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- [00:00]
Tiffany Reese
Wondery subscribers can listen to Something Was Wrong early and ad free right now. Join Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.
- [00:12]
Unknown Advertiser
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- [00:45]
Tiffany Reese
Woman by Kristin Hannah Audible.
- [00:48]
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- [01:00]
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- [02:00]
This podcast is intended for mature audiences.
- [02:03]
Tiffany Reese
And discusses topics that may be upsetting. For a full content warning, sources and resources, please visit the episode notes. Opinions shared by the guests of the show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of myself, Broken Cycle Media, or Wondery. The podcast and any linked materials should.
- [02:24]
Unknown Advertiser
Not be misconstrued as a substitution for.
- [02:26]
Tiffany Reese
Legal or medical advice. Megan Stoner's responses to these allegations are.
- [02:31]
Unknown Advertiser
Addressed within this season.
- [02:33]
Tiffany Reese
I'm Tiffany Reese and this is Something was wrong you.
- [03:03]
Ryan Reynolds
They can know me.
- [03:06]
Alyssa
You don't know me well.
- [03:12]
Alex
At all.
- [03:13]
Alyssa
At all at all.
- [03:25]
Tiffany Reese
Last episode we heard a series of jailhouse calls Stoner had with Alyssa and Justin, in which Stoner admitted to making false claims in attempts to get out of jail from lying about money. Once again, in an effort to convince Alyssa to bail her out and then faking a death of a fake child. These conversations illustrated once again Stoner's manipulation, lies, and next level audacity. Shortly after Stoner admitted to lying about having a child, Alyssa, Justin, and the others from the Facebook group that would still answer Stoner's calls from time to time ceased communication with her for about a month. Many anxiously awaited Stoner's plea hearing, which took place on November 22, 2023. Here's journalist, Sting operator, and indie community member Alyssa.
- [04:19]
Alyssa
We weren't really sure what she was going to do because she had gone back and forth. Even in my phone calls with her, I never really got a straight answer with her because I think in her mind, if she didn't get the plea that she wanted, she wasn't going to take a plea. And in our minds we're thinking like, there's no way you're going to get something that satisfies you enough that you're willing to plea out and take this amount of jail time. So even going into the court date that day, we're all waiting on pins and needles to see what she does. Is she going to take the plea or is she going to request a jury trial? I almost thought she was stubborn enough to just go to trial. The amount of evidence they had on her was overwhelming. They were felonies, but they were low level felonies. The plea that she was offered, none of us felt like it was enough time to her. It seemed like too much time, like she was almost too good to do that much time. But I think the lawyer that she had at the time was like, you're not going to get anything better than this. I think it's best that you just take what they're offering and you do your time, you keep your head down, you pay your victims back, you're good to go. And so she goes in and she accepts it.
- [05:25]
Tiffany Reese
On November 22, 2023, after not speaking for nearly a month, Stoner called Alyssa to discuss her plea hearing, which took place that same day.
- [05:36]
Megan Stoner
Hey, Alyssa. Has there been any reaction yet on social media to my sentence or to my plea agreement?
- [05:42]
Unknown
I mean, just that you're gonna have to go to prison for a little while.
- [05:47]
Megan Stoner
I'm not going to prison. I'm staying here. I'm doing six months for a level six. I get have.
- [05:52]
Unknown
That's weird because you said 365 days was suspended. Like you got a two year sentence. 365 was suspended. So what you're doing six months in jail and six months work release or something?
- [06:04]
Megan Stoner
No, it's 365 days. But for level six, you get two for one. And so I'm doing six months, and I've already got some time served.
- [06:15]
Unknown
Like two and a half months or something.
- [06:18]
Megan Stoner
Yeah, I've already got time served and then times that by two. Okay, here it is. Here's the letter. You get two for one credit on level six. You have credit for April 27th through the 28th. And then September 10th to November 22nd, you would have to serve 108 actual days in jail. The time would be in Hamilton county, as your sentence is not long enough for transfer to the document. Then you would go to community correction for 365 actual days, and then it'll be set out for sentencing because I paid back. So the prosecutor needed to verify those two amounts because I paid those people back. And that's noted on my case at least. Yeah. So I only pled guilty to two counts. They threw out seven charges.
- [07:06]
Unknown
Well, yippee for you. I'm glad that you got to scam all those people and just got away with it.
