Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators

Summary

The Binge Cases: Baby Broker – Episode 4: We All Became Investigators

Overview

In Episode 4 of The Binge Cases: Baby Broker, host Peter McDonald delves deep into the harrowing story of Tara Lee, the founder of Always Hope, an adoption agency that orchestrated a sophisticated and manipulative scheme to exploit hopeful adoptive parents. This episode meticulously unravels how Tara Lee deceived families, manipulated financial transactions, and orchestrated failed adoptions to further her own gains, ultimately leading to an extensive fraud investigation. Through detailed accounts from the affected families—the Granites, the Methenys, and Courtney and Curtis Edmond—the episode paints a vivid picture of betrayal, resilience, and the quest for justice.

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1. The Granites’ Ordeal: Unveiling the Deception

Initial Trust and Growing Frustration The episode begins with Tammy and Nick Granite, a couple eagerly awaiting the adoption of twins through Tara Lee’s Always Hope. They were matched with Stephanie, a birth mother whose delivery was imminent. However, as weeks passed without the baby’s arrival, suspicions grew.

• Tammy Granite [01:56]: “We are a bit unsure of her last period. She will come any day.”

Despite repeated reassurances from Tara Lee, including attempts to placate the Granites at a local Chick-fil-A near the Detroit hospital, the anticipated baby never materialized. Frustration mounted as Tara Lee’s representative, Jay, an enigmatic figure with a commanding presence, failed to provide concrete answers.

Breaking Ties Deciding to sever ties, the Granites attempted to officially withdraw from the adoption process by writing a heartfelt letter to Stephanie.

• Tammy Granite [04:20]: “Stephanie, you are amazing and strong... We feel like you were absolutely put in our path for a reason.”

However, Tara Lee never delivered the letter to Stephanie. Instead, the Granites were abruptly informed that their match with Stephanie had been canceled, raising red flags about Tara Lee’s operations.

Financial Manipulation Exposed Further investigation revealed that Tara Lee had misappropriated funds intended for Stephanie’s care. The Granites, along with the Methenys, another family involved, had paid significant amounts to cover Stephanie’s living expenses, but only a fraction reached her.

• Nick Granite [06:09]: “The worst part of all was that Stephanie didn't even get half of it. What was Tara Lee doing with all this money?”

The Granites realized they were ensnared in a web of deceit, with Tara Lee exploiting their dreams of parenthood for financial gain.

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2. The Rise of a Support Network: Courtney and Curtis Edmond’s Journey

Initial Encounter and the First Failed Adoption Courtney and Curtis Edmond, after struggling for over a year to adopt, turned to Tara Lee’s Always Hope. Tara promised them successful adoptions, swiftly matching them with a birth mother. However, the reality was starkly different when the birth mother, Sarah, exhibited doubts about relinquishing her baby.

• Evan [19:06]: “Tara Lee, she would get mad at me. You have my kids involved. You have my husband involved... I was screaming. I was so broken at that point.”

Despite a tumultuous trip to Detroit, the match failed, leading Courtney to question Tara Lee’s integrity.

Uncovering the Truth Determined to seek answers, Courtney visited Tara Lee’s residence to observe her operations firsthand. What she discovered painted a grim picture of chaos and manipulation. Tara Lee’s indulgent spending habits, including extravagant shopping sprees at high-end malls, clashed starkly with the financial constraints expected from her income sources.

• Evan [25:04]: “She walked into the stores, she all knew her name. She would say, I want that... and she would go to the next store.”

Courtney realized that Tara Lee’s lavish lifestyle was unsustainable and inconsistent with the financial claims she made to her clients, indicating possible fraud.

Forming a Collective of Victims After multiple failed adoptions, Courtney took the initiative to connect with other victims. She reached out to Sarah Scott and Julie Falkenberry, both of whom had similar experiences with Tara Lee. Together, they formed a Facebook group that rapidly expanded to include over 100 families nationwide.

• Evan [33:01]: “Yes. And we all became investigators.”

This collective effort allowed the families to share their stories, identify patterns of deceit, and piece together Tara Lee’s fraudulent activities.

