Psychic advisor Georgina Ritchie never had a scintilla of suspicion that the client sitting across from her on the Sausalito houseboat that doubles as her Marin County office was an undercover agent secretly recording their session. The tale of family dysfunction he narrated included a story of his girlfriend's daughter posing naked on a website and slapping her grandmother.
The whole tale was bogus.
Ritchie, who is outwardly indistinguishable from Marin County's other upscale matrons, was caught in a sting operation run by the state Department of Consumer Affairs, which had received a complaint about her. She was criminally charged with providing unlicensed family counseling and social work and failing to report child and elder abuse. Although those charges were dropped last month, Ritchie still faces civil charges of violating state business practice laws. The new charges could cost Ritchie $50,000 or more in fines.
Details here from the Los Angeles Times (free reg. req'd). (story via On Point)