S22 Ep4: Apparently All I Do Is Lie

Summary

Episode Summary: Something Was Wrong | S22 E4: Apparently All I Do Is Lie

Something Was Wrong, an award-winning docuseries by Broken Cycle Media and Wondery, delves into the harrowing experiences of survivors navigating trauma and recovery from crime and abuse. In Season 22, Episode 4 titled "Apparently All I Do Is Lie," host Tiffany Reese explores the troubling case of Megan Stoner, a figure whose actions have left a significant impact on her community.

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1. Introduction to Megan Stoner's Story

The episode begins with familiar introductions and content warnings from host Tiffany Reese (01:10). Reese sets the stage for a deep dive into Megan Stoner's life, highlighting previous interactions and the gravity of the allegations against her. Reese notes that "Megan Stoner's responses to these allegations are addressed within this season" (01:10), preparing listeners for a comprehensive examination of her behavior and its repercussions.

2. Megan's Social Media Manipulation and Alleged Scams

a. Sandy Rusk's Testimony

Sandy Rusk, the creator of the Facebook group Truth About I Town Church and its associated TikTok page, provides a detailed account of her interactions with Megan Stoner (07:02). Rusk recounts meeting Megan in late 2021, describing her as "quite a piece of work" (07:37). She narrates how Megan leveraged social media to fabricate stories about sexual assault and conflicts with the Itown megachurch in Indiana, aligning herself with the #MeToo movement to garner sympathy and support.

Rusk details Megan's constant drama creation, stating, "She was constantly creating drama to draw you into her story to either gain attention or to for you to view her as a victim so that you would support her in some way" (13:45). This manipulation extended to false claims about family tragedies, including Megan asserting that her mother was shot by someone from the Itown church—a claim that Rusk found impossible and untrue (15:51).

b. Chloe's Testimony

Chloe, another victim, shares her encounters with Megan, highlighting Megan's pattern of deceit and exploitation. Chloe recounts Megan's attempts to infiltrate political events under false pretenses. For instance, Megan tried to volunteer for the Young Republican National Convention using fake identities to gain free access, undermining the event's integrity (27:31).

Chloe emphasizes Megan's relentless pursuit of attention, stating, "She had a history of doing this" (27:32). She also discusses Megan's subsequent arrest for rental scams, where Megan falsely advertised rental properties she did not own, deceiving multiple victims out of substantial sums (30:23).

3. Megan Stoner's Arrest and Charges

On April 26, 2023, Katie Cox of WRTV Indianapolis reported on Megan Stoner's arrest for a rental scam operation (33:44). Stoner was charged with three felony counts each of fraud and theft, alongside a felony for corrupt business influence. Victims reported that Megan solicited payments through Facebook for rental properties she never owned, providing false move-in dates and citing fabricated emergencies to delay or cancel agreements.

Shortly after her arrest on April 28, 2023, Megan posted bond and was released while awaiting trial. This incident sparked the creation of local Facebook groups aimed at warning the public about her alleged fraudulent activities (36:00).

4. Community Response and Impact

The community's response to Megan's actions has been one of outrage and concern. Victims like Sandy Rusk and Chloe took it upon themselves to expose Megan's deceit, leading to widespread awareness through social media platforms. Chloe mentions, "I started a Twitter thread... It went semi-viral in Indiana" (30:04), which galvanized other victims to come forward with their own experiences.

The impact of Megan's actions extends beyond financial loss. Chloe shares the emotional toll on victims, noting how Megan's schemes left young parents unable to provide basic necessities for their children, such as Christmas presents (63:16).

5. Megan Stoner's Defense and Public Statements

Megan Stoner has publicly defended herself against the accusations, often blaming others for her alleged misdeeds. In a recorded phone conversation, Megan asserts her innocence and tries to justify her actions, claiming that her behavior was misunderstood and that she was a victim of jealousy (29:04).

She states, "I will continue to be a voice. I will continue to move and shake. And I think a lot of it comes down to jealousy" (29:05), attempting to shift the blame onto her critics. However, her statements are met with skepticism and outright rejection from victims and community members.

6. Confrontation and Legal Proceedings

The episode features a tense confrontation between Chloe and Megan during a phone interview (38:39). Chloe systematically challenges Megan on various false claims, including her involvement in political campaigns and fraudulent activities. Notable exchanges include:

• Chloe: "You forged data. That's why you were removed from the campaign." (39:42)
• Megan: "I was an intern. Chloe." (40:28)
• Chloe: "You lied about Todd Young's campaign. Yes or no?" (40:22)
• Megan: "No. I was an intern." (40:28)
• Chloe: "You were not an intern." (40:30)

These exchanges highlight Megan's attempts to defend herself amidst mounting evidence and testimonies against her. Chloe persistently confronts Megan about her dishonesty, leading to a breakdown in the conversation where Megan admits to faking some aspects of her professional background but remains elusive about others ([41:09]).

7. Conclusion and Reflections

As the episode concludes, the severity of Megan Stoner's actions and their impact on her victims becomes unequivocal. Chloe urges Megan to seek redemption by acknowledging her wrongdoing and making amends, emphasizing the importance of honesty and restitution (47:34).

Tiffany Reese wraps up the episode by acknowledging the courage of the victims who shared their stories and the ongoing efforts to hold Megan accountable for her actions (64:07). The episode underscores the destructive nature of deceit and manipulation, reinforcing the show's mission to break the cycle of trauma and abuse.

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Notable Quotes

• Sandy Rusk (07:37): "She was constantly creating drama to draw you into her story to either gain attention or to for you to view her as a victim so that you would support her in some way."

• Chloe (30:04): "I started a Twitter thread... It went semi-viral in Indiana."

• Megan Stoner (29:05): "Jealousy is really hard. There is one parody account that has absolutely trolled me... everything I do is lie."

• Chloe (63:16): "Some of the young parents who weren't able to give their kids Christmas. That's what really bothered me and that's what kind of lit the fire under my butt to air out her dirty laundry because I don't want anybody else to ever be taken advantage of again like that."

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Closing Thoughts

This episode of Something Was Wrong meticulously unravels the complex web of deceit spun by Megan Stoner, shedding light on the profound effects of her actions on individuals and the community. Through firsthand testimonies and confrontational dialogues, the podcast emphasizes the necessity of accountability and the resilience of survivors striving to reclaim their lives from manipulation and fraud.

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Timestamp Reference:

• 01:10 - Episode Content Begins
• 07:02 - Sandy Rusk Introduced
• 07:37 - Sandy Rusk's Detailed Testimony
• 13:45 - Megan’s Manipulative Tactics
• 15:51 - Sandy on Megan’s Fabrications
• 27:31 - Chloe’s Encounter with Megan
• 30:04 - Chloe’s Social Media Efforts
• 29:04 - Megan's Public Defense
• 33:44 - Report on Megan’s Arrest
• 36:00 - Formation of Warning Groups
• 38:39 - Confrontation Between Chloe and Megan
• 63:16 - Chloe’s Motivation Explained
• 64:07 - Episode Conclusion

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Note: Timestamps correspond to the transcript segments for accurate reference.

