Gypsy Leader Denounces Fortuneteller, Promises Partial Restitution

A Gypsy leader Wednesday denounced a Sherman Oaks fortuneteller who swindled four customers of more than $40,000 and predicted she would be blackballed by Gypsies nationwide.

John Merino, leader of the Los Angeles-area Gypsy Council, testified in Van Nuys Superior Court that the clan has raised about $10,000 to repay the victims and he hopes to collect another $20,000 from fellow Gypsies. He said nothing about the remaining $10,000.

“We take care of our own,” Merino said of Laura Johns, 28, known in the fortunetelling business as Sheena, after the court proceeding.

Johns was to be sentenced Wednesday after her no-contest plea to four counts of grand theft. But Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Darlene E. Schempp continued the case to Nov. 19 so a defense witness could appear on Johns’ behalf and to give her more time to repay the money. However, the judge ordered Johns, who recently gave birth to a premature baby, to jail to await sentencing.

Johns faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison for the four grand theft cases. Fortunetelling is legal, but it becomes illegal when money is taken by deceit or under false pretenses.

“People who commit these crimes shouldn’t be loose on the street,” Schempp said, pointing to what she called the “devastating” testimony of three victims.

One victim was a 32-year-old Mexican immigrant, Juan Rivera, who said Johns convinced him he would die of cancer within three days if he didn’t give her $27,000 to rid him of an evil curse. Another victim, Pam Pile, a 28-year-old college-educated professional from Tarzana, lost $13,000. The two other victims lost a total of $1,500.

“She is a disgrace to herself and her family,” said Merino, 62, head of a Gypsy Council that meets twice a month or more to mediate Gypsy disputes. He said that Johns will be tried by the 12-man tribunal, whose ultimate punishment is a form of blackballing.

“In our tradition, this is a fate worse than death,” Merino said. Johns wouldn’t be allowed to attend the traditional Gypsy festivals or “darken the doorstep” of other Gypsies’ homes, he said. Merino said that such blackballing would prevent her from telling fortunes because of the nationwide Gypsy network.