The Justice Department on Tuesday said Mael Chemla was extradited from Germany to the United States and made his initial appearance in Miami federal court on Monday to face charges in a mailing fraud scheme.
The department said the case involves thousands of U.S. victims, many of whom were elderly and otherwise vulnerable. From September 2016 through November 2020, Chemla and a co-conspirator collected more than $4 million from victims in the United States.
According to the indictment, unsealed Monday, Chemla allegedly conspired with others to send letters that appeared to be personalized messages from psychics. The letters falsely told victims that a psychic had learned of an imminent financial windfall the victim was entitled to receive, and that a payment was needed to obtain it. The department said Chemla opened U.S. bank accounts in the names of the purported psychics, deposited victim checks, and then wired the funds to European bank accounts controlled by a co-conspirator.
Chemla, 61, is a U.S., French, and Israeli national who previously resided in Aventura, Florida. He is charged with conspiracy, mail fraud, and wire fraud. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on all counts.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case. Trial Attorneys Ann Entwistle and Charles Dunn of the Criminal Division’s White Collar and Corporate Enforcement Section are prosecuting. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs supported the litigation before the German extradition court and, once extradition was granted, coordinated with the U.S. Marshals to arrange Chemla’s transport to the United States.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.