Ex-mayor pleads guilty to using money for psychic readings

McALLEN, Texas – The former mayor and bookkeeper of the small city of La Grulla pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges they used federal grant money to pay for tens of thousands of dollars in psychic consultations.

Diana Cortez, the former mayor, and Sandra Lopez, the former bookkeeper, both pleaded guilty to theft. Each faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine at their Jan. 18 sentencing.

An indictment unsealed Aug. 31 alleged that Cortez, 48, and Lopez, 45, withdrew $53,700 between May 2002 and May 2003 to pay for consultations that included the use of tarot cards.

Cortez was mayor between May 2001 and May 2003. Lopez was bookkeeper during the administration and was responsible for accounts receivable.

During that time, the city got about $410,000 in grants through the federal department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program.

The grants were meant to encourage community development, affordable housing, and home ownership for the city, which has about 400 families with a median income of about $16,400.

Prosecutors said the money instead went into the city’s general fund and was tapped for the psychic payments.

According to the indictment, Cortez approved 23 checks between $1,000 and $3,500 to a man named Cesar Macias as well as to fictional businesses including “Macias Contractor,” “Macias Machinery & Supply Company Contractor,” and “Macias Equipment Company.”

Mexican border communities are sprinkled with shops for folk healers, known as curanderas, many of whom advertise psychic services such as tarot card readings.

Read Another Article

New start for Kingston wife
Yoga’s gone mainstream

Related News Articles Topic(s): Psychics Subscribe to Religion News Blog updates Subscribe to Religion News Blog [What is this?] Get Religion News Blog's headline by Email [What is this?] Follow Religion News Blog at Twitter Find Related Information Use our custom search engines to find additional research resources on religions and cults: ApologeticsSearch.com: Search for apologetics articles, books, videos, and other research resources across 135 Christian apologetics websites and blogs. CounterCultSearch.com: Search for information about (religious) cults, cult-like organizations, and cults experts -- as well as paranormal-, New Age, and pseudoscientific claims -- across 260+ websites, blogs and forums dedicated to cult research, spiritual abuse, ex-cult counseling & support. Find Related Religion & Spirituality Books at Amazon.com Psychics Possibly related... or Most Popular Religion News Articles Kent Hovind: Evangelist arrested on federal charges Beast’s real mark devalued to ’616′ Muslim Woman Gives Sex Advice on Arab TV Michael Jackson Confirms Conversion to Islam Kent Hovind, ‘Dr. Dino,’ guilty on all counts The fall and rise of Carlton Pearson Search False prophet Harold Camping sets another date for rapture: May 21, 2011 Watch the film Theo van Gogh was murdered for Kent Hovind — Dr. Dino — sentenced to 10 years in prison

Search Religion News Blog