Transcript

[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 now.

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[Tiffany Reese]

Enterprise this podcast is intended for mature audiences 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 not be misconstrued as a substitution for legal or medical advice. Megan Stoner's responses to these allegations are addressed within this season. I'm Tiffany Reese and this is Something was wrong.

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You.

[Justin]

They can know me here down.

[Unnamed Political Acquaintance]

She wasn't really around politics much for the 2018 cycle. After the 2016 cycle she was very much sort of phased out and nobody really saw her much in 2018.

[Tiffany Reese]

That's Justin, whom we heard from in previous episodes this season. He's a former political acquaintance of Stoner's who has followed her crimes and social media drama over the years.

[Unnamed Political Acquaintance]

But she did have a very big social media presence because that was the year of MeToo and she was constantly tweeting about how she was a sexual assault victim and how she had been assaulted by a very powerful man in the state of Indiana. And she made that very clear. And she would often interact with women on social media as like a sister survivor and made that a very big part of her personality. That had already happened by the time I met her. But again after MeToo sort of cycled out of the news, Megan very quickly kind of dropped that. I did not know at the time who she was referring to just knowing of her and knowing about her. I always suspected it was not true. I couldn't imagine anyone would have done that to her. Just because frankly she was never important enough to have been alone in the room with a powerful man. Like she was a very grassroots level volunteer who would come in and out. But I didn't think that was plausible. But she did make a very big deal of it on social media. Then she got very into her religion and churches, specifically the Itown megachurch, which is a very large network of megachurches. They have a couple of campuses around the Indianapolis area. And she went to, I think their main campus which is in Fishers, which is close to where she lived. And she very quickly like gets in this big pissing match with the church and it sort of triggered like this year long feud that she had online. Fast forward. So now we're into 2019. She gets involved with Hightown and very quickly she. I think what happened was she sort of found the church hurt community online. People who have had trauma relating to the churches they grew up in and people that have had bad interactions with pastors, people who had me too. Issues in the church that weren't dealt with the right way. There's a big community and space for that online. And I think she sort of came across that. And so she needed to sort of find a reason to hate her own church. And so she got into this really deep feud or I always say it was a pissing match with itown, which is a very big church. I mean we're talking tens of thousands of members. I never fully understood. It was very unclear just from her social media posts what she was mad about. It almost sort of seemed like she found the church hurt community. So now I have church hurt and my church is terrible. And she started a podcast of her own called the sinking arc. The most bizarre story was Megan has a DUI on her record. And she posted on Facebook that night that she got run off the road by somebody who went to Itown churches. And that's why she got into ui. She posted the sex toys online and said she thought someone from Itown had sent them to her because they thought it would be funny to send that to somebody with sexual trauma. I believe the summer of 2018, she's posting nonstop about her dad was dying. There's some pictures of her dad around that time and he looks very unwell. I would not be posting pictures of a family member that was in that condition. This was also in the middle of her pissing match with Itown, she claimed on social media that somebody from Itown had come and shot her mom. So she was in the middle of planning two funerals and contemplating the unthinkable that she was about to lose both parents. Obviously, nobody came and shot her mom. Megan had been talking so much about her dying father. I think she was getting some sympathy and support for that. And knowing Megan, I think it's like, well, if one dead parent's good, like, why not have two? That's kind of like her thinking. It's like, oh, look, I can get even more attention. And so she made up this story about how her mom had been shot. Gail had not been shot. Very bizarre.

[Sandy Rusk]

Hi, my name is Sandy Rusk, and I created the private Facebook group the Truth About I Town Church and also the TikTok page of that same name. And I met and became involved with Megan Stoner at the end of 2021 and was in communication with her all the way through the end of April of 2022. So for about five months, I was in communication with her. She shared a lot of things with me, and she's quite a piece of work.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

She's quite a piece of work. And we will link to, in the episode notes for the listeners, an interview that you gave to a friend of mine, Roberta Belvins, at Life after mlm, where you speak more in depth about your experience with Itown and what led to you creating those platforms. Today's interview will focus more on your relationship with Megan Stoner, but certainly if you are interested in learning more about Itown, you'll definitely want to check out the interview that we will link in the episode notes.

[Sandy Rusk]

Well, my whole situation with Itown has been something very devastating. I'm a single mom, and I was raising my daughter alone, and 13 years ago, she was 14 years old. She's 27 now. I didn't grow up in church. While I was raising her in her younger years, we had attended church some, but we were not really entrenched in a church environment. And so when she was 14, she just came to me and said, hey, mom, do you mind if I go to church with my friend Sunday? And I'm a realtor, so I work a lot on the weekends. And so I thought, church, yeah, that sounds great. What's the church? I allowed her to go that first Sunday, and from the minute she walked in to Itown's doors, she was hooked. Hook, lion, sinker. I thought, wow, how great is this? I've got this teenage daughter and she wants to be in Church all the time. She's not out getting into trouble and she's not trying to drink or have sex or, you know, any of those things that you worry about as a mom. Soon after she attended for the first time, I went and attended services and I thought, wow, this all looks pretty cool. And I didn't see anything that I was too worried about. For seven years I was attending. Now keep in mind, being a realtor, I worked a lot on the weekends. So I at the time I worked in new home sales. So I had a model home that I had to go and open up on Sunday afternoon. And so she would go to church and I would maybe pop in, watch the service. Didn't feel like anything was wrong. And then I'd go to work and she would end up volunteering. She went from volunteering almost immediately to then being hired part time to work. After she turned 18, she went on staff there full time. In the last several years, I've been able to discover what all was going on behind the scenes. Five years ago, in the first part of the year will be five years they totally separated her from me. And I've not been able to even see or speak to my daughter since February 28th of 2020. So it's very difficult to say the least.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Is it like evangelical style of church or is it more modern?

[Sandy Rusk]

Like it's more modern? Yes. Well, here's how I describe it because I've had to figure all this out in the last four years. If you took the old style Pentecostal teachings but wrapped it in a very cool trendy exterior, that's what you got there.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Okay, that sounds a lot like Bethel in California.

[Sandy Rusk]

And Julie Roy mentioned arc, the association of Related Churches. That's what ICON is a part of. And there has been numerous scandals and Julie's reported on almost all of them.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

And is that how you met Megan?