- [07:13]
Megan Stoner
Is that the general reaction?
- [07:15]
Unknown
I mean, yeah, pretty much.
- [07:17]
Alyssa
I think everybody's gonna be pretty pissed.
- [07:18]
Unknown
That you're getting such a light slap on the wrist. I mean, I know that you still have the Tesla thing to deal with and you've got some other stuff coming your way, but just seems like the justice system kind of let us down here. I would like to have a lot more time.
- [07:33]
Megan Stoner
I hear you, and I will just say this. I was really shocked that the judge accepted the plea agreement. I kind of went into today thinking the judge would not to be hon with you because of how we've seen the jar with me in the past. I would not have been shocked if he didn't, to be honest with you.
- [07:50]
Unknown
I kind of figured I was not gonna accept it.
- [07:54]
Megan Stoner
Yeah, I was. I'm absolutely shocked. And the only people I guess I'm paying back or this in this plea agreement at least.
- [08:03]
Unknown
Well, I don't know. I'm not gonna say congratulations because I don't agree with it all, but at the same time, what can I do?
- [08:13]
Megan Stoner
All right, well, I guess everyone will be pissed on social media, so I.
- [08:19]
Unknown
Don'T think everyone's pissed. I think everyone just thinks that you deserve longer.
- [08:23]
Megan Stoner
All right, well, I will talk to you later.
- [08:27]
Unknown
No, you won't. Thank you for using.
- [08:30]
Tiffany Reese
After Stoner's plea hearing, she awaited her sentencing, which occurred on December 18, 2023. On November 22, Stoner had pled guilty to counts two and five, count two fraud but losses between 750 and 50 thousand dollars and count five theft where value of property is between 750 and 50 thousand dollars. For count two, Stoner was sentenced to 730 days in the Indiana Department of Corrections with 204 days of jail credit of the sentence. Three hundred and sixty five days were suspended. Stoner also received credit for 102 actual days served from April 27 to April 28, 2023 and again from September 9 to December 17, 2023. Restitution was ordered to her victims in the amounts of 1,300 for 1 and 600 for the two others and additionally she was placed on probation for 365 days. For count five, Stoner was again sentenced to 730 days in the Indiana Department of Corrections for the false leasing of the same property to at least three different individuals.
- [09:54]
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- [09:58]
Tiffany Reese
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Tiffany Reese
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- [11:09]
Tiffany Reese
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- [12:25]
Tiffany Reese
One thread we've yet to untangle is Stoner's alleged crimes regarding Tesla rentals. Between June 1, 2021 and July 28, 2023, she drove many different Teslas. Stoner frequently boasted about them on social media, including that one was from a generous donor. Additionally, Stoner received many driving infractions during this time. Back in the summer of 2023, this sparked confusion and concern among community members who were left wondering how was Stoner affording such luxurious cars like a Tesla. So prior to Megan's getting arrested in summer of 2023, as the operations to arrest Stoner for her rental scams were still forming, another investigation unfolded behind the scenes. One focused on unraveling the mystery behind Stoner's Teslas. Here's Spice Girl Alex Sort of the.
- [13:23]
Alex
Biggest mystery is how she got these Teslas and where these Teslas came from. There was things leading up to pulling the records that were quite alarming. There was an accident that she had where she had a really huge hematoma on her hip that she posted and then again posted the wound open. Quite graphic and disgusting detail. I mean, there was like a literal hole in her hip and it was awful to look at and I watch a lot of Grey's Anatomy, but that was a lot and there was just something about it all that didn't add up. October of 2022, my husband and I were t boned in a car accident. I remember my injuries, I remember my husband's injuries. I remember the science of it all. I was working with a physical therapist and worked with a few doctors who explained it to me. So I knew some things about car accidents and injuries, but the thing that didn't make any sense was that Megan's injuries were on the right side of her body and she said that she was driving and the damage that she showed in the car was on the left side. And I just Remember thinking in my head, there's something about this that isn't adding up. She's probably trying to scam somebody with this. But we didn't have anything to go off of. Of that point. We. There was nothing. Flash forward. She had had her license suspended and was pulled over while driving on a suspended license and speeding and doing all of these things. I believe it was for the DWI case where she had the car accident. She says that she had cough medicine with codeine in it on the front seat and that's what she was arrested with. And I believe it was in that case that she had to prove that she had insurance and that she was in good standing through a FOIA request. We took a look at the documents and it was the spouse of a member in the group who I believe either works with insurance or is in some way, shape or form very familiar with what these documents are supposed to look like. She said, this looks very incorrect. This looks like it had been edited in some way, shape or form through Photoshop or something along those lines. We knew there was a lot about this that wasn't correct. The amount of money that she said she was paying every month, according to this document, she did not have the income to support, and we knew that. So that had to have meant that this was a forged document or that she was continuing to scam, or that is what she paid at one point and that she's no longer in standing with this insurance company.
