Complaint Review: Spiritual Wellness Center - Palm Desert California

I am a resident of the city of Palm Desert,CA and I want to share with all my neighbors, communications media, private and public entities by means of this letter, the story of the worst nightmare I have lived in the 8 years I have been in the Coachella Valley. Express to all of you how I was sadly betrayed, extorted by a woman without feelings, ethics and scruples, hurting my family, not only economically but mentally and psychologically. And my main goal aside from justice is to prevent this person to continue to defraud, and to destroy families as well as she did with mine.

It all began on Friday, March 5, in a playground located in La Quinta cove. As in any other park, many children and parents are playing around. Few minutes later I noticed that my 6 year old child was chatting with another child and a lady. This lady whose name is Gina Merino very kindly presented herself and her two children. After a while of been talking about our children and our experiences and interests, very sure of her profession began trying to convince me that my children and I had very bad energy around us, not common energy that she apparently had not ever seen and that furthermore it was blocking and causing us very bad problems. She told me she has a gift for seeing the future and  the ability to contact  the spiritual world.  She assured me that there were circumstances that did not look well in my future and she offered to chat privately of what she was seeing in my destiny by gift of God. She also offered to give me her telephone number to call and be able to give me a psychic reading. She indicated that she had her office on Hwy 111 and San Pablo Street so that I could take her number to locate her because at that time I did not have my cell phone with me to get the number. The days went by and problems started to appear out of nowhere like an argument I had with my ex-husband and many more setbacks, and with more reason I was intrigued if it was related to what Gina had mentioned that evening.  So I looked Ginas office to get her phone number.I called her and she very kindly offered to go to her house where she lived at that time, very close to the park where we had met a few days ago. She even said for me to bring my children to play with her children. All these details made me think that she was a trustworthy woman and that I had found a good friend, without imagining that her intentions were others. Upon arriving at her house she received me with a big smile, she took me inside and I felt very comfortable as did my baby whom I had brought with me. Promptly she took me to her dining room to give me the psychic reading. There she started to tell me that her skills were healer, clairvoyant, psyquic, medium, telepathic, and intuitive, and that she had a good reputation for the quality of the clientele with whom she has worked with. To hear all these gifts I wowed and thought that  I had found a gifted woman.  She started to tell me that in my past 3 people had worked black magic, curses on me and on family and that is why I was not happy, and all the bad things that had happened in my childhood. She described that these curses were taking me to ruin and death and covering her eyes she started to cry and with tears in her eyes she told me was seeing death very close. Gina told me that my 6 year old child was going to DIE from these curses and that he had or would develop a cronic illness that would kill him very soon. She also told me that my husband was going to be unfaithful, that he would leave me and that I would be deported to my country without any of my children. And that it was all due to the black magic and curses from jealous and envious people from my past. This dramatically led me to believe in all that she was saying. She asked me to look for help immediately and if I wanted to, she was willing to help me but first she had to consult with someone superior to her that had more experience in these particular cases.  That she would meditate next to this person and see how they could help me. Frightened I asked her to please do so, and show me the light to release me from these curses. Gina began to cry and told me that she would protect and help me in all she could but she asked me to please NOT to mention this to anyone, because the negative energy and the devil would intervene in my healing and would spoil all the work and I could lose everything. And to begin to work and make positive energy in my life she needed $ 500 including the psychic reading she had just given me. She needed to buy materials to begin the healing.  She led me to the ATM very near her house to get the money to complete with the cash that I had in my purse because she needed it for that day. When I gave it to her she told me that she would call to alert me of what was happening in the meditations. She called me that night, to tell me that she saw black spirits flying all around me and my children and everything in my life was about to collapse but she was going to work that night and put some positive energy and blessings on me.

 The next day, March 10^th, she called me desperate to tell me that she had spent all night meditating and talking to God and that he told her that she was one of the angels that I had lost when I was a little girl and that she was the indicated to cure me and get rid of the curses and evil spirits. But unfortunately she needed $ 2,500 to cover all the materials that she would need for this trip. She mentioned lots of materials such as stones, special oils, radiators and many candles but this had to be paid with my money and not hers otherwise the healing would not work, and had to send it by Western Union because she was already there in Los Angeles. So I had no choice than figure out how to get the money.  I had to get it out of my savings and send it to her.

