Spirituality

Man is extradited to the US over alleged $4 million psychic mail scheme.

Mael Chemla has been extradited from Germany to the United States to face charges over an alleged fake psychic mail scheme that collected more than $4 million, Newsweek reports. Prosecutors say thousands of Americans received letters asking for payments to claim supposed financial windfalls.

Chemla, 61, appeared in federal court in Miami on November 2, according to VINnews. The charges against him include conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud. The Justice Department says an indictment is an allegation and that defendants retain their presumption of innocence unless guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt.

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Letters claimed psychics foresaw windfalls#

The indictment alleges that Chemla conspired with others to send letters across the United States that looked like personal messages from psychics, according to the Justice Department. The letters claimed a psychic had learned that the recipient was entitled to an imminent financial windfall, but needed to send money to receive it.

Prosecutors allege the operation ran from September 2016 through November 2020. It collected more than $4 million from thousands of people, many of whom were elderly or otherwise vulnerable, the Justice Department says. Newsweek reports that the department did not give a precise victim count or identify their states.

Chemla allegedly handled the money through US bank accounts opened in the names of the purported psychics, according to prosecutors. The Justice Department says checks from recipients were deposited into those accounts and the funds were then wired to European accounts controlled by a co-conspirator.

Chemla faces federal charges#

Chemla is a US, French and Israeli national who previously lived in Aventura, Florida, according to the Justice Department. Ynetnews reports that he was arrested in Germany on May 13, 2026, and remained there while the extradition request was considered.

A fundraiser set up by Chemla's loved ones in October sought money for his legal expenses, Newsweek reports. The fundraiser said Chemla had acted as a service provider for a client in France and sought support for his defense.

The US Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case, the Justice Department says. The department's Office of International Affairs assisted with the German extradition proceedings and coordinated Chemla's transport with the US Marshals Service. A conviction could bring Chemla a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

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