- [16:17]
Tiffany Reese
Here's Yoni Sting. Samaritan. Amanda.
- [16:21]
Yoni Sting
We have a friend from College Republicans. Justin's a couple years younger than me. This friend of ours is older than us. He's been friends with us for a long time. One of my closest friends from, like, my time in political circles, Megan friended him on Facebook and would message him. That's how he knew about her and stuff. Our friend works for an insurance company and looked up her insurance number based on court documents from her OWI case and found out that she was driving uninsured. If she did the pay in full discount, it would have cost like $60,000 for six months of coverage. With her driving record in the summer of 2023, when the Tesla stuff came out, I don't know who did this, but somebody made a Twitter account called Indiana Delvey and talk through all of the Teslas that she had wrecked. Megan's a really erratic driver. Most of the accidents she got in, it's with a tree or with a parked car. She doesn't hit other moving objects. She crashes into something that's stationary. She would use the Tesla to make herself look more important. She would claim that the Tesla was gifted to her by a donor. Or she would say, I'm kicking ass and taking names in my Tesla because I'm a high powered political consultant.
- [17:37]
Tiffany Reese
Here's Alyssa again.
- [17:39]
Alyssa
When Tom shared with me what had happened with Megan, he shared every text message. He shared the statements from his bank of the transactions that were made. At one point, I was looking through those transactions and I saw a transaction to a man. Sometimes Megan would ask Tom for money and she would say, I need you to pay this person for me. I need you to send it to this person. And a couple of times that she said, I need you to send it to this person. She was sending it to the owner of the Tesla. She was personally having Tom send money to the people that she owed money to. Rather than sending it directly, she was having him pay for her debts. And at this time, the Tesla owner's name had never been released to the group. So it's like 2:00 in the morning. And myself and another girl in the group were looking through these documents that Tom had shared with us and I found find the Tesla owner's wife on Facebook. And I sent her a message and I said, hey, I know this sounds crazy, but do you know a woman named Megan Stoner? And she's like, I do. She actually scammed my husband. I was like, holy crap. If Alex hadn't figured it out the moment she did, I would have figured it out right there.
- [18:48]
Tiffany Reese
Here's Alex again.
- [18:50]
Alex
I think it was honestly to keep up appearances. For her, the Tesla is a sign of success and of wealth. I'm a car person. I used to work at a motorsport museum. My parents were drivers in British community rally circuits. I grew up around cars. I want to know how on earth she was able to get this. Because I drive a Chevy Bolt, which is an electric car. I know how much my car costs. And I'm also looking at this Tesla, which I think it was like 75 grand new. How is this making any sense? So I decided that we need to get down to the bottom of this because this has to statistically be an instance where she's taking advantage of somebody else because there's no way, shape or form she's able to afford this. And the insurance. The thing that surprised me the most was that under the lienholder in the document, it was Steven's name. And I thought that was really interesting because for me, I had just bought a car and the lien holder's my bank. And so I thought that was very odd that the lien holder was a person as opposed to a bank. So going through Megan's ex and looking through the history, and when she had mentioned the Teslas, she had said that she was picking up her new Tesla in Utah. There's a few things that could possibly be going on here. Steven, in fact, like, was the holder, and he had no idea what was going on. Or she was scamming this person because there's no way she was leasing a car from this person in good fai. So I found Steven's Facebook and the COVID photo was the same exact photo that Megan had shared on X, saying that that was the car that she was going to go pick up in Utah. And it was a blue Tesla on the salt flats in Utah. And I was like, okay, this is our guy. I have found him. But I knew that if I reached out to him on Facebook because we had nothing in common, my message was going to fall into spam and he would never see it. I figured that if he was a business owner, he probably had a LinkedIn account. But I couldn't message him because I didn't have LinkedIn Premium. So I paid the whatever amount it was to activate LinkedIn Premium. And I message him and I say, hey, we don't know each other, but I believe that we might have a mutual acquaintance. Does the name Meagan Stoner ring a bell for you? He messaged back pretty soon after and said, yes. I've actually hired a lawyer to discuss this matter and was being very vague about it for valid reason. I came back and said, I'm really sorry that you're going through this. This is my X thread on my story with Megan. There's this age old, old mystery that we're trying to solve of how on earth she has these Teslas. And he explained to me that he has not received the insurance payout for the Tesla of hers that she crashed. And we established the Tesla she had crashed was the blue one, which didn't answer the question about the white Tesla, but that did answer the question that the documentation that she provided to the courts said that the Tesla was blue and the VIN number was incorrect. That document that she provided to the court saying that this is my updated information was completely and utterly false.
