Gary and Terry Magno
Real Names: Gary George and Terry Lynn Magno
Aliases: Reverend Monsignor Gary (Gary)
Wanted For: Fraud
Missing Since: 1986
Case[]
Details: Gary and Terry Magno are phony faith healers wanted for taking money from his "patients" over false pretenses in Arizona. Their method was psychic surgery, a claim that a healer can use the power of faith to perform surgery without use of anesthesia or tools. The process is often done where the con man opens the skin with his bare hands but is only performing a variant of a deep tissue massage. Often, he has an assistant who may be appeared to be aiding him in surgery, but in actuality may be abetting the fraud by handing him concealed packages of "blood", either actual blood or food coloring, in order to give the appearance of penetration. The assistant may also hand him pieces of meat in order to look like diseased items have been removed from the patient.
In March 1986, Gary and Terry moved their practice to Phoenix, Arizona. Phoenix resident Randy Jones took an interest in them after his mother claimed to have been cured of her maladies after being treated by Gary. He was suspicious when she continued to show signs of being ill. He decided to visit Gary and Terry and have the procedure done on himself. Before it took place, he signed two forms. One released Gary from all liability coming from his procedure. The other showed that the signer, under threat of perjury, was not a police officer.
Randy recalled that several people from various age groups were there. A short time later, they were called to a back bedroom. They stripped down to their underwear and put on bathrobes. After about fifteen minutes, they were called into the room where the "operation" would take place. Randy and another patient entered the room, dropped their robes, and were placed on massage tables. The room was covered in plastic sheets and there were several steel bowls on nearby tables.
After a few minutes, Gary entered the room. They were then asked to hold religious objects. Gary spoke mainly to his assistants but not to the patients. At one point, he pressed down on Randy's leg and began to remove "tissue" from it. He then placed the tissue into an empty bowl. During the operation, Randy became convinced that the procedure was a fraud.
After the procedure, Randy contacted Jim Lowell, an expert in psychic fraud cases. He notes that most psychic surgeons have drapes, towels, and other fabrics that conceal the "objects" that they take out of their patients' bodies. Slight of hand is often used to make it appear as if they are reaching into the patient's body. The concealed packages are used to create the appearance of blood and objects from the body.
After Randy contacted the Phoenix police department, they sent two undercover officers to Gary's office. The officers, Dan Henderson and Sandra Ramsey, posed as husband and wife. Dan pretended to be a patient, demanding that Sandra come in with him. The employees reluctantly agreed to let her do so. Once the surgery began, she identified herself as an officer and placed Gary under arrest. Other officers arrived and placed his accomplices under arrest as well.
Gary, Terry, and their nephew, Cris Tizon, were charged with conspiracy and fraud. They posted their bond immediately and were released from custody. The next day, they jumped bail and fled to the Philippines. However, investigators believe that they have since returned to the United States.
Despite the evidence found as a result of the arrest, Randy's parents refused to believe that Gary and Terry were frauds. They refused to speak to him afterward. Tragically, his mother's health continued to deteriorate. In December, she finally checked into a hospital, where it was discovered that she had six major tumors in her body. Shortly afterward, she passed away. Sadly, Randy never got to see her again.
Gary, Terry, and Cris remain at large.
Extra Notes:
- This case first aired on the October 18, 1989 episode. It was updated on the November 1, 1989 episode.
- It was excluded from the FilmRise release of the series.
- "Psychic surgery" gained notoriety with the 2000 biographical film Man on the Moon, about actor and comedian Andy Kaufman, who died of spinal breakdown caused by advanced cancer in 1984. His ailments were worsened by the fact he seldom sought the services of conventional doctors, believing he had been cured by psychic surgery.
Results: Captured. Cris was arrested in Las Vegas two hours after the broadcast, as a result of a viewer's tip. However, Gary and Terry were not with him. He later pleaded guilty to conspiracy and agreed to testify against them. He was sentenced to three years' probation.
After this case was re-aired in March 1990, viewer's tips helped lead investigators to Gary and Terry, who were back in the Philippines. On July 16, 1991, Terry was arrested there as an illegal alien. She was returned to Arizona to face fraud and conspiracy charges. However, due to the lack of an extradition agreement between the United States and the Philippines, Gary could not be arrested.
In October 1993, Terry pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year of probation. She was also ordered to pay restitution to their victims.
Links:
- Magno Employees vs. Detective Dan Henderson
- Psychic surgery denied - November 4, 1989
- Guilty plea is entered in "psychic surgery" case - December 12, 1989
- Psychic surgery accomplice gets probation
- "Psychic surgery" hoax fugitive arrested - July 19, 1991
- Fugitive in "psychic surgery" hoax seized - July 19, 1991
- "Psychic" fugitive arrested - July 19, 1991
- Psychic defendant captured - July 19, 1991
- Phoenix hopeful linked to "psychic surgeon" - September 26, 1991
- Woman pleads guilty in surgery scheme - October 5, 1993
- Psychic Surgery in the Philippines: Miracle or Fraud? - March 31, 2011