It seems as if "Miss Cleo" isn't exactly what she represents herself to be on TV. What a surprise!
MARCH 14, 19:10 ET
Miss Cleo Actually Born in L.A.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A birth certificate obtained by the state
shows the woman marketed on cable television as Jamaican psychic Miss
Cleo was actually born in Los Angeles, the daughter of American
parents.
Miss Cleo — Caribbean accent and colorful clothing aside — was born
Youree Dell Harris on Aug. 13, 1962, in Los Angeles County Hospital, the
document shows. Her parents were from California and Texas.
The state has sued Harris challenging her to prove she really is a
renowned shaman from Jamaica. At the same time, the state and
Federal Trade Commission have sued two Fort Lauderdale companies —
Access Resource Services Inc. and Psychic Readers Network — for fraud.
The FTC says it acted after getting more than 2,000 complaints.
``We sought this document because the company has gone to great
lengths to say that Miss Cleo is a master shaman from Jamaica,'' David
Aronberg, an assistant attorney general, told the South Florida
Sun-Sentinel for a story Thursday. The newspaper used Florida's open
records law to get a copy of the document from the state.
Harris appears on national infomercials promising insights into love,
money and other personal matters.
Authorities allege the psychic service misrepresented costs, billed
customers for services they never bought, harassed consumers with
unwanted telemarketing calls and responded to complaints with threats
and abuse.
Harris' attorney, William Cone Jr., said he didn't want to debate the birth
certificate's validity.
Cone has said Harris should not be party to the lawsuit because, as a
contractor of Access Resource, she should not have to defend herself.
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