Xuekun Su, 44, is facing charges for two separate incidents wherein she asked the two victims to place cash and jewelry inside a bag to be blessed and ultimately "rid their cursed families of evil spirits."
In April, one of the victims, a 61-year-old Chinese immigrant, handed over $140,000 in cash and jewelry to Su, after being told that they were to be returned after blessing. Su further instructed the victim not to open the bag for several days 'in order for the curse to be broken, New York Post reported. However, when she finally opened the bag, all her belongings were gone and she immediately contacted the police, according to the prosecutor.
The second victim, a 54-year-old Chinese immigrant fell for the same scam, in the same manner. She handed over $19,000 cash in addition to gold jewelry only to suffer the same fate.
At the arraignment on Thursday in the Brooklyn Supreme Court, Xuekun pleaded not guilty to an eight-count charge including grand larceny as a hate crime, which carries a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
Morris Shamuil, Su's lawyer, views her client as a victim herself. He likens Su's case to "a lot of prostitution rings," claiming that she was smuggled into the United States with a promise of citizenship and "the taste of the American dream."
He further alleged that Su was instructed to do certain things and that she did not voluntarily want to do these things. He claims that her involvement was "little, if any."
He also disagrees with the hate crime charge stating that both Xuekun Su and the victims are Chinese. He says in terms of making grand larceny as a hate crime, he has never seen anything like it. Hate crimes can be charged if the victims are specifically targeted for their ethnicity, race, or religious belief.
According to the district attorney, Justice Danny Chun set bail at $150,000 cash or $250,000 bond. Su is also facing similar charges in the borough of Queens.