[Sandy Rusk]

Well, yes, yes. And I even looked back because I was friends with her on Facebook. It was about five months that I had an association with her. So it started in December of 21, so almost two years after they totally separated me from my daughter. At that time there was a lot of people from itown who had had bad experiences or were hurt there, but nobody would talk about it. And even today they still have control of my daughter 100%. And so I was trying to find, are there other people who have been hurt? Did they do this just to me? I'm trying to figure it out, but not having very much in the way of information because no one wanted to share what they experienced there. And so all of a sudden, it popped up on one of our local groups. I found where I had originally reached out to Megan. Now, this was on November 30th of 21. I wrote, hi, Megan, I saw your post about I town in the Noblesville Chatter uncensored group. I also had a horrendous experience there. I was curious what happened to you and what happened when they asked you to remove your post? I was thinking of coming out publicly with my story. As soon as I sent her that, she sent me back. Hi, I'm actually starting a podcast about itown. And she said, would it be possible to talk to you on the phone today? I thought, wow, finally someone who is maybe taking notice of what's happening at itown. I thought, maybe this is someone who might have some information with me about my daughter. So that started her communicating with me. She seemed very odd, but I was just looking for information about my daughter. How do I find out what's going on behind those walls? How do I get to my daughter? So I had a different kind of motivation meeting her, especially when she said that she was basically getting ready to come out about itown. And I'm thinking, oh, maybe there are other people have had bad experiences that will now start telling their stories very quickly. She just kind of latched onto me because I think that she liked the fact that I needed something, that she wanted me to feel like she might be able to provide it. She was constantly creating drama to draw you into her story to either gain attention or to for you to view her as a victim so that you would support her in some way. And like most people have said in the beginning, you feel like she's a little bit different, but you don't feel like she's a malicious type of person. And no one said this on your podcast yet, but actually she could be very funny. Like, sometimes she would come up with something that was just hilarious. So she's very entertaining at times and very engaging at times, too. I'm quite a bit older than her, obviously, and she seemed to almost need someone to kind of guide her a little bit, maybe be a little bit of a mentor to her. I never gave her money or anything like that. I never let her come and stay at my home. Nothing like that. But emotionally, she seemed to just, I don't know, attached to me for some reason. I'd been struggling with it for two years. She used that as an opportunity to make me think that she could help me. Almost like dangling a Carrot in front of me. You know, she made it seem like, oh, well, I have contacts with certain people that are still there and I can find out stuff. And she was just making it all up.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Basically exploiting your pain for your attention.

[Sandy Rusk]

Yes. Oh my gosh, yes. That's the best way to put it. You hit the nail right on the head. The more that you would get to know her, the more these things that she would share with you. Like the people from I town were showing up at her house and threatening her and running her off the road. And as those kind of things started coming out, I'm like, no, wait a minute, this doesn't make sense. She just had such a way of like sucking you in. The whole thing about when she started saying that she received these sex toys in the mail and these really big designer cookies that are quite expensive. She would send me a picture of boxes of these cookies that she said that someone just randomly sent her and she felt that maybe there was something in the cookies. I mean, just all of these crazy stories. And then it just kept escalating into more craziness.

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[Tiffany Reese]

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[Sandy Rusk]

At one point she claimed that her mother got shot by someone from Itown.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Is there anything else you recall during that time, allegations that she was making?

[Sandy Rusk]

Yes, several. I went back and I looked at these messages that we had through Facebook messenger back then and I realized that she was messaging me constantly. I think maybe I was hoping for tidbits of truth about things that were happening with my daughter. Maybe that was part of it, why I kind of let her go on so long with these things that you just knew couldn't be true. Like I remember once she Told me that she was asleep in bed, and all of a sudden she woke up and this guy was in her bedroom with her. And I'm like, what? What did you do? You know? And she made it sound like the police came and took him away and that was it. And I'm like, that could not have happened. There's no way. I mean, she didn't say he was in bed with her, but that he was just in her room. She had a ring camera on the door of the house. Now, keep in mind, this is that house that she was renting, but she was trying to rent it to other people and took money from them to rent it to them. And she didn't even own the house. And that's the house that I went to when I first met her. And I mean, it looked normal. She had nice little furniture in there. She had a dog. You know, it's a little 1200 square foot ranch and a cute area and fishers and everything looked and seemed normal. She had the ring camera on her door, and she would take videos of people that came up to the door. I don't know what these people were coming up to the door. But then she would take these videos and she would claim that these people were all from itown. All these people coming up to the door to harass her about itown.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Did she call you or text you directly to tell you about her mom being allegedly shot by someone from itown, or did you see it online?

[Sandy Rusk]

Oh, no, she was. She was in conversation with me during that time. She told me that. What else did she tell me? Oh, my gosh. It was just. It's craziness after craziness. She got arrested once during that time. This was something about when she wrecked that car. She drove that car through a fence or something. And I get a call from the Madison county jail or somewhere, and it was, you have a call from an inmate, blah, blah, blah. And it was her. She was in jail and she wanted me to try to help her. And I'm like, girl, I can't help you. At this point, things had already gotten crazy enough that I didn't believe anything that she said.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

So it sounds like that arrest you're talking about was when she got the. It was originally a dui. It eventually got converted, I believe, to an OWI for what Megan claims is because she had cough syrup in the front seat.

[Sandy Rusk]

Yes, I'm sure you probably know this, but it turned out that that Tesla was not hers. And I'm sure that people have already talked to you about this, but she claimed that she worked for the governor. The night I met her, when I pulled up in the driveway, the Tesla was in front of me. And truthfully, I just noticed it was a dark blue car. I didn't even really pay attention that it was a Tesla. When I was inside and her and I were talking, and I was kind of asking, so, what do you do? And she goes, oh, I work for the governor. I work for Eric Holt. And then we're like, real, real buddies. And she made it sound like him and his wife kind of like, took her under their wing. I don't understand how she could have gotten away with so long telling people that she worked for the governor, and the governor not coming forward and saying, I don't know this chick. But she told me that he bought her that car. I did just remember something else that she did one day. Again, I'm a realtor. I know a lot of realtors in my community. I've been doing this a long time. And so she called me one day, and she goes, oh, guess what? And I said, what? And she goes, I'm dating a realtor now. And I go, what do you mean? And she goes, yes. I was at this event, and he bought me a drink. And, you know, and I'm thinking. And I said, so what's his name? And she told me. And I pulled him up on Facebook, and he was this young, cute guy. And I'm looking at his Facebook page, and he's married. Like, with a cute, young wife. And I go, megan? Yeah, you're talking about is he's married. And she goes, I can't believe that. Oh, well. And then she just changed the subject. But I'm like, how do you get I'm dating a realtor out of running into someone that was maybe pleasant to you at a networking event.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

I think it highlights her delusion what.

