Israeli defrauded thousands of Americans by posing as a prophet and medium

An Israeli who posed as a seer and medium defrauded thousands of elderly Americans by promising them wealth. 61-year-old Mel Shemla was arrested in Germany and extradited to the United States, where he was charged with multimillion-dollar fraud. The scheme operated from 2016 to 2020.

An Israeli who posed as a seer and medium defrauded thousands of gullible Americans by promising them wealth and prosperity. According to a report by Ynet on November 4, the victims were mostly elderly people who lost money. At the center of the case is 61-year-old Mel Shemla, who also holds US and French passports. He was arrested in Germany and extradited to the US, where he was charged in a Miami court with multimillion-dollar fraud. According to the indictment, Shemla led a group that extorted money from US citizens from September 2016 to November 2020. Letters were sent to people, presented as personal messages from individuals with supernatural abilities. The 'mediums' informed recipients of a prophecy that they would receive a large sum of money, but required payments to obtain it. The money was deposited into special bank accounts opened in the names of the false prophets, then transferred to European accounts of accomplices. The names of other participants and the amounts demanded have not yet been disclosed. Shemla pleaded not guilty; if convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. Shemla is a native of France, attended a Jewish school in Paris, was involved in business, and speaks Hebrew fluently.