Donnie Stephen Marks, 43, of Charlottesville, Virginia, is headed to federal prison for 33 months after being convicted in a brazen fortune telling scam that bilked victims of over $5.4 million. Marks, the former business manager of “Readings by Catherine,” pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. He was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Charlottesville, with an additional four years of supervised release ordered post-incarceration.
His wife, Sandra Stephenson Marks, a.k.a. “Catherine Marks,” 42, also of Charlottesville, previously admitted her role in the fraud and was sentenced in November 2016 to 30 months in federal prison. The pair operated their storefront on Seminole Trail, branding themselves as spiritual conduits offering palm readings, tarot cards, astrology, and so-called spiritual cleansings. But behind the incense and mysticism was a calculated fraud operation.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald M. Huber, Sandra Marks claimed she communicated with divine spirits, including the “Prince of Illusion,” and told clients they were cursed by a “dark cloud” from their past. She promised to lift these curses—but only if clients surrendered large sums of money and valuables, which she said would be buried in a box to be “cleansed” and later returned. She swore the offerings would not benefit her personally. It was all a lie.
Donnie Marks wasn’t reading palms, but he was reading the profits. As business manager, he handled bank accounts, moved funds between personal and business accounts, and managed the financial engine of the operation. He admitted in a court-submitted statement that he facilitated the laundering of more than $1 million stolen from victims. The money wasn’t buried—it was spent. On lifestyle. On luxuries. On lies.
The Marks couple cycled through victims, draining one client’s resources before moving to the next—or demanding more cash when the “work” supposedly wasn’t finished. The “cleansed” money never came back. Instead, it funded their personal lives while victims were left emotionally and financially gutted. The scheme unraveled after a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, and the Albemarle County Police Department.
Now, both Donnie and Sandra Marks are ordered to repay $5.4 million in restitution. But for many victims, no amount of money erases the betrayal. They trusted a psychic’s word—only to discover the only illusion was the promise of salvation. The only curse? The one the Marks family cast with greed.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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