A Staten Island man has been accused of molesting a 15-year-old girl with raw meat in order to remove "evil spirits" from her. Rafael Paulino, 42, was arrested on Wednesday for performing what he described as a "spiritual cleansing" inside an apartment in New Brighton. Authorities say that "he claimed he would remove the evil spirits from them, and that an evil spirit was making [the 15-year-old girl] depressed."
According to the criminal complaint, Paulino told the girl's relative "that he would rub raw meat on their bodies and pour water on them after he had cut their clothes off in order to spiritually cleanse them and that this was not for entertainment or amusement." The female relative paid Paulino $122 for the cleansing, during which Paulino told the young girl to stand in a bathtub, cut off her clothes and underwear, and rubbed the meat on her "intimate parts." Paulino also allegedly kissed and touched her in a sexual nature.
Paulino carries a business card with the name Omi Chango (a possible reference to a deity worshiped by followers of Santeria), an image of Christ, and the words "priest" and "spiritual leader" printed on it. He gave this statement to police about his practices: "The spiritual cleansings are to get rid of the evil spirits and to make the body clean and pure... I don't wear gloves. The purpose of the meat is to act as a barrier... The meat takes all the evil spirits from the body, and then I discard the meat in either the cemetery, the garbage, or in the corner."
He's been charged with fourth-degree aggravated sexual abuse, two counts each of second-degree sexual abuse and forcible touching, and single counts of endangering the welfare of a child and fortune-telling. This seems as good a time as any to gently remind you to always avoid anyone who claims to be a fortune teller, and to follow our foolproof five-part plan for you to avoid getting scammed by one.