[Sandy Rusk]

She would do to keep me engaged is she would. It was almost like she was catfishing us because she would contact me and she would say, oh, I found out something about my daughter. And I would be like, okay, what? What did you find out? And she makes it sound like she's got the end with certain people that are upset there, but they don't want to leave because they're afraid, but they talk to her. That's what she made me think. And then the final. Want to hear the final thing that she did? This was. This was it. This was when I was done. So this would have been sometime around the end of April of 21. So her and I were talking on the phone, and she probably called me, like, really late, maybe around midnight. So I'm talking to her, and she's telling me that my daughter had trouble with her car and she's, like, stranded, and that this other person that she had talked to had talked to my daughter, but she couldn't go and help her for whatever reason. So she made it sound like this other person was talking to my daughter, who was then talking to Megan. And then Megan was talking to me about it, and she would be like, oh, wait a minute, I think so. And so is going to go help her. Let me hear. Let me look and see what she just said. Oh, she said that she can't go yet. And she created this whole situation. And I go, you know what? I'm going to go. I thought, if my daughter is stranded on the side of the road somewhere, I'm going to go save my daughter. I said, okay, where exactly is she? And she tells me the street, and it's like a half an hour drive from where I live. I get up and I get dressed, and I'm like, I'm just gonna go, and I'm just gonna pull up and to my daughter, I'm just gonna say, get in. You're stranded. Get in and just go and get her. And so I drive up there and where she told me she was supposed to be, there was no car there. I went from that location and drove to where my daughter's house is. While I'm driving there, I'm still on the phone with Megan, and I drive there, and guess what? My daughter's car is sitting safely in her driveway at the back of her house, and all of her lights are off in her house. So she's obviously home and safe, not stranded on a road somewhere. I said, megan, her car is at her house. She's safely at home. And I just hung up on her. Because at that point, I'm, like, furious knowing that this whole evening of me being worried about my daughter was all just fake. Well, for two days, I think it was. I didn't talk to her at all. And then she finally got me on the phone, and I just said, megan, it's not true. My daughter was at home safely. And I don't even remember what her comment was, but I just basically got off. And that was really the last interaction that I had with her.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

That had to be so upsetting. When you went and looked for her and then you make that discovery, did you already suspect that it could have been Alive, given your experience of Megan by that point.

[Sandy Rusk]

Yes, I did. But it was so believable what she was telling me. As a mom, you're going to be like, oh my gosh, my child is stranded in the middle of the night, out in the middle of nowhere, in the dark. Go help your child. Then of course, I'm sure Megan was figuring out that she was getting ready to be caught because she was on the phone with me the whole time.

[Unnamed Interviewer]

Her lies have very real consequences.

[Sandy Rusk]

Yeah. And I think that she latches onto one person and takes it as far as they will let her take it. And then whenever they realize that they have to get this person away from them, then she will latch onto the next person.

[Tiffany Reese]

Please note, Itown Church has not responded to our request for comment.

[Chloe]

So I at some point deleted her as a friend off of Facebook because I just was like, she's weird. I don't want her seeing my stuff.

[Tiffany Reese]

That's Chloe, like Justin. She's a political acquaintance of Stoners. We heard from her at the top of episode two when she shared about Stoner falsifying political data.

[Chloe]

I kept her on, I want to say Twitter and I think Instagram. I think this was 2021. She got mad at me and blocked me because we. And when I say we, I mean my husband and I and a small group of Indiana Young Republicans caught her trying to sign up to volunteer to work the Young Republican National Convention that was going to be in Indianapolis that summer. And my husband was one of the folks on the YR board who was running this convention in the fall. I was pregnant at the time. And so I was like, nope, not volunteering, sitting on my couch watching tv. So I said, hey, you go to the convention, you have fun, say hi to everybody. But I can't work the registration table. I just can't do it. And Kyle, my husband, said, hey, we've got someone that's emailing the Young Republican email, I think by the name of Maggie Stone or another fake name. So it was super obvious who it was. And I said, oh, that's gotta be Megan Stoner. She just wants to get in for free. These types of conventions and conferences, you normally have to pay like 250 bucks, maybe 200, something like that to get in. But it includes the programming, your meals and some swag. So it's well worth it to network and meet like minded people and see friends and have fun. And so I'm like, gosh, you know, she's coming downtown all the time. Why doesn't she Just want to fork over the money. That's ridiculous. So she started subtweeting my husband and everybody else that was on the planning committee, and she was like, man, they're not going to let me volunteer.

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[Chloe]

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. She starts tagging my husband on Twitter because she knew that he was the one that was saying, no, we're good, thanks. And he responded and said, hey, we knew because you have a history of doing this, that if you were to attend and work the registration table, you would skip it and then just go into the event for free. We can only let people who actually volunteer do that. That's not fair to the other ticket holders. That's what happens most of the time, you know, at these events. It's like, hey, to thank everybody for helping set up and putting out the T shirts, doing the grunt work, we'll let you go into the programming for free and go and have a good drink and have fun. But Megan had a history of skipping out on that and going in and getting the perks without any of the actual work. So she threatened to call the media or something. And then she went on some talk show that has since been deleted. It was called, like, Erupt News. It was some independent news thing, and they gave her a platform.

[Megan Stoner]

But the Twitter backlash that I have faced in the last 24 hours has absolutely been out of just. I never thought I would face this backlash. Being told that I'm not a royal Republican, being told that I'm taking advantage of the party. These things I have never been called my entire life, and all of a sudden I'm being called these things. What a shame. But I will continue to be a voice. I will continue to move and shake. And I think a lot of it comes down to jealousy. I think a lot of them are jealous that they've not had the monumental impact that I've had.

[DSW Advertiser]

And that's fine.

[Megan Stoner]

Jealousy is really hard. There is one parody account that has absolutely trolled me. For the last 18 hours, they have questioned everything in my life. Apparently, I don't own the car that I'm seeing out at the Starbucks, looking at right now. Everything in my life they have questioned. They wanted me to meet them at a parking garage to show them the car that I own, that apparently all I do is lie. When I'm sitting here looking at my car that I drove to the this location, I've been open about, you know, the car I own. I do own a Tesla. I've been pretty open and transparent on Twitter and I like to brag, to be quite honest, because I've worked very hard and, you know, I like to have nice things. And that's, you know, never a bad thing. Capitalism works. I think a lot of it is just jealousy that I've gotten a piece of legislation through and that I've made a name for myself, like it or not.

[Chloe]

I kind of make the joke that Megan Stoner was one of my favorite things to watch on the Internet. So I just paid attention to her.

[DSW Advertiser]

Twitter because that's where she would put.

[Chloe]

A lot of her ridiculous thoughts and she would complain about stuff. And then I got a text message, I think the morning of her arrest. I don't remember who it was. I think it was somebody in Indiana politics and said, hey, Megan Stoner's been arrested for this. And I said, no way.

[DSW Advertiser]

A Hamilton county woman is facing serious charges, accused of scamming several people out of rental homes. For a year and a half, Victoria Hampton has been waiting for justice. She says in 2021, she was scammed out of $1,800 by 25 year old Megan Stoner after accepting an offer to sublet Stoner's apartment. But Hampton never got the keys or her money back. The only things she got were excuses.

[Tiffany Reese]

Including blaming sick relatives for the reason Stoner didn't move.

[Sandy Rusk]

And I said, megan, I'm sorry you have a sick relative, but I'm going to be homeless. You don't seem to care about that.