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3. The Methenys’ Struggle and the FBI Investigation

A Desperate Attempt to Rescue an Adoption Simultaneously, Teresa and Mike Matheny found themselves entangled in Tara Lee’s scheme. Initially matched with another birth mother, their experience mirrored the Granites’ frustration. As the FBI began probing Tara Lee for fraud, the Mathenys were left in a precarious position, fearing for their investment and the safety of their family.

• Mike Matheny [33:43]: “We're like in the middle of it. Tara's got our money. We're already in Detroit.”

Their attempt to meet the birth mother resulted in Tara Lee canceling their scheduled dinner, heightening their anxiety and desperation. Faced with incomplete information and mounting pressure, the Mathenys turned to the growing support network for assistance.

Collaborative Investigation As the support group expanded, the families collectively began mapping out Tara Lee’s operations. They documented connections between birth parents, adoptive families, and financial transactions, uncovering a systematic pattern of manipulation and deceit. This grassroots investigation provided critical insights that would aid the FBI in building a comprehensive case against Tara Lee.

• Nick Granite [34:25]: “They put a ten-foot section across the conference table and started handwriting a roadmap of every name connected to who.”

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4. Tara Lee’s Downfall and Ongoing Investigations

Exposure and Legal Actions With mounting evidence from the victimized families, the FBI intensified their investigation into Tara Lee’s activities. The meticulously gathered data from the support group's collaborative efforts proved instrumental in exposing the depth of Tara Lee’s fraudulent scheme. Families realized the extent of their exploitation and the breadth of Tara Lee’s deception across multiple states.

Ongoing Pursuits for Justice Despite the progress made, Tara Lee’s full motives and the totality of her scheme remained partially obscured. Families continued to seek justice, support, and closure, driven by their collective experiences and the bonds formed through their shared ordeal.

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Key Insights and Reflections

• Manipulation of Trust: Tara Lee expertly manipulated the hopes and dreams of adoptive parents, leveraging their vulnerability to exploit financial and emotional gains.
• Power of Collective Action: The formation of a support network was pivotal in uncovering the truth, demonstrating the strength of collective action in the face of systemic fraud.
• Importance of Vigilance: This case underscores the necessity for transparency and oversight in adoption processes to protect vulnerable families from exploitation.

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Notable Quotes

• Nick Granite [05:00]: “She was leading the Methenys into the same woods. They were isolated and freaked out.”
• Tammy Granite [04:20]: “We have nothing but love and admiration for how strong and how amazing you are.”
• Evan [33:01]: “Yes. And we all became investigators.”
• Nick Granite [34:25]: “They put a ten-foot section across the conference table and started handwriting a roadmap of every name connected to who.”

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Conclusion

Episode 4 of The Binge Cases: Baby Broker offers a compelling exploration of Tara Lee’s fraudulent adoption scheme, highlighted by firsthand accounts from the affected families. Through meticulous storytelling, the episode not only sheds light on the dark underbelly of adoption fraud but also celebrates the resilience and solidarity of those determined to seek justice. As the investigation continues, listeners are left with a profound understanding of the impacts of deceit and the unwavering spirit of community in overcoming adversity.

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Subscribe and Continue Your Journey

For those captivated by this intricate true crime narrative, The Binge Cases: Baby Broker offers an enthralling series that promises to keep you hooked. Subscribe to The Binge on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to access all episodes ad-free and fuel your true crime obsession.

Transcript

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[Nick Granite]

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[Brittany]

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[Evan]

My relationship to food before Noom was never consistent.

[Brittany]

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[Nick Granite]

I never really was a salad guy.

[Evan]

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[Nick Granite]

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[Evan]

I'm doing this to feel better.

[Brittany]

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[Nick Granite]

Listen to all episodes of Baby Broker ad free right now by subscribing to the binge. Visit the binge channel on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page or visit getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen the binge feed your true crime obsession. The binge on September 8, right on schedule, Tammy and Nick Granite's daughter May was born. But they were also matched with a birth mother named Stephanie. According to Tara Lee, Stephanie was supposed to deliver any day, but Stephanie had shown no sign of going into labor. She said she wasn't even due until late October. Tara Lee sent Tammy and Nick a.

