$90 million jewelry heist traces back to a self-proclaimed psychic in Florida who promised to 'cleanse the jewelry of bad spirits,' federal agent alleged

• A 13.15-carat diamond was abruptly pulled from Christie's Dec. 6 Magnificent Jewels auction.
• A federal agent alleged the diamond was stolen and part of a larger $90-million jewelry heist.

A $90-million jewelry heist traced back to a man who claimed to be a psychic and convinced his victim to send 17 precious gems and watches, promising to give them a spiritual cleanse, a criminal complaint filed by a federal agent alleged.

The high stakes theft, first reported by Court Watch, included a 13.15-carat pink diamond that was going to be on sale at Christie's Magnificent Jewels auction event on December 6. The item, billed the "Fancy Vivid Pink Diamond Ring," was expected by the auction house to be sold for as much as $35 million.

But the gem was abruptly pulled on Thanksgiving Day from the auction without explanation, according to Rapaport, a jewelry trade publication.

"We can confirm that we cooperated with the authorities, but Christie's does not comment on ongoing investigations to which we are not a party," a representative from Christie's told Insider.

Behind the scenes, a plot worthy of a blockbuster heist movie had already taken place. A criminal complaint filed on November 21 alleged that the jewelry theft occurred between June and August 2022, after an employee of a wealthy Doha, Qatar, resident was seeking a psychic for "relationship and love advice" around four years ago.

The employee, identified as Victim 1 in the complaint, eventually connected with someone online around April 2019 with the username, "1111Giovanni1111." The employee believed the individual was a "psychic and a love specialist," the court document states.

An investigation by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force later connected the username to a man with a Florida driver's license named John Lee.

Over the course of the next few years, the victim frequently paid for Lee's services. The working relationship intensified when, around June 2022, Lee directed the employee to send him some personal jewelry to his Florida address "to be cleansed."

"Victim 1 sent the jewelry to him in the hope that he could cleanse the jewelry of bad spirits," the court record stated. After conducting the "spiritual actions" he promised, Lee mailed back the jewelry, per the record.

But the employee still complained of "negative feelings," even after the cleansing, the agent wrote. So Lee convinced his client to send even more jewelry — this time, belonging to the employee's boss, a wealthy Doha, Qatar, resident.

The employee removed jewelry from the employer's safe and sent them to Florida and New Jersey addresses. Lee told his client that the jewelry would not be returned until August 2022, the complaint alleged.

However, a few days before the set date of return, Lee told the client that the jewelry would be seized by customs if it was mailed back. The self-proclaimed psychic then instructed his client to meet him in Cannes, France, to personally retrieve the items, but never showed up, the court documents stated.

The employee made repeated attempts to reach Lee. On August 23, 2022, Lee responded, "Please stop I do not know what you were talking about I don't think you need a psychic you need a psychiatrist God bless you please stop harassing me."

At 17 pieces, including diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and watches, went missing from the employer's safe. According to the complaint the jewelry altogether had an estimated value of over $90 million. He went on to pawn off the jewelry for a fraction of their value.

One of the items federal agents alleged that Lee acquired included a pink emerald-cut diamond. He sold the $31 million diamond to a watch broker in exchange for just $8 million in watches and loose diamonds, the feds alleged in the criminal complaint.

A November 14 press release from Christie's stated that a "private collector" approached the auction house to place the pink diamond on sale.

However, an unnamed witness recognized the description of the item and knew the owner, allowing agents to take possession of the gem before it was put up for auction, the criminal complaint said.

Lee was arrested in New Jersey on November 22 and charged with wire fraud, mail fraud, and interstate transportation of stolen goods.