Meanwhile she was silent without answering any of my calls I was living a hell with no peace of mind and it is not until March 15^th when she called and told me to meet us at her house, where she said that this kind of work was very risky but she understood what I had gone through and that she didnt want to ignore the request from God to help me. But the bad news to tell me was that for this work she would need $ 12,000 in total. $ 4,000 for each curse because she needed to buy all the materials that she had mentioned before. Then she would have me to have a healing treatment in Sedona, AZ, and there I would plant a generator in the ground that would collect all the black spirits that were around me. She cried again that day and told me that she was sorry and was angry at the bad, heartless people that did such things to me which I didnt deserve. And to prove me that she cared about me, she would NOT charge me for her time or her work, I only needed to buy the materials for my healing.  I told her that this amount was way too much and that I could not pay her and she even told me to borrow money from people I knew such as friends and family and tell them that I needed the money to heal my son who was in danger of dying from his heart murmur.  She even made up for me that he needed a surgery and to tell this to people so they would borrow me the money that I would need to pay for the supposted to surgery.  So I had no choice but to agree with her. She also got some necklaces for me and my children that were going to give me good luck, prosperity, emotional and loving stability and give peace of mind to my children when they would sleep dream necklaces because she assured me that the spirits were bothering them while they were asleep. Then she charged me $1,200 plus taxes for them. And the truth is that they looked very simple and cheap that I never imagined they were worth that much money.

 The next day, March 16, Gina called me again, very agitated, insisting that I had to start paying the money as soon as possible and to send $ 2,500 by Money Gram before 6pm because she was buying in San Diego some materials for me. Very insistently, she would not leave me in peace until I finally gave her the money that I had to take out again of my bank account. By then after I had gave her that amount my account had no more funds and all cash that I was earning I was giving it to her and I didnt even think about my bills or anything else. 

I got to the point where I had no money at all to pay any of my bills and needed to work many double days. And my husband was already questioning me about what I had done with the money we had in our joint account and I continued to lie because I couldnt find another excuse exept the one Gina  had told me to tell the world and therefore my husband started treating me with great mistrust and began to doubt me.

 For the next day, March 17, she sent me several text messages demanding more money for materials that she needed immediately but that she hadnt included in the total that she had already given me.  And call after call she continued insisting and pressuring me and she convinced me to buy her a green dot rechargeable card because again she was purchasing materials for my healing and urgently needed more than $ 500, she was again in San Diego  making important work for me.  I felt I had no choice but to go and give the money I had for food and bills.  By way of text message I sent her the number and the card information so she could use the money I put in that card.

While she supposedly was returning from her trip from San Diego I continued to ask my friends and family to lend me money. It was the most humiliating moment that I have gone through in my life. To have to lie to obtain money, but I did it with my heart sure that I would be cured with the results at the end of this inferno that I was already living.  Finally from much searching I found a friend from work who lent me $ 5000 that he had saved in the bank.

On March 20^th, I gave Gina $5,000, which was the third part of all money she was charging me to remove the witchcrafts and evil spirits that I supposedly had.

Without hearing from her for 2 days, finally she called me on March 22th.  She called me very early as many as 10 times until she woke me up to alert me that I needed to leave immediately to Los Angeles to buy some "candles" that she needed to continue the work. 

Again she had not considered in this cost and thought was of great importance because of the power of these candles, and she explained that it was urgent for me to buy them.  But as I could not go because of my work, and she knew that, I could not get out so suddenly from my work, I gave her the money to buy them for me. She promised to gime me the purchase receipts after, but never did. That night I cried for many hours, from the frustration and for all the money that I had given her and all the problems that we were already having in my home. Unfortunately I did not have the courage to tell my husband for fear of spoiling the work that she was supposedly doing. Throughout the following four days it was so stressful because the harassment on her part was too much.  She told me she had openened a circle known as the Quija and that at the end of the month she had to be close it otherwise many bad things were going to happen and the demons could come out escape again and take hold of my life and my family. So I had to hurry to obtain all the money as soon as possible. I was crazily on the phone making calls hours after hours to all my friends to see who would feel compation for my situation and would lend me the rest of the money. Without success in this respect, finally I decided to go to the place where had bought my cart 3 years ago and offered them my car title for a $ 5,000 loan. They obviously accepted but gave me a very high interest rate. Regardless I accepted it fearing I woulnt find another option. All this happened on March 26. Then I went over her house to give it to her.  Gina, with a big smile told me that I had done everything very well and that the healing was gradually improving but that the energy was very, very heavy and the spirits were very negative and that she was working very hard for me. That same night she asked me to babysit her children because she needed to go to meditate in the mountain and work with God. So I did it and after a while, she returned at 3 am, drunk and in a bad mood.  She did not pay for the childcare and gave me no explanation of anything.