[Tammy Granite]

Text disputing that Tara Lee said she's huge and very low and baby is big. She said she has been going to the hospital for care. We are a bit unsure of her last period. She will come any day.

[Nick Granite]

The Granites had come to Detroit expecting to adopt two babies who would be born at the same time. They'd paid Tara Lee. They were invested. But the Granites had been camped out in a hotel for more than two weeks. Nick was keeping their business afloat remotely, and soon their daughter May would be healthy enough to go home with them. They'd also begun to trust that Stephanie was telling the truth, that the baby wasn't due for another month. And Tyler just kept blowing it off. No, no, no. The baby's going to be born and here we are sitting in Chick Fil A on September 24th and still no baby. They decided to meet face to face with Tara Lee to discuss what to do about Stephanie. And because the Granites were always at the hospital, they picked the Chick Fil a near the hospital lobby as the meetup spot. While this huge Detroit hospital has won awards for medicine to feed its patients and employees, it plays host to the same fast food joints you'd find in a mall or airport. Serving staples of the great American diet, burgers and fries, footlong meatball subs, fried chicken, candy and ice cream. It made me think, if a well handled adoption is like an award winning hospital, Tara Lee is like the fast food in the lobby. It's bad for you. It doesn't belong here. There's no escaping it. Tara Lee walked into Chick Fil a with a man named Jay. In a photo I saw of Jay, he has dark eyes, a shaved head and a knowing look. The Granites couldn't tell what Jay's role was in Tara Lee's business, but he seemed to appear when conflict resolution might be needed. Part muscle, part negotiator, Nick, who by nature is quick to smile and diffuse tension, said hello. His tone must have rubbed Tara Lee the wrong way. Tara Lee basically was like, you're too happy, Nick. We're going to slap that smile off of your face. I think Tara Lee knew what was coming.

[Tammy Granite]

So we told her at that meeting that we were pulling out of the situation with Stephanie.

[Nick Granite]

Tammy wrote Stephanie a letter explaining their decision.

[Tammy Granite]

Stephanie, you are amazing and strong. Thank you so much for allowing us to be part of your life. We feel like you were absolutely put in our path for a reason. It's been such a tough decision and journey for us at this time. Since we have been in the hospital NICU for 17 days and counting with May. We both feel and know we couldn't give proper care to your baby boy at this time. We have nothing but love and admiration for how strong and how amazing you are.

[Nick Granite]

They handed Tara Lee the letter to give to Stephanie. I learned she never received it. Stephanie, about to make the most difficult decision of her life, was simply told that the Granites were backing out. Nick told me Tara Lee expressed frustration at the meeting, but not because she might owe them a refund. It was because she thought Tammy and Nick had picked the wrong baby. Why are you choosing her? Why are you choosing Sarah's baby over Stephanie's baby? They'd been parenting May for more than two weeks. The idea of swapping her for another baby was outrageous.

[Tammy Granite]

I don't think she cared.

[Nick Granite]

She was just flailing at that point. I think the Granites stood up and said goodbye and walked out of Chick Fil a. It was the last time they hoped they'd see Tara Lee and the last time they thought they'd hear about Stephanie. But later that night, Tammy got a text from her.

[Tammy Granite]

I'm sorry to hear about. May I hope and pray everything works out, and you three will be in my prayers. God bless you. She had a huge heart.

[Nick Granite]

The day the Granites backed out of their match with Stephanie was the day the Mathenys first heard about her. As it turns out, Tara Lee's suspected double match of Stephanie's baby wasn't with the Methenys and the Granneths. It was with the Methenys and someone else. Days after the meeting in Chick Fil A, Tara Lee told the Granites she'd matched Stephanie to a new family. So they asked for a refund of whatever money of theirs hadn't been spent.

[Tammy Granite]

I distinctly remember getting told that the new adoptive parents were refusing to pay for Stephanie's bills and Stephanie's living expenses up until they got matched. And I remember distinctly thinking, like, oh, my goodness, who are these people that she chose? Like, that's horrible. Why would they. Why would they do that?

