Future’s Bleak for a Seer Who Admits Fraud

A Huntington Beach fortuneteller pleaded guilty Friday to charges that she bilked several women customers of cash, cars, jewelry and other goods.

Cathy Justine Adams, 34, of Huntington Beach agreed to pay at least $150,000 to six of the seven clients she was originally accused of defrauding, Deputy Dist. Atty. Kenneth O. Chinn said.

She is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 20 by Superior Court Judge Luis A. Cardenas, Chinn said.

But the judge agreed to give Adams “reasonable time” to raise her first payment, Chinn said.

If Adams pays the money, Cardenas could place her on five years’ probation. If not, the judge could sentence her to more than six years in prison.

Her attorney, Paul S. Meyer, said: “Considering this settlement as a whole, we’re very satisfied with how this case settled.”

Both attorneys said it has not been determined how much restitution Adams must pay beyond the $150,000 after she is sentenced. Meyer said he plans to argue that Adams owes no more money.

Huntington Beach police arrested Adams last September, calling her claims of mystical powers a “traditional Gypsy fraud.”

Adams, who operated the Old World Psychic Reader shop since 1985, offered pricey services to seven women, ranging from saving a failing marriage to finding a woman a mate named Ed.

Adams asked clients for thousands of dollars in cash and goods--including a 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560SC convertible and a late-model Jeep Cherokee--to ensure successful meditation.

Adams would promise to return the money and property, sometimes swearing it on her children, the clients alleged, but they said the fortuneteller rarely kept her promises.