He's the one guy fortune-tellers don’t want to see in their future.
Manhattan private eye Bob Nygaard, a law enforcement pro for three decades, has materialized as the scourge of psychics who fleece vulnerable clients out of fortunes.
Since 2008, the dogged private dick has helped cops collar seven clairvoyants accused of bilking six-figure sums out of people.
“This is truly organized crime,” said Nygaard, who got his start in the 1980s busting three-card monte and other con games before a 21-year stint as a Nassau County cop. “These are ruthless people.”
Nygaard typically rushes in where police officers fear to tread after a victim makes what seems to be an outlandish claim of being duped by a psychic.
The detective is able to build cases against psychics by following how they move cash, conducting exhaustive interviews with his clients and knowing all the various types of fraud charges.
That’s how he helped cops bust Greenwich Village mystic Sylvia Mitchell twice on grand larceny charges. First Mitchell was charged with taking a victim for $27,000 after promising to rid the woman of evil spirits, and last month the foxy fortune-teller was indicted on charges of conning a woman out of $128,000 to help solve her professional and personal problems.
And last year, Nygaard hunted down Hell’s Kitchen telepath Celia Mitchell — of no relation to Sylvia — who is charged with duping two men out of more than $200,000.
“He was like a blessing in disguise,” said Jamal Vann, whose pleas to police went unanswered after Celia Mitchell promised to reunite him with his girlfriend — and pinched $66,000 in the process, he charges.
The lovelorn data analyst had turned to Nygaard after reading about a pair of cases he pursued in Florida that led to two arrests.
“Honestly, Bob blew my mind,” said Vann, describing how Nygaard handed to detectives all the evidence they would need to arrest Celia Mitchell. She was later indicted on charges of second-degree larceny.
Nygaard’s clients include doctors, lawyers and actors — all bound by a common thread of emotional distress.
“They are being sold false hope,” he said.
In recent weeks, he’s picked up new psychic cases in Texas, California and England. Evidence can take weeks or months to build. Some cases are pro bono, though he will also charge a flat fee or work on a contingency basis.
His foes question his motives.
“These people are not seeking this guy out — he’s seeking them out,” said Joe Murray, an attorney and former NYPD cop representing Sylvia Mitchell. “He’s a profit-driven self-promoter. He’s just trying to make money.”
Nygaard beat back the accusations, quoting a verse from the Book of Matthew.
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing,” he said. “But inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
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