Hynotist Accused of Stealing Family Jewels

Millionaire says hypnotist stole money, jewels NEW YORK CITY— You're getting sleepy … You're getting tired … tired of your money.

Irwin Uran, a 76-year-old multimillionaire Manhattan investor, has filed suit against his long-term therapist, claiming Stephen Hymowitz misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and at least $2.5 million in family jewels after putting him under hypnosis.

Hymowitz, 59, says Uran is living in a fantasy world and denies the allegations. He claims Uran designated him as his business manager years ago and asked him 14 years ago to drop an estimated $2.5 million worth of family jewels into a church collection box.

Uran, however, claims he was under deep hypnosis when he handed over his business affairs to Hymowitz.

The two met in 1985 when Hymowitz started treating Uran for depression. In 1988, Uran's mother passed away and gave him the jewelry. Fearing his siblings would loot him, Hymowitz claims Uran gave him the jewels for safe-keeping before one of the sessions.

Their sessions stopped when Uran moved around the country and resumed when he moved back to New York in 1999. They had 111 sessions together between April 1999 and June 2000 at a rate of $200 an hour. Uran, who made his $550 million fortune in stock investments, says the relationship started to unravel when Hymowitz spent more than $700,000 of his money.

This is not the first time Uran has made headlines with his bizarre suits. In 1997, Uran sued a former girlfriend over custody of a barn cat, a neutered goat, some photos and 31 horse blankets.

At the time the current suit was filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, Uran was living in a Best Western hotel in Virginia and had recently donated $1 million to the town of Leesburg. No trial date has been set.