Fortune teller who gambled away social benefits jailed for fraud

A woman who had been gambling with large sums of money while also claiming social benefits and not declaring her earnings as a fortune teller has been jailed following an appeal by the Attorney General. 

The investigation into the woman, whose name is being withheld from publication at the order of the court, began when police received a tip in 2020 about her gambling at local casinos. It was discovered that she had gambled over €200,000 between 2009 and 2020, but her income did not match the amounts she had spent. 

She had registered as a fortune teller since 2009 but had not declared any income and was on social benefits. 

The woman was charged with misappropriation, fraud, money laundering, breaching court sentences, and recidivism and had been handed a suspended sentence of two years in jail, a €28,000 fine, and property confiscation in 2022. 

The Attorney General had subsequently filed an appeal to the decision. 

In a decision handed down late last month, the Court of Criminal Appeal also found the accused guilty of breaching previous court sentences and recidivism, leading to an increase in punishment. 

As a result, the woman was sentenced to imprisonment for 3 and a half years, with the court recommending that the Director of Prisons afford her the necessary treatment for an unspecified mental condition.

Inspector Joseph Xerri prosecuted. Lawyer Jonathan DeMaria was defence counsel. The Office of the Attorney General was represented by lawyer Andrea Zammit.