44-year-old woman indicted for stealing over $100,000 from women from Sunset and Bensonhurst

A 44-year-old woman was indicted on grand larceny and other charges for allegedly stealing around $160,000 and gold jewelry from two Asian women in separate incidents in Bensonhurst and Sunset Park.

Acting Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez revealed on Thursday, October 21 that Xuekun Su, of China, had been charged with grand larceny as a hate crime after she convinced the two women there was a curse on their families that needed to be removed and that she needed to bless their valuables to be successful.

Gonzalez stated that on Wednesday, April 27, near Bay 22nd Street and 86th Street, Su and other as yet unapprehended individuals allegedly approached one of the victims, a 61-year-old Chinese woman, talked to her and gained her trust.

According to the DA, Su and the other individuals posed as clairvoyants and convinced the victim that she or a member of her family would die because of a curse. Afterwards, they allegedly convinced her that in order to rid herself of the curse and remove the evil spirits surrounding her family, she needed to have her cash and jewelry blessed. The victim, who gave the defendants around $140,000 and several pieces of 24-karat-jewelry, was promised by them that the money and jewelry would be returned after the blessing.

According to reports, Su and her accomplices told the 61-year-old victim to place the cash and jewels into a bag so that a blessing could be performed over them to remove the curse. The victim was told by the defendant not to open the bag for many days in order to break the curse. She opened the bag that evening and found that all of her cash and jewelry was gone.

Then on June 22, on 48th Street in the vicinity of Sunset Park, Su and her accomplices struck again, this time allegedly targeting a 54-year-old Chinese woman. The victim was also told that a member of her family would die due to a curse and the victim was promised that her money and jewelry would be returned after the blessing. After the victim placed around $19,000 in cash and pieces of 24-karat gold jewelry in the bag to be blessed, she also later realized that her property was stolen.

“This is the second blessing scam we’ve indicted in as many months, in which brazen con men and women walk off with the life savings of their victims,” said Gonzalez in a statement. “I urge those in the Chinese community to warn their vulnerable family members to be aware of these scams to avoid falling prey to them.”

Su was arraigned before Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun on an eight-count indictment in which she is charged with second-degree grand larceny as a hate crime, second-degree grand larceny, third-degree grand larceny as a hate crime, third-degree grand larceny, fourth-degree grand larceny as a hate crime and fourth-degree grand larceny.  Bail was set at $150,000 cash or $250,000 bond.

The defendant was ordered to return to court on December 21. If convicted of the top count she faces up to 25 years in prison.

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