[Tiffany Reese]

Hampton, now 70 years old, says she.

[DSW Advertiser]

Never expected a thing.

[Justin]

I was just so excited to get.

[Sandy Rusk]

An apartment that I didn't even think about anybody doing anything like that. I mean, this girl was driving a Tesla, living in a house in Fisher's.

[DSW Advertiser]

The scam left her financially devastated, and she was forced to move to Arizona and live with a friend until she got back on her feet. She's a predator.

[Sandy Rusk]

She has no conscience.

[Grammarly Advertiser]

Did you know that after World War II, the US government quietly brought former Nazi scientists to America in a covert operation to advance military technology? Or that in the 1950s, the US army conducted a secret experiment by releasing bacteria over San Francisco to test how a biological attack might spread without alerting the public? These might sound like conspiracy theories, but they're not. They're well documented government operations that have been hidden away in classified files for decades? I'm Luke Lamanna, a Marine Corps recon vet, and. And I've always had a thing for digging into the unknown. It's what led me to start my new podcast, Declassified Mysteries. In it, I explore hidden truths and reveal some eye opening events like covert experiments and secret operations that those in power tried to keep buried. Follow redacted declassified mysteries with me Luke Lamanna on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts to listen ad free. Join Wondery plus in the Wondery App.

[Unnamed Podcast Host]

In a quiet suburb, a community is shattered by the death of a beloved wife and mother. But this tragic loss of life quickly turns into something even darker. Her husband had tried to hire a hitman on the dark web to kill her and she wasn't the only target. Because buried in the depths of the Internet is the Kill List, a cache of chilling documents containing names, photos, addresses and specific instructions for people's murders. This podcast is the true story of how I ended up in a race against time to warn those who lives were in danger. And it turns out convincing a total stranger someone wants them dead is not easy. Follow Kill List on the Wandri app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to Kill List and more Exhibit C True Crime Shows like More bid early and ad free right now by joining Wonder Plus. Check out Exhibit C in the Wandery app for all your true chrome Listening.

[Tiffany Reese]

On April 26, 2023, Katie Cox for WRTV Indianapolis reported on Stoner's rental scheme, stating a Fisher's woman has been charged after investigators say she tried to lease a home, which she did not own, to multiple people. According to probable cause documents filed against Stoner, police and Fishers began receiving calls about a rental scam in December of 2021. Each of the three victims told police that they had been in contact with Stoner through Facebook about the rental property. In two incidents, the victims claimed they had made a post about needing to find a rental and Stoner had contacted them individually. The third person said they reached out to Stoner after seeing her post about the same home on Morgan Street. Each of the victims told investigators they had toured the home, signed a rental agreement via DocuSign, and paid Stoner between $617,000 to secure the home for rental. They were each given varying move in dates and said that as the date of their move in drew near, Stoner would contact them and move the date back. Sometimes she claimed to have been in an accident, other times she claimed she was taking care of a sick relative. During the course of the investigation, police made contact with the actual owner of the home who stated that Stoner was leasing it from him. He provided police with a copy of Stoner's lease, prohibiting her from subleasing the property Court documents say the owner told police he was in the process of evicting Stoner for attempting to sublease his rental property to several different people. Stoner has been charged with three separate felony counts of fraud and three separate felony counts of theft, as well as a felony count of corrupt business influence. End quote. Shortly after Stoner was arrested, April 28, 2023, she quickly posted bond and was released while awaiting trial. Shortly after, a local Facebook group was started by concerned community members in an effort to warn the public about Stoner's alleged scams. Here's Chloe again.

[Chloe]

I went on mycase.in.gov and you can look up any Hoosier in the back end of my case and you can find any traffic tickets, arrest records, divorce records, anything. We've got a very open public records system. And it said that it was an owi and she put this thing on Facebook about how I got pulled over because someone from itown church was trying to run me off the road because I started this podcast that's trying to uncover the corruption in the itown church and they caught me with cough medicine and that's why I got arrested and I had to spend a night in jail. And this is just ridiculous. And it's like, wow, this is classic Megan not wanting to take accountability for her actions. And to this day, I still don't know what it was that she was pulled over with. I'm actually the one who started the stuff on Twitter. Most of it at least. I don't know what overcame me, but I had been keeping in my head track of most of her ridiculousness. And I started a Twitter thread. Maybe it was seen a hundred thousand times. It went semi viral in Indiana, and I basically said, hey, she's been arrested. It's long overdue. Here's a bunch of the stuff that she has done. I think my Twitter thread is partially what prompted some of the group and the Twitter spaces. It was the morning of the arrest for the rental scams because I had access to the probable cause affidavit and included some of that in there. I believe that's what prompted the Twitter thread. And what's crazy is that while this was going like semi viral and a lot of people had seen it and they were like, oh my gosh, I know this girl because she would DM me for money or she would DM me for this or she would DM me for that. They would say she added me on Facebook and asked for money for her classroom too. This is ridiculous. And I kid you Not. I probably had between 150 to 200 people over that week who reached out to me on social media that I either knew from Republican circles who I'd never met in real life, but I knew them via the Internet. And they said, hey, I gave her ten dollars when she asked me for ten bucks for this prevent suicide walk that she was doing. And that's when I realized that her wild and craziness expanded far beyond Indiana and went throughout the whole US when she had been arrested, I got on a phone call with her and recorded that phone call.

[DSW Advertiser]

How are you, Megan?

[Justin]

Hi, Chloe.

[DSW Advertiser]

So what. What's the purpose of you wanting to chit chat?

[Justin]

I mean, we don't have to, obviously. I understand that I've done some things wrong in the past and I'm trying to correct those forward. And I just want to reach out because I know you're one of the people that have been attacking me, right or wrong.

[DSW Advertiser]

And I wouldn't call it attacking. I would call it sharing facts.

[Justin]

Okay. If that's okay.

[DSW Advertiser]

I mean, what if I said that's not truthful? I guess maybe we can start there.

[Justin]

I mean, Chloe, I'm not going to sit here and go through every little thing. If you want to ask me questions, I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. I'm not going to entertain questions on the legal front, but if you have any questions, I will try my best. I'm happy to try to shed any light on things that I can.

[DSW Advertiser]

So what have I said that's not truthful? Well, you've claimed I wasn't an intern.

[Justin]

On Todd Young's campaign.

[DSW Advertiser]

Megan, don't. Don't try to get me on technicalities. You. You never were paid. You were never an intern. You were a volunteer. You forged data. That's why you were removed from the campaign. I have three different sources telling me that. So let's cut it.

[Chloe]

Cut it.

[DSW Advertiser]

Be honest. It feels so much better to be honest. It feels so much better to be honest. And I know that you have this political reputation that you want to keep going forward, but you know that everybody in Indiana knows that you're lying. Everybody knows everybody. So cut him.

[Justin]

Okay, so what do you want to know?