- [22:33]
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds here for, I guess, my hundredth mint commercial.
- [22:37]
Alyssa
No, no, no, no, no, no, don't.
- [22:38]
Ryan Reynolds
No, no, no. Honestly, when I started this, I thought I only have to do like four of these. I mean, it's unlimited to Premium Wireless for $15 a month. How are there still people paying two or three times that much? I'm sorry, I shouldn't be victim blaming.
- [22:51]
Megan Stoner
Here.
- [22:51]
Ryan Reynolds
Give it a try@mintmobile.com switch whenever you're ready.
- [22:56]
Alyssa
$45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only taxes and fees Extra Speed slower above 40GB.
- [23:02]
Unknown
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- [24:00]
Tiffany Reese
Here'S Alex again.
- [24:02]
Alex
Stephen then mentions that he was growing concerned because Megan's friend leased a car from him and she had fallen behind on payments. And from there we were able to establish by cross checking some documentation she had just been pulled over. And so we held the VIN number from that incident and said, is this the Tesla that you're concerned about? And it was in fact the white Tesla. In that moment we established that Megan used false information and stole somebody's identity to lease the white Tesla. That was horrible because that meant that there was at this point two people involved in her scam. I said, listen, like she's been driving it around. It's not her friend. Here's the documentation, here's the photo, here's her being pulled over. Use this and get your car back. So he was able to use Tesla's app in which he could disable the car. And so he disabled it, flew to Indiana, picked the car up and drove it back to Utah. He was able to at least recover his white Tesla, but that also means that he's probably sitting with a heck of a lot of cosmetic damage on that car. Somebody else probably has a really negative impact on their credit score because of her just trying to keep up her appearance.
- [25:24]
Tiffany Reese
Here's Alyssa.
- [25:26]
Alyssa
She had her license suspended and she was driving for Uber with that Tesla? How is she able to drive for Uber with no license? Drive for Lyft with no license? How is she getting away with this? That's when we realized that she had not only stolen her roommate's identity, but was also using her dad's identity to drive for Lyft and Uber in a Tesla that she obtained under false pretenses and under a false identity. My favorite part about that story is that she was at the movie theater and Steven, I think his brother was nearby. They, like, flew in, they locked it, she comes out, couldn't get into the car. I lived like right next door to the movie theater, so I even drove over there and the Tesla's sitting there and there's no other cars in the parking lot. Alex was in talks with Steven about it at the time, and he's like, we're going to pick up the car right now. And then he comes later in that night and takes the car. We protected another person because she was still scamming and getting away with it. And that was what was so frustrating.
- [26:25]
Tiffany Reese
Months after Alex connected with Steven in October 2023, he and his company, Mason Motors, filed a lawsuit against Stoner for breaking terms in their two signed agreements. One agreement that Stoner signed as herself and the other where Stoner allegedly signed falsely using the alias of her former roommate and friend, Abby Espy. Members of the Facebook Group acquired the 128 page Tesla charging document, which details the lawsuit. The document reveals Stoner's failure to make proper payments for the Teslas, her submission of alleged fraudulent insurance documents, and texts exchanged between her and Steven. In these messages, Stoner falsely claims that her child died in a train accident, using this heartbreaking fabricated story to delay fulfilling her payment obligations. Once again, the document lists seven causes of action against breach of contract, Stoner and Espy lease agreements, breach of duty of good faith and fair dealing, fraud, fraudulent concealment, misrepresentation, conversion and trespass. The documents prayer for relief. Wherefore plaintiffs pray for judgment against Stoner are as one for general, special, consequential and punitive damages in an amount to be proven at trial, but in no event less than $64,618 2 for punitive damages pursuant to Utah State Code 3 for prejudgment and post judgment interest as allowed by law 4 for attorneys fees and costs and 5. For such other relief as the court deems just and proper. On October 28, 2023, Stoner called Alyssa from jail and they discussed the release of the case documents.
