Jun 14, 2026
A couple from Texas was arrested recently and charged after allegedly scamming vulnerable people out of millions of dollars with a “psychic” scam.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, said that Bridgette Doreen Evans (a.k.a. Jolene Travis), 47, and her partner, Vinnie John Uwanawich, 44, of Frisco, Texas, are facing charges of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, four counts of wire fraud, and four counts of mail fraud.
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First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd said in a DOJ release that the pair “came into the lives of these victims at a time when their judgement was clouded by emotional loss and feelings of hopelessness.”
“Ms. Evans preyed upon their needs, convincing victims that she could ‘remove a curse’ and help them find love,” Floyd said. “In truth, her scheme was simply to help herself to their wealth, leaving them further devastated.”
Millions were sent to the scammers
Between April 2021 and July 2024, Evans and Uwanawich allegedly stole at least $2.5 million from at least three victims, the DOJ release says.
Using the fake name Jolene Travis, Evans posted ads on social media for “psychic services,” and her posts “were designed to attract people who were struggling with romantic or personal problems: people experiencing divorce, death of a loved one or feelings of isolation,” the release alleges.
The DOJ says that Evans allegedly told victims that she could solve their misfortune through readings and rituals; then, she would say that the “curse” was related to their finances.
“After asking for a detailed accounting of the victims’ financial holdings, she would tell the victim the only way to remove the curse was to liquidate the holdings and send the money in gold coins or cash so that she could ‘cleanse’ the money,” the release alleges.
Evans would allegedly tell the victims she would return the money after it was “cleansed,” but only returned small amounts, in order to gain trust, the DOJ says.
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One victim in Washington state reportedly sent more than $2 million for “cleansing” of a curse; another victim supposedly sent $86,000; a third was out more than $258,000 after Evans allegedly convinced them to take out loans to buy her a Corvette and give her access to their credit cards, the release says.
Uwanawich, Evans’ husband, allegedly managed the money coming in through bank accounts, sold gold coins, and transferred and spent the victims’ money, the DOJ says.
The DOJ release also alleges that Evans used a fake name “because she had previously been convicted of psychic frauds in Florida and Texas,” and that part of the fraud scheme was allegedly carried on by co-conspirators while Evans was incarcerated in Florida.
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How to protect yourself from spiritual scams
The “psychic” scammers seemed to have preyed on emotionally vulnerable people, which is textbook behavior from many kinds of scammers.
There are many types of confidence scams: romance scams (or catfishing); elder fraud; and investment, tech support and investment scams.
These kinds of scammers build trust with their victims, often entering their lives and quickly developing a strong bond. In the case of romance scammers, they’ll use love bombing — intense, constant attention and affection, though typically with messages, and not in-person — to overwhelm and ensnare their victims.
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Confidence scammers go after vulnerable people who are experiencing loneliness, grief or health issues, as well as older adults who may not be technologically savvy, or may be experiencing cognitive decline. They step in where there’s a gap in someone’s life, and they seem to fill it, but they’re only there to take advantage.
When people are emotionally or cognitively vulnerable, they’re less likely to have sound judgment, and the relief of having someone “be there” for them can make it harder for victims to see what’s happening.
Someone who otherwise would be able to spot the scam can suddenly find themselves overwhelmed by a scammer who knows just how to manipulate them.
This is why raising awareness about scammers’ practices is so important — it could happen to anyone. Spreading awareness increases the likelihood that if someone you love does encounter a scammer, they might reach out and tell you what’s going on.
Because the other thing these types of scammers often do is convince their victims not to tell anyone what’s going on. Maybe they’ll say the relationship has to be secret; maybe they’re impersonating law enforcement and they say it will put others in danger if the victim tells anyone what’s happening.
If someone new in your life tells you to keep things secret, do not ignore this red flag — you could be dealing with a scammer. And if someone in your life has suddenly become withdrawn, secretive, or they say they “can’t tell you what’s going on,” alarm bells should be going off for you, too.
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Rebecca Payne has more than a decade of experience editing and producing both local and national daily newspapers. She's worked on the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, Metro, Canada's National Observer, the Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press.