[DSW Advertiser]

You lied about Todd Young's campaign. Yes or no?

[Justin]

No. I was an intern. Chloe.

[DSW Advertiser]

You were not an intern.

[Justin]

Okay, I guess it would. Okay, well, that's what called it in the text message.

[DSW Advertiser]

Are you saying I'm not an intern.

[Justin]

Because I was fired? Is that what it is?

[DSW Advertiser]

Well, so you were asked to leave, then.

[Justin]

Yeah, but are you saying. Are you. I guess. Then is the difference that you're saying I was fired, so I can't call an internship. I mean.

[DSW Advertiser]

I mean, get it on. Get it on a technicality. But you. You resigned. But really, you were fired and asked to leave.

[Justin]

I agree I was fired. I went back and I was fired two days later. I agree I was fired.

[DSW Advertiser]

Okay, but. So you admit you. You faked the data and that's why you were fired?

[Justin]

Some of it, yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

Why? I mean, I don't like door knocking. Like, I hate it, so I get it.

[Justin]

I guess at the time, I didn't realize the consequences.

[DSW Advertiser]

Yeah.

[Justin]

For the campaign.

[DSW Advertiser]

Yeah. And you faked my data, too.

[Justin]

For Curtis.

[DSW Advertiser]

Yeah. You faked that, too.

[Justin]

Honestly, I don't remember, but I probably did, yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

What. What other campaigns have you been lying about? I mean, we'll keep it to political stuff, because that's my wheelhouse, but what other campaigns have you been lying about? You never worked at State Party.

[Chloe]

Never said I did.

[Justin]

I got that taken back. From me.

[DSW Advertiser]

Yes, you. Yes. Yes, you did. Mark Warner, Mike Neal. They have. They have all said that you went around Brian Zansky. I can't pronounce his last name. The guy on Mike Pence's staff in 2016. They have. They have all said that you would go around and say you were either working at State Party or you were working at Pence's campaign. They were constantly feeling phone calls of, oh, my gosh, you know that Megan Stoner is saying that you're working on this campaign, you're working in this office. And they had to put that rumor to rest. So you lied about that? Yes or no?

[Justin]

Honestly, I can't remember. I know that I worked under Alex on Pence's campaign for a while.

[DSW Advertiser]

Do. No. Doing what? You've never worked on Mike Pence's campaign. Have you ever. Has. Let me rephrase this. Have you ever gotten a paycheck from any campaign? An actual paycheck? Does a non.

[Justin]

Does a 501c3 count?

[DSW Advertiser]

That's a 500. 501c3 is a nonprofit organization. That's not a political campaign. Political Campaigns cannot be 501c3s. Have you ever gotten a paycheck from a political campaign? I know that. What the answer is, it's no. No, you volunteered on campaigns, so you can say that you volunteered on campaigns.

[Justin]

Sure. Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

So you have never actually worked as an employee, as a contractor, as a 1099, as a W2. Okay. Doesn't it feel good to be honest?

[Justin]

Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

Yeah, it should. It should feel really good to be honest. When did you work in the governor's office?

[Justin]

You didn't.

[DSW Advertiser]

You didn't. So why did you tell a therapist or someone, some other trusted person. Do you know what story I'm going to tell you? During COVID what did you tell a therapist that was happening in the governor's office office that launched During COVID During COVID Didn't. Didn't you tell somebody that you were working in Eric Holcomb's administration?

[Justin]

Who did I tell?

[DSW Advertiser]

I'm asking you. Because it launched a Indiana State Police investigation, caused a lot of problems.

[Justin]

Oh, okay. Yeah. Benjamin. Yeah. Okay.

[DSW Advertiser]

Why did you do that? You didn't work there. And during COVID you caused all of these problems. All of these problems during a public health emergency and had all of those resources going. Instead of going from the governor's office, they went to some BS investigation. Why would you do that? And like, as a Republican, as a conservative, we need young people to be involved. But do you realize how you're never going to actually work in Indiana politics ever? I mean, you realize that?

[Justin]

I'm aware.

[DSW Advertiser]

I mean, so did. Did you also. You wrote bad checks to the Carly Fiorina event? Yes.

[Sandy Rusk]

No.

[Justin]

I paid with a credit card.

[DSW Advertiser]

I don't think they took credit cards.

[Justin]

I don't think they took checks.

[DSW Advertiser]

I have heard many, many people who were working in and around that saying that you wrote a bad check. I do know you still owe $100 to the Madison County GOP for what's it called? State convention from 2018. So, I mean, add. Add that. Add that to your tab. But you know, the other thing that also really pisses me off is the number of. And I do not doubt, and this is incredibly sensitive, I do not doubt that you've had terrible things happen to you, and for that, I'm sorry. But to actively go around and make accusations against good people. Horrifying. So what's true? Bosma, Pence, Holcomb, Knisley, who?

[Justin]

I've never said nicely. I've never said anything against most of those men that you've talked about. I don't know where you got that info, but you can confirm with nisly. I've never said anything about him.

[DSW Advertiser]

Okay, so. So, Basma, true or not true?

[Justin]

Not true.

[DSW Advertiser]

So why would you make the accusation?

[Justin]

I don't know, Chloe.

[DSW Advertiser]

I mean, attention. Yeah, Holam. I've never said anything as. Well, I can't. You know, I. You Read things. So, you know, oh, Bosma, Holcomb, Knisley. There were some pence. Pence. So pence. True or not true? Not true.

[Justin]

And I've never claimed that. I really haven't, Chloe.

[DSW Advertiser]

So it's only Bosma.

[Justin]

Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

And that turns out to be not true.

[Justin]

Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

Do you. Do you understand why people would not want to have you at events? Do you. I mean, do you understand why? Okay, let's say that, you know, you did pay restitution or you did do something good, how people would not want to believe you because of your track record.

[Justin]

Yeah, that's fine.

[DSW Advertiser]

So here's my question then. Why will you not admit publicly that you have been. I don't. Rental scam stuff. That's a totally different ballpark. And for that, I think you need to probably talk to a certified counselor or a priest, rabbi, whatever your religious affiliation is.

[Chloe]

Right.

[DSW Advertiser]

But for the political stuff, why. Why can you not just come out and say, hey, I have hurt so and so, so and so, so and so and so and so, and I'm ready to make amends. Is it. Is it a pride thing? Is it fear? Like, what. What is it?

[Justin]

I mean, honestly, I considered that, but I didn't know that it would matter anyway. So that's why I've not done it, because I figured that it. Nobody cares about my opinion or what I say, so I figured it wouldn't matter.