- [28:25]
Megan Stoner
Any New gossip or anything I should be aware of?
- [28:30]
Unknown
Nope, no new gossip. Just that whole Tesla lawsuit. Everyone kind of went crazy over that.
- [28:38]
Megan Stoner
Oh, wait, which one? The Tesla?
- [28:41]
Unknown
Yeah, the Tesla. Megan, I think everyone was just really baffled by the text messages. We could see all of it, the entire lawsuit.
- [28:52]
Megan Stoner
Oh, I know. Yeah. I got. I told you. 100 some pages long.
- [28:56]
Unknown
128 pages, Megan. And we read it all. Every single word.
- [29:02]
Megan Stoner
I have it. It would be right here.
- [29:05]
Unknown
Did you read every page? I'm sure you've had the time.
- [29:09]
Megan Stoner
I have, actually.
- [29:11]
Unknown
That 128 page document was a pretty interesting read with all the text messages.
- [29:18]
Megan Stoner
I'm sure you guys enjoyed that as an exhibit. The text messages are an exhibit, so you guys have access to them. I'm sure you all enjoy that.
- [29:25]
Unknown
It cost a dollar. But we did get access and we posted it in the group and let everyone read it. It was totally worth a do. I think that was probably the most conniving and manipulative I had seen you before. I was actually really shocked by that, and I think a lot of us were. It was truly almost like diving into your brain and seeing the manipulation that's possible from. From you. It was shocking. You know, I've spent a good amount of time talking to Steven's wife, and they are really kind people. Like, very genuine, very kind. And I was actually happy to see this lawsuit come about because we were worried at the time that maybe nothing would come of it. I think there should have been a lot more. So I would, if I was you, I would consider myself lucky that that's all you're getting is a lawsuit because clearly you have no wages to garnish. I wouldn't be surprised if all your bank accounts are frozen at some point.
- [30:38]
Megan Stoner
I don't think they're expecting the 60 grand in full because they know I don't have.
- [30:43]
Unknown
Oh, no, Megan. I think they were trying for criminal charges and they realized that they may not have the burden of proof for criminal charges or. I. I can't. I honestly can't speak to that. I don't know what happened, but I think that they are trying to find compensation in some way because they were truly wronged.
- [31:03]
Megan Stoner
I hear you.
- [31:05]
Unknown
I hear you too, buddy. And I'm just saying, I think it's really. It's kind of a up situation.
- [31:15]
Megan Stoner
Megan, if you were me, what would.
- [31:18]
Unknown
I just told you what I would do. I would admit to my wrong.
- [31:22]
Megan Stoner
Right, I get that. But I mean, in forms of compensation, what can I do.
- [31:28]
Unknown
Go to prison?
- [31:31]
Megan Stoner
I Mean, I. I don't think offering over to prison. So I get him the compensation that he wants. I mean, I can offer that in my letter back to them, but I don't think that's gonna be. I don't think the attorney is going to be like, yeah, we want you. They go to prison.
- [31:44]
Unknown
No, what you can offer them is an admission of guilt on your part. I would give them an admission of guilt and say, yes, I did this and I owe this money. Now, will they ever see it? I don't know. It's like, jump in line, get in line of all the people that I owe, right?
- [32:03]
Megan Stoner
That's the biggest thing I need help sorting out when I do get out of here.
- [32:09]
Unknown
When you get out of here, you need a fucking job. A job, baby girl.
- [32:16]
Megan Stoner
So, yeah, I have a lawsuit in front of me. I've read it. But I'm wondering, like. And I know you guys don't really want to decide who gets paid first, but can someone offer me that? Like, I don't know where to start.
- [32:31]
Unknown
Megan, I don't believe that you will pay anyone back or Nor will it be an order. I think that if you get out eventually, maybe years from now, so I don't think you're gonna get a choice. I don't think anyone's gonna say, megan, pick who you pay back first.
- [32:47]
Megan Stoner
Okay, that makes sense. Yeah, I know.
- [32:49]
Unknown
It's a. It's.
- [32:50]
So.
