Herobuilders.com Emil Vicale fraud, scam, ripoff Oxford, Connecticut

In May of 2010 I ordered a custom made doll from herobuilders. I was billed $850.00 in advance and promised the doll would be finished in about a month. About a month later I got a call from the owner, Emil Vicale claiming more detailed work had to be done and it would add about $300.00 more to the price. Being a doll collector it didn't sound out of the oridinary, so I paid Mr. Vicale another $300.00.

A couple of months passed and no doll. I emailed herobuilders only to be told there were delays but the doll would be shipped by October 1st. October arrived and no doll. I emailed again and more excuses.

Around Halloween I had to visit an ailing Aunt in Connecticut, so I decided to look Herobuilders up and demand an explanation. I arrived at what appeared to be a condemned house, dirty and junk all over the place. I was met by a rather Ethnic looking woman who called herself Countess Rapture.  She didn't know anything about Emil but for ten bucks she would tell my fortune. Curious I entered the house. There were doll parts all over the place in addition to junk and garbage. There were all sorts of young ethnic not too clean looking children barefoot running around. 

Seeing the doll parts I again inquired about Emil. I was told Emil worked for the Obama administration and was in Washington at the moment. If I'd leave a phone number he'd get back with me.

Nothing more to do so I left only to discover my purse had been stolen and somehow The Countess or the unkept children  had picked my pockets as well and made off with a check book. I filed a police report immediately.  Since I did not see The Countess or the children physically steal anything it was their word against mine. The Oxford police told me that Vicale was a gypsy and had a record for petty stuff - stealing jewelry off corpses in funeral homes, shop lifting and that sort of thing. Vicale's wife, Zesta aka Countess Rapture also told fortunes and also sold Watkins products door to door. Although fortune telling is illegal in Connecticut the way Vicale and his wife get around that is they call themselves a church,

Now we are into 2011 - no doll, no refund and Vicale won't respond to my emails or phone calls.
Let's face it I have been had.