Dirty Money Moves: Women in White Collar Crime

It’s September 2008 and Tracii Hutsona has been out on bond for the last 10 months. By this time, the original indictment has been superseded twice, adding numerous charges for the schemes she pulled at several staffing agencies. Tracii has also been evicted from her $1.5 million Orange County, CA home for failing to pay over $30,000 in rent, but Jacqueline Ellman didn’t know any of this. If she had, she probably would’ve never become close friends with Tracii. Now, Jacqueline was holding the bill for a credit card in her name that she’d never seen before, and she had a sneaking suspicion Tracii had something to do with it. She sent Tracii a text message asking her about it. Tracii called back and tearfully admitted to the fraud, telling Jacqueline that she had a problem, but she was trying to be better. In reality, Tracii had opened not one, but TWO cards in Jacqueline's name, and used her existing cards without permission. She also attempted to rent an apartment in her so-called friend’s name. Unbelievably, Jacqueline wasn’t even the only “friend” that Tracii was taking advantage of during this time.

In this week’s episode we’ll explore how, even though Tracii touted herself as an advocate for women and social justice, it was women whom she chose to victimize, women who were close friends, whom she exploited at seemingly every turn. We’ll also follow Tracii through another round of federal charges, sentencing, and prison time. Will she emerge a changed and rehabilitated woman? Or, will she continue her pattern of manipulating anyone who dared offer her a little bit of grace?

Follow host, Jami Rice, @JamiOnAir on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with this case, and others.

Check out Jami’s other true crime podcast, MURDERISH.

Dirty Money Moves is a collaboration between MURDERISH and Cloud10 Media.

Executive Producers are: Jami Rice and Sim Sarna

Research and Writing by: Gina Mazzolini

If you enjoy Dirty Money Moves, please leave the podcast a 5-star rating and review in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any podcast player.

Sources are available at MURDERISH.com

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Tracii Hutsona is so persuasive that she was able to convince a car dealership that she needed an expensive, fancy car for Arnold Schwarzenegger to drive. As a testament to her level of con artistry, she got the car! Tracii, however, maintains that this story isn’t true, that stories about her criminal history are merely exaggerations to make her look bad. She’s also highly offended at being labeled a con artist, even though the judge who sentenced her in 2023 called her a serial con artist. Tracii worked tirelessly to change the perspective and shift blame in order to keep her schemes going. In this episode, we take a look at some of Tracii’s schemes from the last 30 plus years, and how she carried on a double life in order to constantly project an image of wealth and success, seemingly without regard for how her actions affected everyone around her. We’ll find out if what Tracii says has any merit: has her past been sensationalized in order to make her look bad? Or, is she trying to downplay her criminal history in an effort to control the narrative in a classic con artist move?

Follow host, Jami Rice, @JamiOnAir on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with this case, and others.

Check out Jami’s other true crime podcast, MURDERISH.

Dirty Money Moves is a collaboration between MURDERISH and Cloud10 Media.

Executive Producers: Jami Rice and Sim Sarna

Research and Writing by: Gina Mazzolini

If you enjoy Dirty Money Moves, please leave the podcast a 5-star rating and review in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any podcast player.

Sources are available at MURDERISH.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s early February, 2021 in Phoenix Arizona. Federal agents have been on the hunt for Tracii Hutsona, a woman wanted on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for stealing more than $1 million from her cancer-stricken, single mother of three employer. Tracii’s motive: she needed funding for her lavish lifestyle. Agents find Tracci at her restaurant “Breakfast Bitch.” She tried to run but the chase was short-lived. News cameras captured the aftermath of the arrest with Tracii locked in handcuffs as she stood outside of her company car. Tracii’s arrest shocked many of her friends and employees, who had no idea Tracii had spent much of the previous 30 years in and out of prison or on probation or parole for stealing and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to support a lavish lifestyle she’d been chasing her entire life. She’d racked up a slew of scams and schemes, leaving a trail of victims in her wake. Tracii has a magnetic personality and is easy to like, but hidden underneath her million dollar smile lies a remarkable ability to persuade those around her to believe anything she needs them to. Her own family, her friends, and her victims have all described Tracii as a pathological liar; a lifelong con artist who is exceptionally good at what she does. So what happened in the course of Tracii’s life to lead her to this one very public moment, handcuffed on the Phoenix evening news for all to see? How does someone become a refined con artist …an exemplary liar? Is it an innate ability …or something that’s learned throughout a lifetime? Or …maybe it’s a little bit of both?

