By Associated Press, -3/15/02

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida -- A birth certificate obtained by the state shows the woman marketed on cable television as Jamaican psychic Miss Cleo was actually born in Los Angeles, the daughter of American parents.

Miss Cleo -- Caribbean accent and colorful clothing aside -- was born Youree Dell Harris on Aug. 13, 1962, in Los Angeles County Hospital, the document shows. Her parents were from California and Texas.

The state has sued Harris, challenging her to prove she really is a renowned shaman from Jamaica. At the same time, the state and Federal Trade Commission have sued two Fort Lauderdale companies -- Access Resource Services Inc. and Psychic Readers Network -- for fraud. The FTC says it acted after getting more than 2,000 complaints.