There is when I started to doubt her truth. The feeling that she gave me was of mockery and disappointment for being used for her fun, while I was living a hell. She very hypocritically sent me several text messages the next days to notify me that everything was very confusing and that soon the month of March would be over and the victory would be mine forever.

 I was very obedient to all that she said and asked; I took salt baths, went hiking and wrote in my journal all my emotions. Without realizing that she was taking me for a fool and I was being scammed for her.

 Three days later, March 29^th, she sent me one of those threatening and hurtful text messages asking me to get $ 3,000 asap because she had to complete and bring together all the energy and close the circle because the end of the month was approached and she had to go to Sedona.  She discovered that the black magic was too strong, more powerful than her forces and she had to necessarily go there to plant one of the generators that supposedly was going to seize the demons.  At that point I was already very annoyed and I told her that I had already given here more than $16, 000 and that I did not had anywhere else to go and get more money. She swore on her life and her childrens that it would all end soon and that afterwards the victory and glory would be mine, but if I did not trust her, that she would return all my money and that she would not be resposable for the damages that would this cause me and my childrens life and do not blame her for anything wrong.

 Supposedly she also was going to cooperate in the search for this new loan that I needed  with some of her acquaintances but never gave me an answer and only said that she was very stressed out for all that she was risking for me, including the life of her children.  She even said that she was doing this because she loved me and my children and that she was not charging me for her time and services.  The only thing I was paying was for the materials and tools. Very desperate I went to one of my best friends to lend me the money, and seeing me cry and how desperate I was he lent me the money.

 In the morning of March 31, I gave her $ 3,000, leaving my bank account in zero, no money to buy food or pay my biles.

 I told her her all of this and that didnt matter to her in the situation that she was leaving me. Moreover she said that God would give me prosperity, peace and that all the money I had invested would be tripled very soon.

And so the days were passing and I didnt see any changes in my life or in my economy or much less my emotional and spiritual stability and Gina was more and more parting from me. Each time I would try to contact her or go to visit her, she always had other pretexts and other things to do; saying that she had her children ill, clients waiting for her and at some times that she was not in mood to talk to me. I continued to insist to please help me to meditate and have sessions with her but I did not see any improvement as she had promised, or any material of so many that she had supposedly purchased but she never had time for me anymore and kept postponing me for another day and hour that she knew that I had to work. Gina very intelligently studied me and quickly noticed that I was very intimidated by her words and to her alleged predictions. She knew all my life from the bigining to the end and knew very well how to manipulate me and defraud me up to the last penny she could. And the only way I had to see if she really was a psychic was by lying to her.So I got to her house without appointment I showed up at her house very emotional and with good manners. I asked her to please give me back all my money because my husband had left me and I was being evicted from my apartment because I had no money to pay the rent because I gave her all that I had and what had earned in that month. She refused to return my money and whats more she believed the lies I told her. She even said that she was seeing that my husband was cheating on me in with someone ans that is why he left me. Right in that moment is when I discovered that she was a fraud psychic because in first place my husband was continue living with me and we had already paid the rent (with much sacrifice, but we did it on time) and that my husband wasn't cheating on me. I caught her in many lies that she was saying at that time. I felt like a bucket of cold water fell on my face and saw how stupid I had been, falling in her cheating and lies and all my wasted time, my family hurted economically, and she was happily moving into a luxury home in a country club. I ask for justice and that you please investigate her, because I am sure that the same way that she did this to me there must be more victims and families hurt by her wickedness. I encourage if is there someone out there who has already been one of her victims, or know of someone, to tell the authorities so that she receives punishment.  Not for the money that she has stolen from us but for the harm she caused us and the terrible nightmare that we were awoken to.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for hearing my voice, very broken by so much pain but with faith to thus be able to prevent fake psychics to continue hurting the lives of many families here is this Valley or anywhere else in this country while they are vey happy, and comfortable enjoying luxury and avoiding the IRS by not reporting the money that they have stolen from people, like me.