„Young Shaman“ Convicted of Occult Fraud: Four Years in Prison

The 30-year-old, who also acted as a "shaman" under the name "Anna," received an unconditional four-year sentence. The two men each received three years in prison, with two years suspended. The verdicts are not final.

With a potential sentence of up to ten years, the penalties for the 30-year-old, who has three prior convictions, were relatively mild. The jury followed the appeal of her defense attorneys Philipp Wolm and Nikolaus Rast, who requested leniency in sentencing. Aggravating factors for the "young shaman" included her troubled past, the long duration of the crime, and the high amount of damage.

During two house searches, the police secured assets worth a total of ten million euros from the defendants. The trial involved a damage amount of 1.7 million euros, which, according to the indictment, 19 identified victims were defrauded of. The court declared a total of four million euros forfeited because there were "positive indications of further crimes," as the presiding judge noted in the detailed judgment, referring to police investigation reports. The police had discovered 18 handwritten notes under a defendant's bed with information on other probable victims who could not be identified.

Around Six Million Euros Returned to Convicted

This means that the not yet final convicted individuals will get back around six million euros. Nevertheless, all three initially did not accept the verdicts. After consulting with their defense attorneys, they requested time to consider. The prosecutor did not file an appeal.

The three defendants confessed to the charges of commercial serious fraud and money laundering. They only denied the charge of forming a criminal organization. However, they were ultimately found guilty of this as well. "We have no doubt about the existence of a criminal organization," it was stated in the judgment.

The alleged main perpetrator Mariana M., the "shaman's" real name, remains at large. While the search for her was ongoing, the Economic and Corruption Prosecutor's Office (WKStA) filed charges against her ex-husband, her son, and her daughter-in-law, who also acted as a "shaman" under the name "Anna." The accused men are essentially charged with managing and profitably investing the assets obtained by the two fraudsters.

Occult Fraud: Defendants Exercise Right to Remain Silent

"Everything in the indictment is true. Except for the criminal organization. I don't want to say more," the 30-year-old "young shaman" stated at the beginning of the trial. "She is extremely sorry," said Philipp Wolm, one of her two defense attorneys. There will be a "ready-to-go acceptance of responsibility" for a "ready-to-go indictment." However, a criminal organization does not exist: "A family is not inherently set up to engage in criminal activities."

"There is a 'hands up, we confess!'" affirmed Nikolaus Rast, the second defense attorney for the "shaman." The 30-year-old is "so exhausted" that she will not answer questions and will exercise her right to remain silent. The male co-defendants also took advantage of this, which is likely to significantly shorten the trial.

Period of Ten Years Criminalized

According to the indictment, the main perpetrator "Amela" and her daughter-in-law are alleged to have committed continuous serious fraud from February 2015 to January 2025, exploiting the "weaknesses" of their victims "to afford a luxurious lifestyle," as the prosecutor explained at the beginning of the trial. Mainly in Vienna, but also in Linz, Neusiedl am See, and Munich, "Anna" and "Amela" approached their later victims - predominantly women - on the street and initially complimented them on their supposedly "beautiful aura."

If people engaged with this topic, the two would reveal themselves as supposed "shamans" and claim they sensed a "discordant aura" or that the victims were afflicted by a curse. Both, along with impending misfortune, could be averted for a fee. There was talk of an impending accidental death of a daughter, a fatal illness of a relative, or a "black circle" that had formed around one of the victims.

Sometimes it was also said that existing cash or other valuables needed to be "cleansed," which were then not returned. According to the indictment, the swindlers would often ask male victims for donations by pretending to be needy and destitute, bringing up urgently needed medical treatments or renovation work.

19 Victims Included in Indictment

19 victims were included in the indictment. One woman had handed over no less than 575,000 euros to the "shamans," being led to believe she was possessed by demons and her wealth needed to be "cleansed." Another woman paid 91,000 euros to avert the supposedly impending fatal accident of her daughter. A woman with cancer was defrauded of 56,550 euros, being led to believe her illness could be made to "disappear." The woman in question has since passed away.

At the beginning of the year, the police were able to secure immense assets on the family's property in Maria Enzersdorf (district of Mödling). In addition to 6.4 million euros in cash, jewelry and other valuables worth two million euros were confiscated. The items were hidden in a well-concealed safe that was overlooked during the first house search and in a decommissioned former swimming pool that was only accessible via a trapdoor.

Approximately one million was deposited in various bank accounts, and the defendants also had a fleet of 14 cars worth at least 320,000 euros. The "collection" included a model of the luxury brand Aston Martin, two Jaguars, and three high-priced BMWs.

The WKStA assumes that the approximately ten million largely consists of the proceeds from fraud. The defense attorneys opposed this. They acknowledged the incriminated damage of 1.7 million euros and promised full restitution. However, the rest of the millions were said to have been earned "from legal income." "Amelia's" divorced husband is extremely successful in the real estate business, emphasized his lawyer Alexander Prenner. The family has "managed well for generations and invested very skillfully." Additionally, the defendants have "lived very frugally," claimed Prenner.

(APA/Red)

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