[DSW Advertiser]

You. But you do. But you do realize that everybody is redeemable, and you can be redeemed if you start telling the truth. That's where the story turns around, is when you start telling the truth. It feels good to tell the truth. When you start telling the truth, you start to gain back that trust over and over and over and over again. So, I don't know. Like, again, I'm not a lawyer. I don't play one on tv. But if you were to talk to, you know, a lawyer about whatever, you know, the nine felonies that you're char. That you're currently facing, and say, I did it, give me. Give me parole, give me whatever, you probably would avoid jail time. Obviously, you need to talk to a lawyer. Again, I'm not a lawyer. I don't Play 1 on TV. But I've noticed that when you tend to tell the truth and ask for forgiveness, it works better for you in the long run, right? You probably can start building back your reputation if you come out and say, I lied about this, this, this, this, every single thing I lied about it. I have a problem. I know I do. I'm working on it. And there you go. You are then free. But you have to want to do it. You have to be willing to do the work. I don't know if you're willing to do that. And that's my question to you. I don't know that you're willing to do that. So what other. What other political. Political stuff? I mean, writing bad checks to events? Yes.

[Justin]

Well, maybe one to the John Kasich campaign.

[DSW Advertiser]

Okay, so some indie funds fundraiser was a bad check?

[Justin]

Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

Why?

[Justin]

Honestly, at the time it was my parents check and didn't know it was bad.

[DSW Advertiser]

Oh, that happens.

[Justin]

And it wasn't my check. I couldn't have checked at that age.

[DSW Advertiser]

At what. How old were you? 17. I had checks when I was 17. You can have checks when you're 17. Why the. Have you realized that? It just kind of started small and then it just snowballed and snowballed and snowballed to the point where now you're just facing what, nine felonies?

[Justin]

Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

Where did you get the campaign donations for your race in 2018?

[Sandy Rusk]

Honestly?

[Justin]

Off of social media.

[DSW Advertiser]

Were any of them more than $100?

[Justin]

No.

[DSW Advertiser]

Did you, did you report those donations?

[Justin]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I did on my fe. I mean, my filing. I don't think there was anything to really report other than expenditures. I was kind of. Kind of went overboard on the website, but.

[DSW Advertiser]

Well, that's tech, you know, I'm. I'm worried that you are going to get in 10 times more trouble for the unaccounted income. Do you file taxes?

[Sandy Rusk]

No.

[Justin]

I mean, again, not under my llc. I don't have an llc.

[DSW Advertiser]

So you probably should remove political consultant out of your bio then. Hey, it's your life. You do what you want to do. But I mean, start small, right? Like start. Start small. I mean, talk. Talk to your lawyer. But you're, You're. You will get caught for income. Especially with. I mean, you're. You're gonna get caught. That's the next thing you should probably talk about with your legal team. Say I have all this unreported income. What am I gonna do? Because here's the other problem. Money that you have or even that you took illegally, you have to pay taxes on it, correct?

[Justin]

Yeah, I know.

[DSW Advertiser]

Yeah. What else. What else do you want to get off your chest?

[Justin]

I really don't know. I mean, happy to answer any questions. I mean, I mean, I don't know what else to own. I don't know what else you have interest on Interest in.

[DSW Advertiser]

I mean, unfortunately, I, you know, don't really believe much of what you say. I think there's a lot more than four to five victims that are named in the probable cause affidavit. A lot. My count from Facebook groups was 20 to 50.

[Justin]

I don't think it's that high, but, I mean, I know it's higher than 3 or 4.

[DSW Advertiser]

I. Of the people who said that they either had given you money, like travel, nurses. I mean, I assume it's a lot higher than that. But again, Justin and I are working.

[Justin]

On putting a public call out and trying to figure out who all was wronged. And if they've been wronged, I'm happy to try to make that right. And I've started that tonight with another victim.

[DSW Advertiser]

That's good. But are you going to continue that, though? Are you. Are you going to. In the work?

[Justin]

Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

I mean, what's. Here's my question. Have. Have you ever had a job?

[Justin]

Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

Where? Where have you worked? Where. Where have you received a 1099 W2? Where have you received a paycheck?

[Justin]

Online tutoring.

[DSW Advertiser]

You think you should be working with kids?

[Justin]

Not working with kids online. It's like proofreading, like essays and stuff for college adults, like resumes and stuff. It's nothing to do with kids.

[DSW Advertiser]

You. Are you really a teacher?

[Justin]

Yes, I have a teaching license.

[DSW Advertiser]

I didn't ask if you had a teaching license. Where. Where have you taught?

[Justin]

I've taught under Kelly Education as a substitute teacher.

[DSW Advertiser]

For how long?

[Justin]

Just since August.

[Chloe]

One second.

[Justin]

Just since August.

[DSW Advertiser]

And you're still actively employed there?

[Justin]

Not as of today, no.

[DSW Advertiser]

What do you mean, not as of today? You got fired. You.

[Justin]

They put me on temporary leave until after the trial, I guess. I don't know. I'm still fighting that. I don't know.

[DSW Advertiser]

Do you honestly think you should be teaching kids, though, with your. I'm. This is a serious question. Should you be teaching people under the age of 18 with your track record?

[Justin]

I'm not teaching.

[DSW Advertiser]

I'm less.

[Justin]

I'm putting out plans. That's all I'm doing.

[DSW Advertiser]

Were you ever in a classroom?

[Justin]

Yes, I was. I was hired at Mount Vernon. For how long? I don't know. A week? Yeah. Options? Charter School, Mount Vernon.

[DSW Advertiser]

Do you think it was right of you to be teaching kids with your track record? Yeah. So are you at 40 hours a week, like, actively employed right now with the tutoring thing, or is it, like, more part time?

[Justin]

It's part time.

[DSW Advertiser]

What are you gonna do to pay restitution?

[Justin]

I'm figuring it out, Chloe. I'm applying at places I'm thinking about, like maybe Starbucks or Hobby Lobby. Like, just stocking shelves. Like something that. It doesn't really matter about pride. It's just something to make money.

[DSW Advertiser]

Goodwill hires people with track records. But, you know, I think that's. That's a big part of making amends, is paying restitution and starting probably going all the way back. What's the deal with your Aunt Linda?

[Justin]

It doesn't matter. I know you're not going to believe it, so I don't know what the.

[DSW Advertiser]

I mean. Hey, try me. Checkbook. Did you take a checkbook? Did you take a credit card? What was it?

[Justin]

Credit card.

[DSW Advertiser]

And when. How long did it take before she found out or before she noticed?

[Justin]

Close to a year, I think.

[DSW Advertiser]

Damn. Aunt Linda wasn't watching the statements?

[Justin]

I guess not.

[DSW Advertiser]

Shoot, my dad was always on my ass. And how's that relation? I mean, are you two. I mean, that's your aunt. That's. That's a blood relative. Have there been made amends there?

[Justin]

A little bit, yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

I'm sure she trusts you, or.

[Justin]

No, don't really discuss that. I mean, she's came and got me when I was in jail with the dui. I don't really know what to say to that. I mean, she was going to help me out with bail money this last time, but I ended up not going that route because I didn't want to owe her even more money. Yeah, I mean, as far as trust goes, I don't really know what to say. I mean, she talked to me the night I got out of jail and we've talked since. I mean. I mean, she seems to care about me. I can say that much.

