Janet Lee, The Greenwich Psychic, Indicted On Identity Theft And Forgery Charges: Manhattan DA

This story was updated at 5:22 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017, to add a comment from Lee's attorney in the civil case, and to clarify that she still has an office in Greenwich.

GREENWICH, CT — Janet Lee, known for years as The Greenwich Psychic, was indicted on forgery and identity theft charges in New York City on Aug. 2 in connection with an alleged apartment rental scam, announced Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.

Lee, 42, allegedly used a stolen identity and forged documents to apply for and obtain an apartment in SoHo.

"New York is one of the most competitive real estate markets in the world," said District Attorney Vance in a statement. "Unfortunately, hot properties can attract scammers seeking to take advantage of any openings, which is why brokers, buyers, and renters alike should remain wary of potential fraud. 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."

According to the indictment and documents filed in court, on June 21:

Lee emailed a real estate company to inquire about an available apartment listing at 480 Broadway and falsely provided the name of another person to the broker, who—believing Lee to be someone else—arranged to show the apartment to the defendant the same day. Later that morning, the defendant appeared in person, reiterated her interest in the apartment, and initiated application proceedings, all while falsely representing herself as the victim. As part of the application process, Lee also provided a forged driver’s license, tax return, and wage statements corresponding to the victim’s name and Social Security number.

In total, Lee signed the victim’s name more than 60 times in the rental application and lease agreement while falsely presenting herself as the victim.

She was charged with:

• Identity Theft in the First Degree, a class D felony, 1 count
• Forgery in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 3 counts
• Criminal Possession of a Forged Instrument in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 1 count

SoHo-Little Italy Patch attempted to find out which attorney was representing Lee in the criminal case but was unsuccessful.

Lee's legal troubles do not stop with this case, however. According to The New York Times, Lee is being sued by Sheila McKiver in a civil case in Stamford Superior Court, who claims the psychic swindled her out of more than $32,000.

The Times writes that Lee, who claims to have "elite clients," initially gave McKiver a $200 tarot card reading in 2015, and then convinced McKiver to pay her more than $32,000 which Lee allegedly promised to help cleanse of evil spirits.

Mark Sherman, Lee’s defense attorney who is defending her in the Stamford lawsuit, told Patch in a statement that Lee is contesting those allegations and the case is proceeding to trial.

And in a separate case from 2010, Lee successfully completed an accelerated rehabilitation program which resulted in charges of filing a false claim and interfering with an officer being dropped. The Greenwich Time reported that Lee had allegedly made up a story about being attacked outside of the Greenwich Avenue location.

Photo via Google Maps of 255 Greenwich Avenue where Janet Lee's office is located