German National Pleads Guilty in $10M ‘Psychic’ Mail Fraud That Used N.J. Mail Houses

A long-time fugitive extradited from Italy admitted in Newark federal court to engineering a nationwide mail fraud that targeted elderly and vulnerable people and reaped more than $10 million, federal prosecutors said.

A German citizen, Georg Ingenbleek, 58, pleaded guilty on Aug. 6 to two counts of mail fraud before U.S. District Judge Claire C. Cecchi. He was indicted in 2020, arrested in Bolzano, Italy in 2024, and extradited to New Jersey in May 2025. Sentencing is set for Dec. 17, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. in Newark.

Prosecutors said that between 2011 and 2016, Ingenbleek created mass-mailed solicitations purporting to be from “world-renowned” psychics, promising personalized services and objects that would bring great fortune. After recipients responded, co-conspirators sent “collection” notices demanding $20–$50 and threatening legal action, even when services had been advertised as free. 

Court filings indicate the operation relied on New Jersey vendors: a direct-mail company in Piscataway (“Company-1”) that printed and mailed the solicitations, and a second firm in Clifton and Carlstadt (“Company-2”) that handled responses, mailed trinkets, and sent the purported bills. The case docket is 20-cr-628 (CCC). 

Ingenbleek’s apprehension followed his extradition to Newark on May 14, 2025; he initially pleaded not guilty at a May 9 appearance and was remanded without bail before later changing his plea. 

Each mail-fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss. Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba credited the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (Philadelphia Division), IRS-Criminal Investigation (Newark Field Office), and Homeland Security Investigations (New York and Rome), as well as the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, for their roles in the case. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Fayer and Olta Bejleri of the Economic Crimes Unit; defense counsel is Daniel Rashbaum of Miami. 

Why it matters locally: Although victims were nationwide, key parts of the scheme operated through New Jersey mail houses in Piscataway, Clifton, and Carlstadt—linking the conduct to this district and putting the case squarely in Newark federal court.