[DSW Advertiser]

Trust?

[Justin]

I don't know.

[DSW Advertiser]

Well, it's family. But still. But still. So your Amazon list, was that. Were those items for you or were those for students?

[Justin]

Actually, for students.

[DSW Advertiser]

I don't. I don't know, it just seems pretty fishy that, I mean, you only worked. How long did you actually work in a classroom, though? Mount Vernon. You said a week. Options was what, around that same time?

[Justin]

Yeah, but, I mean, you can. I have another friend that you can ask. I mean, I move shit in. I mean, I took my stuff that I had. Books, stickers, supplies, pencils, notebooks, erasers. I took all that stuff in the classroom with me.

[DSW Advertiser]

So. So why. Why keep sharing the list if you're not teaching, if you're not actively in the. In the classroom? Do you. Do you see where the dots don't connect.

[Justin]

Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

So it was for you?

[Justin]

Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

Yeah. So it started as students, and then it was just for you. Doesn't it feel good to be honest?

[Justin]

Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

Let me ask you. I'll probably end with this. The dui, drinking weed. What was it?

[Justin]

Honestly? I have the paperwork if you want to see it, and.

[DSW Advertiser]

I don't care. I don't care.

[Justin]

It was cough medicine.

[DSW Advertiser]

I don't believe that. I don't believe. I do not believe that it was cough medicine. Were you breathalyzed on the scene?

[Justin]

I was.

[DSW Advertiser]

Cough medicine's not gonna get you above the legal limit, chloe.

[Justin]

It was 0.0. That's why it's an OWI now.

[DSW Advertiser]

I don't know. Come to the trial.

[Justin]

It's June something.

[DSW Advertiser]

Are you gonna push it back and say that you're sick, or are you actually gonna. Are you gonna go?

[Justin]

Well, I'm out of. I'm out of continuances. The last time the state asked for the continuance. Ah.

[DSW Advertiser]

What's with. What's with the Julie Roy's murder for hire plot? Was that all fabricated, too?

[Justin]

Yeah.

[DSW Advertiser]

Why? Attention. Say that again.

[Justin]

For attention.

[DSW Advertiser]

Retention. I seem to be not a counselor. I'm just a journalism major. It seems that you need attention and you thrive off of it. And I think that moving forward in trying to right the wrongs that you have done, I think you need to keep that in the back of your head and say, am I. Am I really doing this for Megan? Am I doing this for good reasons, or am I doing it for Megan reasons? Because it seems as if every single step where there has been some type of wrong, it has been for attention. And that's. No jury is going to fix that for you. That's got to be done on. On the inside, right?

[Justin]

Yeah. I mean, I know everybody. And that's the other thing I want to address. I know everybody keeps talking about, like, a jury trial and all this. I hope everyone realizes that, like, if I do go a jury trial and I don't take a plea bargain, which I don't know what I'm going to do yet. All I've done is consult with attorneys. I've not retained one. First of all, the jury trial would be dragged out. It's not going to. I highly, highly, highly, highly, highly doubt it would be this year. And I'm sure your husband can agree a jury trial probably would not happen in this calendar year. Even though it's scheduled to. I still doubt that it would actually happen. Second of all, if I take A plea bargain, which I actually asked that. This question this weekend to an attorney. If I, If I take a plea bargain, I'm still looking at a six to nine month turnaround time. It's not going to be quick. So, I mean, there's that.

[DSW Advertiser]

I mean it just.

[Justin]

Nothing's gonna be quick. I doubt I'm gonna do a jury trial. Yeah. So, I mean, there's that. I mean, I know everybody is thriving off the idea of coming to my jury trial. First of all, I doubt we're gonna go that route. Second of all, I've already been thinking about what a plea bargain would look like from the prosecutor's office.

[DSW Advertiser]

Most cases don't go to trial, but I don't really have anything else. And I would not, I would highly recommend you not put anything on Twitter that says that you and I had any kind of productive conversation. Because at the end of the day, it was me basically telling you what I already know to be true and that's that you've been lying and have been. So I would highly suggest maybe not doing that. But I don't control. I'm that Facebook group that's out there. I'm not an admin. I don't know anything about it. I didn't make it. The only thing I have been sharing is facts that I can prove and facts that I've gotten either from my case or where I've gotten at least two to three sources to confirm that. Well, yeah, you actually did mess up the data on Young's campaign. The big thing that was definitely very frustrating for a lot of yrs. You did not have credentials to the 2021 National Convention here in Indianapolis. You kept saying that you did, but you didn't. Why did you contact Jeff and Kyle with a fake email address asking to volunteer?

[Justin]

Because nobody would ever get back to me and nobody would be honest with me.

[DSW Advertiser]

Is it maybe because. Do you think you were never honest with them?

[Justin]

Yeah, now I do.

[DSW Advertiser]

Yeah. Well, that's how that tends to work.

[Justin]

Learned.

[DSW Advertiser]

Yeah. And unfortunately, the hard way, I guess my big thing is what's really frustrated me is in the last 10 years noticing and realizing that your lies went from super, super tiny to snowballed and oh, so and so was left homeless. So and so couldn't buy their kids Christmas presents. So and so couldn't do this. So and so couldn't do that. I mean, that's pretty messed up. So I guess thank you for, you know, being as honest as you possibly can be. But I would implore you to Actually do the work, right your wrongs, pay restitution. And I do know that telling the truth, one, it feels good. Two, usually people will say, okay, well, since you were forthright, then we're not gonna punish you as much, so take that with what you will. Best of luck to you, Megan.

[Tiffany Reese]

Coming up this season on Something was Wrong.

[Chloe]

Some of the young parents who weren't able to give their kids Christmas. That's what really bothered me and that's what kind of lit the fire under my butt to air out her dirty laundry because I don't want anybody else to ever be taken advantage of again like that.

[DSW Advertiser]

I had sent her a text and.

[Justin]

I said, you know, I'm a reporter and I want to pay you for your life story.

[Sandy Rusk]

This was my way in with her.

[Justin]

And we start having these conversations. Yeah, the prosecutor is not going easy because of all the media attention.

[DSW Advertiser]

Yeah, it blew up.

[Sandy Rusk]

It blew up online.

[DSW Advertiser]

I can't do it. You're in jail.

[Justin]

I'm sorry.

[Unnamed Political Acquaintance]

At this point, her rearrest warrant had been out for a while. She hadn't been turned in. She was running from the police. The admin group was running a couple different schemes to catch her that we were not all aware of at the time.

[DSW Advertiser]

Megan agreed to meet me, and she's.

[Sandy Rusk]

Like, I'll come pick you up.

[DSW Advertiser]

Tell me where. Tell me when we could do it tonight.

[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 Gabanez for covering our theme song gladrag'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. 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 [e-mail] survey.