told her without question.

The victim was told to write down on a piece of paper the total amount of money she could access, including her mother's retirement account, and then was told that a "spirit" would double the amount.

The victim withdrew $45,000 cash, but when she hesitated before turning it over to Evon and Lee, who ran a business called Ms. Lee's Psychic and Astrology Readings, the victim was told by Evon that her boyfriend planned to marry within weeks, charging documents allege.

According to prosecutors, Evon and Lee lured the victim into withdrawing a total of more than $200,000 cash over the next few days and entrusting it to them. When the victim returned for an appointment two days later, the two fortune tellers had fled to Canada, police and prosecutors said.

Evon, a Canadian citizen, and Lee, were arrested. Lee was extradited to Washington, convicted of three counts of first-degree theft in 2001 and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Evon initially fought extradition, which was ordered in 2002, according to King County prosecutors. When her appeal was denied she fled from house arrest in Canada and was the subject of a Canada-wide warrant until her arrest in October.

Prosecutors asked for a sentence that was longer than the standard three- to six-month range because of the amount of money involved and the victim's vulnerability.