- [32:50]
Megan Stoner
It's a losing argument if I'm on, if I'm picking myself. I know the whole thing. I had that conversation with others like Justin. It's a losing battle of who would get paid back first. If it's me deciding or anyone else, it's going to be unfair to anyone. So I agree with you. I think it needs to be in increments. I guess there's going to be a.
- [33:09]
Unknown
Long line of people with their hands out waiting for money from you for the rest of your life. So when you get out of jail and you finally get a normal job, it could be 20 years down the road and you're suddenly paying for the mistakes that you made in your 20s. Like, this is going to be with you for the rest of your life. You didn't commit small crimes. You committed large crimes. A $60,000 lawsuit that, Megan, that's like a third of a home. And that's just one. I mean, I think we added up how much you owed in total, and we're coming up close to like $200,000.
- [33:46]
Megan Stoner
I was going to say probably half a million.
- [33:50]
Unknown
You Know what, Megan? I wouldn't be surprised.
- [33:54]
Megan Stoner
Do the Masons know that I'm currently in jail?
- [33:56]
Unknown
At least they do. I have spoke to Ms. Mason a few times. I think Alex has spoke to Steven. We've definitely been in contact. And they do know that you're in jail.
- [34:08]
Megan Stoner
Okay, because I tried calling the attorney's office and I'm not getting through. So I don't know if it's. I don't know what else to do right now.
- [34:15]
Unknown
Like your public defender?
- [34:17]
Megan Stoner
No, I've tried calling Steven's attorney.
- [34:20]
Unknown
Oh. I don't know if they'll speak with you directly. I would highly doubt that.
- [34:24]
Megan Stoner
Well, they did before, and I was calling because I want to settle this, but even if I send a letter, I don't think it's going to make it in a week or two weeks.
- [34:34]
Unknown
What do you mean, settle this? You don't have any money.
- [34:38]
Megan Stoner
No, but I can say, hey, I admit to this, and I want to, you know, when I get out of jail, eventually, I want to make payments or something. No, don't do that.
- [34:48]
Unknown
No, I'm laughing because you said, no, you don't have any money, which I knew the whole time.
- [34:53]
Megan Stoner
Yeah, I don't have any money right now. I'm in jail.
- [34:56]
Unknown
What do they call that, a Freudian slip? Because apparently you have 15 grand a bank account. So, I mean, I don't know.
- [35:03]
Megan Stoner
Well, you guys know what? I'll be. Get it. So I counted that money as well.
- [35:06]
Unknown
Megan, you don't have that money, babe. Don't get shitty with me because I call you out on your lies. It's nothing new.
- [35:16]
Megan Stoner
I have it, but no one can help me get access to it, so why would I not count that as lost money?
- [35:22]
Unknown
Old news, anyway.
- [35:25]
Tiffany Reese
Today, consideration of criminal charges regarding the alleged identity theft related to the civil case regarding the Teslas is ongoing. On July 5, 2024, an order was issued to domesticate foreign judgment for Mason Motors LLC to move the lawsuit from Utah to Indiana, meaning the Utah court's judgment where the lawsuit was initially filed will now be recognized in Indiana. The judgment in Indiana will be treated the same as any judgment issued by an Indiana court, meaning that the creditor, Mason Motors llc, and Steven Mason can take steps to enforce the judgment, such as garnishing wages or seizing assets in Indiana to collect the amount owed. The Judgment amount is $68,002.10. Jumping back a bit amidst Stoner's Tesla lawsuit, she was sitting in Hamilton county jail from September 9, 2023 to March 7, 2024 when she was granted release into Hamilton County Community Corrections Community corrections programs oversee persons convicted of crime outside of jail or prison and are administered by agencies or courts with the legal authority to enforce these sanctions. After only 27 days of her Community Corrections Program release on March 29, 2024, Stoner's mom Gail tragically passed away unexpectedly nearly a month later on April 22, 2024, after two notices of non compliance were filed and submitted against Stoner, her community corrections program was terminated and she was then sent back to Hamilton County Jail the same day. The first information of violation of probation AKA the document that was submitted to the judge about Stoner's behavior while she was out states that the defendant began a probationary period on December 18, 2023. The sentence was suspended on the condition that the defendant obey all conditions of probation but the defendant has violated certain of those conditions as condition 15 successfully completing any direct commitment through a community corrections program and serve the full term required. It alleges that the Defendant Stoner on 41724 had several events of inappropriate conduct which is a violation of the Residential program guideline number 15 inappropriate conduct shall not be tolerated which was discovered during a search of Ms. Stoner's cell phone. The second first information of non compliance with community corrections placement was filed with the court. It alleges that the defendant on 4 hours, 13 minutes and 24 seconds, Ms. Stoner had one or more hours of unaccounted for release time. In the comments section of this document it stated that due to various non compliance issues such as late returns, continued unemployment and unaccounted for time, a cell phone search was conducted on Ms. Stoner's personal cell phone. The first concern that was discovered was a text conversation between Ms. Stoner and another current male participant where she requested his personal information including his Social Security number to open an AT&T account for herself due to the fact that she has an outstanding balance in exchange for an incentive. Because of the nature of this case and the fact that Ms. Stoner was soliciting information from and encouraging fraud and potential non compliance issues with another participant in the program, this obviously generated great concern. The second issue was the discovery of more texts from Ms. Stoner to another current residential participant, a female that included information about recent sales of her food stamps. The sale transaction was confirmed through her cash app. An incident report with screenshots was immediately forwarded to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office who in turn sent the report to the Family Social Services Administration for further investigation. Again, due to the nature of this case and the fact that Ms. Stoner was engaging in inappropriate, potentially illegal behavior and encouraging participation and potential non compliance with another participant in the program. This raised even more concern. Other information obtained by Ms. Stoner's cell phone included texts to potential landlords indicating that she was in need of housing and she was currently receiving disability for a diagnosis that was obtained in 2023. She has not provided any verification of any diagnosis or disability to hccc. She has only provided paperwork that reports unsuccessful attempts to get into a particular bank account. It was verified that Ms. Stoner had applied to many jobs while under residential supervision. However, the indication due to unopened emails from most of those businesses is that the application process was the extent of most of her employment search effort. Ms. Stoner posted on social media almost daily about all of her personal issues while at HCCC and her specific business names, etc. Job search efforts and struggles. She always ended her posts with a plea for financial assistance. According to Ms. Stoner, she is fully aware of her negative social media and online following. Because of that, discussions were held with her that pointed out the fact that those types of postings were not in her best interest and likely impeded any potential employment progress. She agreed but continued posting anyway stating asking for money is not illegal. Lastly, due to these same social media posts, Ms. Stoner's motives behind her multiple self described crisis events at HCCC were questioned. It was found that during and after those crisis events she would immediately inform the public about the specific event and then follow it with a plea for money. Her cell phone indicated that she sometimes sent these pleas to hundreds if not thousands of individual accounts. Many times. She would also add that she needed money for food as well, which appeared odd to HCCC as they provide three meals per day. While certainly not illegal, her social media actions caused questions as to the validity of the continuous crisis events. These events were often and the staff took an inordinate amount of time responding and tending to them. Ms. Stoner is not appropriate for return to supervision for all the above mentioned reasons, it is the obligation of HCCC to hold participants accountable for their actions and to notify the court when inappropriate and or potentially illegal activities continue while a participant is serving an executed sentence. One of the goals of HCCC is to affect behavior and thinking style changes. In this case, it does not appear we are able to do so. Ms. Stoner has an outstanding balance of $1,022 of which she has paid zero. Should the court disagree with this determination, we would respectfully request a minimum payment of $500 prior to any return so as to not begin her supervision with immediate non compliance issues. On June 26, 2024, a fact finding hearing was held to assess Stoner's non compliance and violation of probation. During the hearing, Stoner admitted to the violations stated previously. Stoner's commitment to community corrections was revoked and her probation continued. Her amended sentence was. Defendant is ordered to serve 508 days in Hamilton County Jail with credit for 222 sentencing days. 111 actual days already served as 111 actual days at Hamilton County Jail from March 7 to May 25, 2024, plus 111 days of good time credit. Defendant is remanded to the custody of hcso. State moves to dismiss. First notice of non compliance. Motion granted. End quote. Here's Alyssa as we're speaking.
- [44:16]
Alyssa
I'm just like, thinking of more things, and I'm like, wow, this is really crazy. I had forgotten that some of these things had happened because I haven't talked about it in so long. I was so ready to record with you today. But at the same time, I was like, this shit is gonna bring up some feelings that I haven't felt in a while because I'm not a victim.
- [44:31]
Tiffany Reese
That's the whole thing.
- [44:31]
Alyssa
But I was so closely invested in all of this in both times. You know, the first time we didn't get her arrested, but the second time, like, it was me. I got to make that call after I screamed to her on the phone and told her, like, I'm gonna get you arrested. I don't care what it takes. I was the one that got to make the call the next time, which was also sweet fucking justice. It was just like, such a good feeling. I had chills when I heard the trailer, when I heard Tom's voice. That's probably when it hit me the hardest. Not only did the rest of us, who had put our blood, sweat, and tears into bringing this bitch down, need this, but he needed this. He needed somewhere to go on and tell his story and exactly what happened in his own words. After everything, I feel like this is the icing on top of the cake for me. First episode, I'm listening to it, and I'm like, everyone is about to know who you are. When I said that to her, it was so true. For so long, I thought this story would never really get the traction that it needed. And now it has. I'm so fucking excited. I just remember that first call with you. I think Alex and I were like 45 minutes into talking to you, and you're like, dude, holy shit, there's no way we could fit this into an episode. And we had just barely cracked the surface. You know, we were just trying to tell you the most significant things that we could to get your attention. When I heard how excited you were and how much you were ready to, like, bite into this. Even though it's a lot, Megan, is a lot this story, for anyone else listening would think that it was not true. But with it being so public and with it being online and with her leaving such a trail behind her, it really has made it easier to kind of pass the torch on to you. Like, look, this is what we have. And you have taken all of that information and made it into these, like, beautiful word documents and timelines. If there was anybody that could have done it, it was you. And you've done it so beautifully.
- [46:24]
Tiffany Reese
Next time on Something Was Wrong. Before you talk to her, she's going to approach you as, I've made some mistakes in my life. I'm trying to right my wrongs. It's been really hard to be under this amount of scrutiny. She's going to come off as the most pathetic person you've ever met, and you're going to come away feeling very gaslit and probably even questioning. Is it the right thing to do now? Currently pending. We talked about this a little bit, the last call, but you have two driving on a suspended license and then the theft is really like the three items that could potentially result in jail time. And your counsel is saying that you will most likely not serve time for those items.
- [47:06]
Megan Stoner
They're misdemeanors and I have proof, but I will respect the justice system and let it play out.
- [47:13]
Unknown
I posted it and said, hi, I'm looking for people who may have interacted with Megan Stoner in this group. She has been arrested for felony fraud and I'm wondering if anyone was a victim of a scam by Megan Stone. Stoner. Someone said, I totally was and this is the first time hearing of her horrible crap.
- [47:32]
Tiffany Reese
Thank you so much for listening. Something Was Wrong is a broken cycle. Media production created and produced by me, Tiffany Reese. Thank you so much to our associate producers, Amy B. Chesler and Lily Rowe. Thank you to our audio engineer, Becca High, and our social media marketing manager, Lauren Barkman of Luxury Media. Additional thanks to our partners, Grant at Wondery, Marissa Travis, and our team at wme, Jason and Jennifer at ksco, our cybersecurity team, Darkbox Security, and my lawyer Alan, and to all of you who make our show possible with your support and listenership. Special Shout out to Neon Honey and Gibbanes for covering our theme song Glad Rag's original song youg Think youk this season. For more music from them, check out the Episode Notes or your favorite streaming app. In the Episode Notes, you'll always find content, warnings, sources and resources with links to our websites and social media as well. Thank you so much to every survivor and ally who has trusted us to help share their stories. We are forever grateful. Until next time, stay safe friends. If you like something was wrong, you can listen early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey@wondery.com hi.
- [49:13]
Ryan Reynolds
I'm Lindsey Graham, the host of Wondry show American Scandal. We bring to life some of the biggest controversies in US History. Presidential lies, Environmental disasters, Corporate fraud. In our latest series, NASA embarks on an ambitious program to reinvent space exploration with the launch of its first reusable vehicle, the Space shuttle. And in 1985, they announced they're sending teacher Krista McAuliffe into space aboard the space shuttle Challenger, along with six other astronauts. But less than two minutes after liftoff, the Challenger explodes, and in the tragedy's aftermath, investigators uncover a series of preventable failures by NASA and its contractors that led to the disaster. Follow American Scandal on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad free and be the first to binge the newest season only on Wondery. You can join Wondery in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today.