Greenwich psychic indicted in NYC forgery, ID theft case

Greenwich — Janet Lee, known as the Greenwich Psychic, is in trouble with law enforcement in New York City.

According to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., Lee, 43, of Greenwich, was indicted on charges of identity theft, forgery and criminal possession of a forged instrument.

The Manhattan D.A.’s office said Lee was involved in a real-estate scam over occupancy of a pricey SoHo apartment.

“In this case, the defendant is charged with using stolen personal information to obtain an apartment under a completely different name and identity, falsely signing the victim’s name no fewer than 60 times on the rental application and lease agreement for a one-bedroom apartment listed at $6,000 per month,” the prosecutors stated in a recent press release on the indictment.

According to the D.A., Lee showed up at the apartment at 480 Broadway with forged documents, and signed other documents at a broker’s office with another person’s name.

Lee did not return a call for comment Monday.

She has kept a visible presence on Greenwich Avenue for years, and given a number of interviews on the subject of being a psychic.

“My gift comes from a higher power, so I feel called to make sacrifices so I can use it for the greater good,” she said in a recent interview. She said she offered counseling and advice to wealthy and powerful people.

“Ninety percent of psychics are frauds,” she added. “It’s supposed to be a rare gift.”

Lee was in the headlines in 2009 when she claimed she was being harassed and physically attacked by rival psychics. She was charged with falsely reporting an incident, interfering with an officer and providing a false statement.

Her defense lawyer at the time, Mark Sherman, said the charges “were not only dismissed and expunged, but bizarrely based on allegations manufactured by rival psychics.”

Lee is the subject of a civil suit now pending in Superior Court in Stamford. A Greenwich woman, Sheila McKiver, said she was given a Tarot-card reading and a “psychic reading” for $200 in 2015, which revealed a “terrible darkness” around her, according to court papers.
The psychic said she was “sending (the plaintiff) positive energy to fight and to help move the darkness.”

A plan to remove “evil money” was formulated during their interaction, the lawsuit states, and the money would be put into a box at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. According to the court papers, Lee told McKiver that she has converted the money into gold coins and then given them away, to “remove the darkness.”

Lee was held responsible for the loss of $32,900 from the Greenwich woman, according to the lawsuit. It was filed earlier this year.

“Lee does not have psychic abilities, and there is no evidence such abilities exist,” the lawsuit states.

Mark Sherman, who is defending Lee on that civil suit, said she is contesting the allegations and the case is proceeding to trial.

Lee is also being sued by a private hauling company, Finocchio Brothers Carting. The carting company stated in court papers filed last spring that she breached the five-year contract for garbage pick-up at the Greenwich Avenue business. A judge later ordered her to pay $560 in damages, as well as legal fees.

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