Private detective specializing in psychic fraud
Bob Nygaard is an American private investigator (PI) specializing in the investigation of confidence crimes, most notably psychic fraud. He has been instrumental in the arrest and conviction of numerous psychics, helping their victims obtain justice including financial restitution amounting to millions of dollars. He has consulted for ABC News and "20/20" as a specialist in psychic fraud. Nygaard previously was a member of the New York City Transit Police and Nassau County Police Department, retiring from service in 2008.
In 2018, Nygaard appeared as himself in episode "The Psychic Didn't See Him Coming" of the CBS true-crime show "Pink Collar Crimes", which portrays his investigations of the crimes committed by self-proclaimed psychic and convicted fraudster Gina Marks. In 2021, Nygaard was featured in "The Psychic Con" episode of the ABC TV series "The Con".
Nygaard is sympathetic to psychic fraud victims whom, he says, law enforcement authorities often fail to take seriously. He is also an outspoken critic of the inconsistent prosecution of this type of crime across the United States, and advocates for prison terms for convicted psychics, rather than merely forced restitution to their victims.
Private investigator career.
Transition to psychic fraud work.
An incident in late 2008 at a neighborhood bar set Nygaard on the career path of investigating psychic scams.{{R|MiamiNewTimes1}}{{R|Guardian1}} At a happy hour, Nygaard met two women in the medical profession and regaled them with stories about how he had outsmarted con artists and helped their victims. Shortly after leaving the bar, one of the women – a doctor – called him requesting a meeting alone. She was embarrassed, but revealed she had been scammed by a local psychic named Gina Marie Marks,{{R|MiamiNewTimes1}}{{R|Patheos1}} a well-known Florida fortune-teller with a recently published pseudonymous memoir "Miami Psychic: Confessions of a Confidante."{{R|Atlantic1}} Nygaard took the case and investigated Marks, ultimately uncovering five other victims of Marks who had been defrauded of a total of $65,000. Despite having gathered this evidence, the authorities refused to press charges against Marks after she agreed to return all the money to the group of victims Nygaard had uncovered. The authorities felt that was enough,{{R|Patheos1}} but Nygaard disagreed:
Notable psychic fraud cases.
Nygaard has been involved with a number of notable cases, including the following:
Sherry Tina Uwanawich.
Following sentencing, Nygaard said: