An Israeli fortune teller who offered mystical services and sold amulets was sentenced Sunday to 18 months in prison and fined 100,000 shekels (about $27,000) after being convicted of tax offenses involving millions of shekels in unreported income.
The Central District Court in Lod found that Simona (Simcha) Avrazel failed to report about 2 million shekels in earnings from coffee readings, tarot card readings and the sale of amulets between 2009 and 2016. Prosecutors said she deposited the money into four bank accounts under other people’s names to conceal the income.
Avrazel was convicted of fraud, deceit and intentional tax evasion under Israel’s Income Tax Ordinance and the Value Added Tax Law. She was acquitted of separate bankruptcy-related charges.
During sentencing arguments, prosecutor Afik David of the Tax and Economics Division said Avrazel’s actions undermined the principle of equal burden-sharing of taxes and the public’s sense of joint responsibility, citing the scale of the unreported funds. He said she tried to mislead authorities by instructing clients to leave checks without a payee, requesting transfers to third-party accounts and falsely claiming the money was for “amulet producers.”
Judge Dana Marshak Marom agreed with prosecutors, saying the crimes caused significant harm because of the large sums involved, the use of multiple accounts to disguise the offenses, the damage to clients and close associates, and the length of time over which the offenses took place.