The mother of all scams?
A model accused of swindling her own mother out of nearly $150 million via an elaborate psychic scheme has died following a mysterious plunge off a building in Brazil. She was 49 years old.
Sabine Boghici plummeted from the fifth floor of a building in Rio De Janeiro on Sept. 14, Jam Press reports. Police investigating her death are reportedly considering several hypotheses, including suicide.
She is said to have left a letter for her wife, Rosa Stanesco Nicolau, before her death.
Boghici was buried Sunday at a funeral attended by her mother, Geneviève, 83, and her sister, Muriel, Globo 1 reports.
Nicolau did not attend, as she is being held in prison for her alleged role in the scam against her mother-in-law.
Sabine, a self-proclaimed singer and actress, was arrested in August 2022.
Her mother had inherited a fortune from her father, Jean Boghici, a Romanian-born collector who owned one of Brazil’s most important art collections of the 20th century. He died in 2015 at the age of 87.
In a charade straight out of “The Sting,” someone masqueraded as a psychic and told the superstitious widow that Sabine was about to die, per Correio Braziliense.
A fake fortune teller and an Afro-Brazilian priestess were enlisted to confirm the fauxracle’s prediction.
Alarmed, the wealthy widow went to Sabine, who allegedly feigned terror and implored her mom to foot the bill for the “spiritual work” needed to avoid this ghastly premonition.
The octogenarian finally caved and started making regular payments in a bid to save her daughter’s life.
In February 2020, Geneviève began to realize she was being conned and stopped transferring money.
The octogenarian finally caved and started making regular payments in a bid to save her daughter’s life.
In response, Sabine allegedly took away her mom’s cellphone, stopped feeding her, and threatened her with a knife, according to Correio Braziliense
Sabine is also accused of firing her mom’s domestic help so she could sneak artwork out of the home without interference.
According to police chief Gilberto Ribeiro, who presided over the investigation, Sabine and her wife claimed “the paintings had the evil eye, something negative that needed to be prayed for.”
“They kept taking them, and the elderly woman saw it but couldn’t refuse; she was completely subdued at that moment,” he said.
The haul was reported to be worth $149 million, including $1.2 million in jewels, more than $1.8 million in payments for the divine diagnosis (including those taken under threat), and over $145 million in artwork, including museum-grade opuses from Brazilian trailblazers Tarsila do Amaral and Emiliano Di Cavalcanti.
Police video, taken during a raid, showed authorities discovering several works underneath a bed, including do Amaral’s “Sol Poente” (1929).
“Wow! Look who’s here!” one female officer exclaimed while removing the painting’s bubble wrap.