He had an ally in his quest, he said, a fortuneteller who fought the evil spirits day and night from her storefront in Times Square, according to accusations that led the police to arrest her last month. The police and the man said the fortuneteller, Priscilla Kelly Delmaro, 26, had bled him dry over 20 months.

But even New Yorkers who have shaken their heads in disbelief at fortunetelling scams in the past — who could fall for that? — may be surprised by the outlandish creativity described in this case, the eye-popping payouts the man made and the almost unfathomable gullibility that it took to get to that number.

Long past the point at which many people would have become suspicious — the endless need for special crystals, the time machine, the 80-mile bridge made of gold, the reincarnation portal — he kept paying, until he was living his own grim version of the movie “Ghost.”

The man, who lives in East Williamsburg but is not named in court documents, told his story in a written statement prepared with Bob Nygaard, a private investigator, and presented to detectives at the Midtown South precinct last month.

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