On September 14, in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Sabine Boghici, a 49-year-old model, tragically fell from the fifth floor of a building. The specifics surrounding her death are still under examination by police, with various scenarios, including the possibility of suicide, being considered.
Sabine Boghici was not just a model but also ventured into singing and acting. However, her arrest in August 2022 revealed a complex deception involving superstition, counterfeit fortune tellers, and stolen art. The scheme was based on a fraudulent psychic prediction claiming Boghici was facing impending death.
This supposed prediction greatly disturbed Boghici’s mother, Geneviève, who began to make substantial payments, thinking they were for “spiritual work” to protect her daughter. In total, these payments approached nearly $150 million.
A considerable amount of this sum was obtained from valuable artwork. Pieces by famous Brazilian artists Tarsila do Amaral and Emiliano Di Cavalcanti, inherited by Geneviève from her father, Jean Boghici, were taken. Claiming these artworks had “the evil eye” and required spiritual purification, Sabine Boghici, along with her wife Rosa Stanesco Nicolau, who is currently in custody due to her suspected role in this scheme, regularly took them from Geneviève’s residence.
After a while, Geneviève grew suspicious and stopped transferring money in February 2020. This led Boghici to intensify her actions by limiting her mother’s interactions, threatening her, and getting rid of household staff, allowing further artwork theft. Artworks were later found by the police concealed under a bed.
This widespread deception resulted in six individuals facing various charges, including embezzlement, extortion, false imprisonment, and criminal association. Boghici and Nicolau both ended up incarcerated, but Boghici managed to obtain bail in March. A court date was scheduled for September 21. However, following Boghici’s recent death, her lawyer, Hugo Novais, confirmed that charges against her have been dismissed, although the legal proceedings against the remaining defendants will proceed. Investigations related to Boghici’s death are still ongoing.
