Two owners sentenced in 'Miss Cleo' case

ST. LOUIS -- Two Florida cousins and their companies behind the hot lines for television psychic "Miss Cleo" were sentenced Wednesday to probation and fines, resolving illegal-merchandising felonies in Missouri over the supposed clairvoyant.

Steven L. Feder, 52, and Peter Stolz, 54, both of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., entered Alford pleas during a court appearance in suburban St. Charles. The pleas allow the men to maintain their innocence, while acknowledging there was enough evidence to convict them.

Feder immediately paid a $50,000 corporate fine, fulfilling some terms of his probation. Stolz was sentenced to up to two years of probation.

The two men also have been barred from collecting $18.8 million in claims against Missourians who were billed for questionable pay-per-call psychic services, state Attorney General Jay Nixon said.