Follow host, Jami Rice, @JamiOnAir on Instagram and TikTok to keep up with this case, and others.

Check out Jami’s other true crime podcast, MURDERISH.

Dirty Money Moves is a collaboration between MURDERISH and Cloud10 Media.

Executive Producers: Jami Rice and Sim Sarna

Research and Writing by: Gina Mazzolini

If you enjoy Dirty Money Moves, please leave the podcast a 5-star rating and review in Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any podcast player.

Sources are available at MURDERISH.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dirty Money Moves: Women in White Collar Crime is BACK! In Season 3, we’re deep diving into the case involving Tracii Hutsona, a self-described “winner” who appeared to have it all: successful businesses, multimillion dollar mansions, luxury cars, and plenty of cash to spend on high end jewelry and vacations. She’s an intriguing woman who’s had a lengthy acting and modeling career, one that saw her on the cover of several major magazines, including Italian Vogue. She also had alleged romantic ties to Keanu Reeves. But the facts of Tracii’s life that make her so intriguing, are also the facts we’re checking and not much about Tracii seems to be real, except maybe her abilities as a con artist. Most recently, she made headlines for embezzling more than $1 million from Joumana Kidd, actress and ex wife of NBA star Jason Kidd, via Tracii’s luxury concierge business. Tracii opened a restaurant in San Diego, fittingly called “Breakfast Bitch,” which was funded, in part, by Joumana’s money. These recent crimes may have grabbed all the media attention, but they are by no means Tracii’s first run-ins with the law. She’s had a long history of schemes, going back 30 years. Yet, the most shocking thing about Tracii isn't the dollar amount she’s managed to steal over the years, but the way in which she victimizes the people closest to her, over and over again. This is the story of an extremely charismatic woman who can manipulate even the most savvy person into believing exactly what she needs them to, all in the pursuit of a lifestyle of luxury, glamor, and self-indulgence. By the end of this season, you might be surprised as to how all of this chaos plays out.

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This week, Jami Rice speaks with Dr. Joni E. Johnston, a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist, author and private investigator. Together, they discuss the Tara Lee adoption scam case as well as Tara’s intense lack of empathy and toxic manipulation of adoptive parents and birth parents. 

Follow us @DirtyMoneyMoves on Instagram and TikTok.

If you enjoy Dirty Money Moves, please leave us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Dirty Money Moves is a collaboration between MURDERISH and Cloud10 Media. 

Executive producers are Jami Rice and Sim Sarna. 

Emily Crain does the audio mixing and editing.

Josh Cooke composed the music and Brian Stefanik created the podcast cover art.

If you’re into true crime podcasts, check out Jami’s other podcast MURDERISH.

Visit murderish.com for a list of sources used for this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Jami Rice speaks with Teresa Matheny, a survivor of Tara Lee’s adoption scandal. Teresa opened up about all of the hoops she had to jump through to get the baby she was promised from Tara Lee, which almost didn’t happen. She also walks Jami through how she met Tara, and how she discovered that she was a con artist running adoption scams.

Follow us @DirtyMoneyMoves on Instagram and TikTok.

If you enjoy Dirty Money Moves, please leave us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Dirty Money Moves is a collaboration between MURDERISH and Cloud10 Media. 

Executive producers are Jami Rice and Sim Sarna. 

Emily Crain does the audio mixing and editing.

Josh Cooke composed the music and Brian Stefanik created the podcast cover art.

If you’re into true crime podcasts, check out Jami’s other podcast MURDERISH.

