San Jose, California: Two Bay Area "Mystics" Face Theft Charges

Have you ever tried going to someone to have your future read through tarot cards? Have you been tempted to consider healing from a lay person, because of an lingering illness or a big emotional burden? Be afraid. Be very afraid. Because you are not sure if you are in for a scam by a con artist.

The Mercury News reported that two brothers from San Jose, California took thousands of dollars for "faith and mystic" healing, perhaps from hundreds of people.

Brothers John Salazar and Carlos Salazar even went to the extent of placing advertisements about their mystic abilities in Spanish-language newpapers and radio. John, 23, who calls himself "Master Alexander" and Carlos, 34, claimed that they have the power to solve problems that included concerns about relationships, health and other personal issues.

The Salazars held their sessions in a house complete with a greeter. Their place has curtains to cover the windows. When they welcome visitors, they don robes and performed tricks. This included turning water into something red that they claimed as blood to show clients that they were possessed.

They tried to combine elements of three religions: Wicca, Catholicism and Santeria. Wicca is a variety of witchcraft founded on religious and magical concepts. They follow the elements of the Earth, Fire, Water and Air, and use a lot of representations of certain gods and goddesses.. Santeria, on the other hand is an Afro-Caribbean religion derived from traditional beliefs of the Yoruba People of Nigeria.

In August last year, police started to investigate after a woman reported that she asked the help of the Salazars to cure her daughter. The brothers told her that the infant was cursed and to had to be saved. To do this, John Salazar asked her for $10,000 so he could go to the woman's village in Latin America. There he would need to gather some artifacts he would use to perform during cleansing ceremony. The woman paid her the amount, using up all of her and her husband's savings.

According to police, other victims came forward to report about the huge amount of money that the Salazars charged them for their services. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office has charged the men with five charges of grand theft and one count of attempted grand theft.

In April, Carlos Salazar was arrested in Houston after returning on an international flight from Colombia. He claimed that he needed that trip to get "re-energized". His brother John was supposed to surrender, but failed to do so. He is still at large and has a $100,000 arrest warrant. Police believe that he might still be continuing with his work as a faith healer in the Bay Area.