Accountant in China embezzled $677K for 'black magic' love rites

A bookkeeper in China reportedly stole the equivalent of nearly $700,000 from her employer in an effort to retain the affections of her estranged boyfriend, spending the money on luxury goods and spiritual masters who advised her how to perform magical ceremonies to win him back.

The South China Morning Post reported the story Monday, citing a local news outlet called Star Video whose stories have attracted considerable attention on social media. The bookkeeper, identified only by her surname, Wang, was arrested in northeastern China.

She allegedly began stealing the money in 2018 out of fear that her boyfriend was losing interest and she learned through online advertisements for fortune-telling and horoscopes about a spiritual master named Zhang whom she could contact. She paid him close to 400,000 yuan (over $55,000). 

Then she found another spiritual master named Chen who persuaded her he could perform black magic rites to win back her lover's affections, and paid him another 3.89 million yuan, or over $541,000. In all, she allegedly stole 4.88 million yuan, or over $677,000.

Her supervisor discovered the missing funds last August and police arrested her and seized luxury apparel and handbags allegedly purchased by the bookkeeper, who is reportedly unrepentant so far.