Visit murderish.com for a list of sources used for this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Attorneys Talia Goetting & Tonya Corrado worked with Tara for a time. They were actually about to go into business with her when everything came to a screeching halt. Talia and Tonya began noticing red flags, and soon enough, they were working with the FBI to take Tara down.

In this episode, you’ll hear directly from Talia and Tonya about their experience working with Tara, and how everything went down once they became suspicious of her. 

Follow us @DirtyMoneyMoves on Instagram and TikTok.

If you enjoy Dirty Money Moves, please leave us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Dirty Money Moves is a collaboration between MURDERISH and Cloud10 Media. 

Executive producers are Jami Rice and Sim Sarna. 

Emily Crain does the audio mixing and editing.

Josh Cooke composed the music and Brian Stefanik created the podcast cover art.

If you’re into true crime podcasts, check out Jami’s other podcast MURDERISH.

Visit murderish.com for a list of sources used for this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tara Lee had the opportunity to quietly do her prison time and follow through on the court’s orders, but she just couldn’t do it. Tara began making statements that she was innocent; she didn’t complete the victim impact statement recordings as ordered by the court; and she began filing appeals to have her conviction vacated, all of which kept her firmly in the Detroit headlines. 

So, where does Tara’s case stand now? Have Tara’s victims been able to move on since her incarceration? Is there anything people who are looking to adopt can do to protect themselves from falling victim to predators like Tara? What even drives someone to behave the way Tara did?

Follow us @DirtyMoneyMoves on Instagram and TikTok.

If you enjoy Dirty Money Moves, please leave us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Dirty Money Moves is a collaboration between MURDERISH and Cloud10 Media. 

Executive producers are Jami Rice and Sim Sarna. 

Research and writing by Gina Mazzolini. 

Emily Crain does the audio mixing and editing.

Josh Cooke composed the music and Brian Stefanik created the podcast cover art.

If you’re into true crime podcasts, check out Jami’s other podcast MURDERISH.

Visit murderish.com for a list of sources used for this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tara Lee’s sentence hearing was attended by dozens of her victims, many of whom traveled great distances to see her be punished. They sobbed while giving statements to the court about how Tara hurt them. Some people even addressed Tara directly. 

It wasn’t only adoptive families speaking, birth mothers and fathers, people who had their children taken from them without their consent all made their voices heard. Victim statements were given for over six hours, each person demanding justice for their broken families. Tara even spoke to the court, but would the judge be swayed by Tara’s emotional apology?

Follow us @DirtyMoneyMoves on Instagram and TikTok.

If you enjoy Dirty Money Moves, please leave us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Dirty Money Moves is a collaboration between MURDERISH and Cloud10 Media. 

Executive producers are Jami Rice and Sim Sarna. 

Research and writing by Gina Mazzolini. 

Emily Crain does the audio mixing and editing.

Josh Cooke composed the music and Brian Stefanik created the podcast cover art.

If you’re into true crime podcasts, check out Jami’s other podcast MURDERISH.

Visit murderish.com for a list of sources used for this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tara Lee told horrible lies about birth mothers being murdered, babies dying during childbirth, or mothers deciding to keep their babies when, in reality ..there wasn’t a mother or baby at all. Thanks to the efforts of several adoptive parents and the lawyers who worked with Tara, the FBI was notified and given a ton of information to go on as they began investigating her. The FBI also identified a woman who helped Tara pull off some of her schemes and as it turned out, this wasn’t her first rodeo either.

Follow us @DirtyMoneyMoves on Instagram and TikTok.

If you enjoy Dirty Money Moves, please leave us a positive rating and review wherever you listen to podcasts.

Dirty Money Moves is a collaboration between MURDERISH and Cloud10 Media. 

Executive producers are Jami Rice and Sim Sarna. 

Research and writing by Gina Mazzolini. 

Emily Crain does the audio mixing and editing.

Josh Cooke composed the music and Brian Stefanik created the podcast cover art.

If you’re into true crime podcasts, check out Jami’s other podcast MURDERISH.

Visit murderish.com for a list of sources used for this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices