donnie marks – C-VILLE Weekly

In brief: Dissent in the air, taco shop heist and more

Rolling Stone resists

The magazine was back in court February 9 in Roanoke to ask a judge to throw out a $3 million jury award to UVA administrator Nicole Eramo for defamation, arguing Eramo didn’t prove reporter Sabrina Erdely acted with actual malice and that running a correction isn’t defamatory republication. Judge Glen Conrad will rule in a few weeks.

Behind-the-scenes civil rights activist

Paul Saunier, who helped recruit black students to UVA in the ’60s, support them once here and who convinced most Corner businesses to desegregate in 1962 while he served as an adviser to the university’s then-president Edgar Shannon, died February 8 at age 97.

Patriot boycott

Super Bowl winner Chris Long, a St. Anne’s-Belfield and UVA grad and son of Howie, says he will not join his fellow New England Patriots in the traditional visit to the White House.

Still powerful

Music and development magnate Coran Capshaw comes in at No. 11 on Billboard’s Power 100 list—he was No. 7 last year.

Psychic’s husband sentenced

Donnie Marks will spend 33 months in prison and was ordered to pay $5.5 million in restitution to the victims he and his wife, Sandra Marks, aka Psychic Catherine, bilked when she claimed she could remove curses by cleansing large sums of cash. Marks, who is serving 30 months, met her marks at Synchronicity, a spiritual facility in Nelson.

Photo: Tom McGovern — No tacos were harmed during the Brazos burglary. Photo Tom McGovern

Brazos bandits

The Austin-style taco shop posted a video of two hooded thieves attempting to break into its cash register with what appeared to be a hammer over the weekend. The “knuckleheads,” as Brazos Tacos called them on Instagram, were caught by the Charlottesville Police Department.

Weekend warriors

stewart-draego-Amos — GOP candidate for governor Corey Stewart, center, with Joe Draego, left, who sued City Council, and Thaddeus Dionne Alexander. Photo Eze Amos

Demonstrations are becoming the new norm since the election of Donald Trump, and last Saturday saw at least three occasions of citizens exercising their rights to assemble. Although mostly peaceful, the demonstration and counterprotest at Lee Park got loud.

_L4C4257 — Counterprotesters. Photo Eze Amos

kessler-amos — A local blogger with Harper Lee’s book. Photo Eze Amos

Gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart came to denounce City Council’s decision to remove the statue of General Robert E. Lee, bringing with him Thaddeus Dionne Alexander, who became a social media sensation for telling Hillary Clinton supporters to “stop being crybabies.” Stewart was met by protesters shouting, “Hey hey, ho ho, white supremacy’s got to go,” and his campaign described them as “an aggressive mob of liberal protesters.” WINA’s Rob Schilling captured on video WCHV’s Joe Thomas being verbally blasted by a bullhorn-wielding demonstrator.

schilling-stewart-Amos — Rob Schilling and Corey Stewart. Photo Eze Amos

Jennifer Tidwell, holding sign up, protests across town at Congressman Tom Garrett’s office.

Congressman Tom Garrett’s Berkmar Crossing office has been the venue of regular Tuesday protests since he was sworn in, and Charlottesville NOW’s February 11 protest brought hundreds to decry the defunding of Planned Parenthood. Down the road, a smaller anti-abortion group carried signs outside of Planned Parenthood’s facility.

Richmond watch

Last week was crossover week, when each chamber had completed work on its own bills and began considering legislation passed by the other body. Local delegates had these bills passed.

Steve Landes, R-Weyers Cave

Free speech on campus bill: For when the First Amendment isn’t enough.

Beloved bill redux: Requires boards of education to notify parents when materials have explicit content that would be defined as felonious sexual assault.

Rob Bell, R-Albemarle

Tebow bill: Bell carries his bill for about the 18th time that would allow homeschooled kids to play public school sports. The governor vetoed it last year.

David Toscano, D-Charlottesville

Misdemeanor DNA: Resolution requesting a study on expanding the use of DNA is headed to the Crime Commission for consideration.

Matt Fariss, R-Rustburg

Dangerous dog: Amends law to specify a nip doesn’t make a canine a menace.

Quote of the week

“Newby Gov candidate @Denver4Governor’s inexperience is showing. Doesn’t he know I voted AGAINST moving Lee statue?!”—Mayor Mike Signer responds to Denver Riggleman on Twitter

Psychic’s husband gets 33 months in prison

The husband of Sandra Marks, aka Psychic Catherine, was sentenced to 33 months in prison and ordered to pay $5.5 million in restitution to the clients seeking spiritual solace the couple bilked.

Donnie Marks, 43, who was charged with mail fraud and money laundering, appeared in the same U.S. District Court February 10 where his wife was sentenced to 30 months in prison in November.

The couple ran Readings by Catherine on U.S. 29 North, and Sandra Marks, 42, offered palm, tarot card, astrological and spiritual readings, and he was the money manager.

When Sandra Marks was sentenced, her attorney contended she would still be doing $35 palm readings had she not crossed paths with Master Charles Cannon in 2003. Cannon introduced her to his Nelson County spiritual retreat, Synchronicity, and to clients with higher incomes.

Donnie Marks’ attorney, Fred Heblich, objected to one of the points in the pre-sentencing report, because the criminal conduct occurred at Synchronicity. Sandra Marks was there every day, and her husband didn’t know what was happening there, he said.

Attorney Fred Heblich says he believes his client, who bilked victims of millions, is remorseful. Staff photo

Prosecutor Ron Huber disagreed, and said Marks was managing his wife’s work. “I would say they were equals with different skills,” he said. “Hers was to persuade, face to face. His was finance and opening accounts. I think they’re equally culpable.”

Huber did acknowledge that Sandra “definitely had closer ties to Synchronicity. I don’t think they were fond of him. I don’t think they were interested in him.”

The couple used the money they obtained from victims who were “looking for hope and relief” to support a “lavish lifestyle,” said Huber. “Sandra Marks never had the ability to cleanse money. What they did have was the power to swindle people.”

In discussing probation, Huber expressed some concerns that with limited education and “lifelong ties to the gypsy lifestyle,” and that Marks would “return to a life of crime.” Judge Glen Conrad ordered Marks to get a full-time job upon his release and not be self-employed.

Huber and Conrad commended Marks on his cooperation with authorities. And Conrad noted that six family members were there.

Marks addressed the court before he was sentenced. “For the past 26 to 28 months, me and my family have grown to realize the extent of hurt. If I could turn back the clock, I would. I will do my best to make amends and restitution.”

He did not complete a financial statement, said Huber, and Marks told the court he was not able to begin the restitution.

“This was pretty serious stuff and the victims were hurt to a serious degree,” said Conrad. He ordered Marks to file the financial statement within 10 days and to begin restitution payments while in prison, using income from a prison job. And he ordered a “rigorous” four years of probation.

“I believe he is remorseful,” said Heblich outside the courthouse. Marks will self-report to prison.