Loveland, Colorado - A 65-year-old woman who says she lost her retirement savings to a Loveland psychic is now calling the psychic "a complete ripoff" and says she wants others to hear her story and avoid the mistakes she made.
"I look back on it now and think, 'How could I have been so stupid?'" Francine Evers told CBS4.
Evers handed over more than $73,000 to psychic Adams Marks in a six-month time frame.
Marks has been charged with theft, crimes against an at-risk adult and intimidating a witness.
He declined to talk to CBS4 about the pending criminal case promising, "I'll have my lawyer call you."
Evers decided to open up about her experiences with Marks in the hopes others might come forward if they have had similar experiences with Marks even though she acknowledges "It's embarrassing."
She met the psychic in 2009 as she was driving by his Loveland psychic business. She said she decided to get a $10 psychic reading because she thought it would be a fun adventure. During the reading, she says Marks upsold her, talking her into an $825 in-depth reading.
"He said that I had serious problems with my aura especially on the right side," said Evers.
Evers says Marks called her soon after "in a panic… He had also foreseen that due to this something terrible was about to happen to me which he was trying to ward off."
According to Evers, Marks said he needed $9,700 in $100 bills to gain "power" to ward off the imminent disaster.
Over the next seven months, Evers says Marks convinced and cajoled her into turning over $73,400 plus some valuable family heirlooms, all in the name of healing her damaged aura.
"I believed him and trusted him," said Evers.
A business school graduate and former white-collar executive, Evers was asked how someone so smart could fall for Marks' pitch.
"I ask myself every day," said Evers. "I don't know, I don't have a good reason."
Evers said Marks promised to return all of her money, that he was only keeping it to give him "power" and that it was being kept safe in a cave near Estes Park.
"He was a very good con man," said Evers.
When she says Marks continually found reasons not to return her money, Evers went to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office in 2012 . She said Marks said he could not return the money because he would "lose his psychic abilities."
Marks was criminally charged in August 2012. His case is still pending.
A review of his criminal record show Marks has numerous arrests and convictions for theft, criminal impersonation and forgery. Francine Evers said she was unaware of Marks criminal history until CBS4 showed her.
"This is truly shocking," she said as she reviewed his criminal record.
"I believed him," said Evers. "And one thing led to another and before I knew it I'd given him large sums of money."
Marks is due back in Larimer County court this month.