[Nick Granite]

They wouldn't and didn't. The Methenys paid $8,000 for Stephanie's living expenses, even though they were told she was due in just two weeks. And they said Tara Lee told them that the money was needed to cover previous expenses during Stephanie's pregnancy. Tara Lee never expected that the Granites and Methenys might one day figure this out. The worst part of all was that Stephanie didn't even get half of it. What was Tara Lee doing with all this money? The Graniffs had paid Tara Lee to guide them on their adoption journey. Her path was the one less traveled a bit of a shortcut. But the woods Tara Lee took them in were dark, disorienting, and off trail. And they went in so far they could not turn back. And now she was leading the Methenys into the same woods. They were isolated and freaked out. How many families were in there, lost and robbed? If only they could find one another and compare stories. They could see the forest for the trees. So much would come to light. From Sony Music Entertainment and Perfect Cadence. This is Baby broker. I'm Peter McDonald. Episode 4 We All Became Investigators on the embedded podcast.

[Jonathan Van Ness]

No, it's called Denying us Freedom of Speech.

[Nick Granite]

It's misinformation. Like so many Americans. My dad has gotten swept up in conspiracy theories.

[Evan]

These are not conspiracy theories.

[Jonathan Van Ness]

Conspiracy theories.

[Evan]

These are reality.

[Nick Granite]

I spent the year following him down the rabbit hole trying to get him back. Listen to alternate realities on the embedded podcast from npr. All episodes available now.

[Courtney Edmond]

Imagine this. You help your little brother land a great job abroad. But when he arrives, the job doesn't exist. Instead, he's trapped in a heavily guarded compound, forced to sit at a computer and scam innocent victims. All while armed guards stand by with shoot to kill orders. Scam Factory, the explosive new true crime podcast from Wondery, exposes a multi billion dollar criminal empire operating in plain sight. Told through one family's harrowing account of sleepless nights, desperate phone calls, and dangerous rescue attempts, Scam Factory reveals a brutal truth. The only way out is to scam their way out. Follow Scam Factory on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of Scam Factory early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus.

[Nick Granite]

In early October, the Graniff's daughter Mae was discharged from the nicu. I'm frantically packing up whatever we've got.

[Tammy Granite]

So meanwhile, I'm sitting in the car with our daughter who's, you know, at this point, 26 days old, and we have this huge security issue on our hands. We're worried about Sarah's current boyfriend. He knows we're getting released.

[Nick Granite]

Nick checked every mirror for signs of Sarah's armed boyfriend, who they'd heard wanted to kidnap May. When Tammy was wheeled out, they drove off, taking an evasive route out of the city. They'd been there for a month.

[Tammy Granite]

We're watching every car, making sure nobody's following us.

[Nick Granite]

When they safely crossed the border into Illinois, they got an idea. Days earlier, Tammy's sister had delivered a baby girl the same age as May cousins.

[Tammy Granite]

And so we decided to drive straight to my sister's house and we, we surprised them. Yeah, we rang the doorbell and they opened and my sister just screams. And it was very exciting.

[Nick Granite]

Then Tammy and Nick went home for the first time in a month as parents, and they sent Sarah May's birth mother updates. But some of the problems Nick and Tammy thought they'd left behind in Michigan had traveled home with them. A few days after they got home, Tammy texted Tara Lee about a refund check for the that hadn't been spent on Stephanie.

[Tammy Granite]

And then we asked a couple of questions in regards to birth certificates. She responded and said, you don't get birth certificate until finalization. Talia and Tanya will help you with anything else. So basically, she avoided the question about the check.

[Nick Granite]

The new family Tara Lee matched Stephanie with was, of course, the Methenys. By early October, the Methenys were driving to Detroit in a panic, trying to rescue their adoption of Stephanie's baby boy. In the car, Teresa opened his ultrasound photo dozens of times on her phone. Like a compulsion, like she could will him to be theirs. They were incredibly tense. They'd been told that the FBI was investigating Tara Lee for fraud. But they couldn't betray what they knew. They had to have poker faces. That's what their lawyer, Tanya Corrado, had said.

[Teresa Matheny]

When you get up here, you are gonna have to sit down with Tara. You're gonna have to pretend that you know nothing.

[Mike Matheny]

She said, it's gotta be business as usual.

[Teresa Matheny]

So Tara, you know, when we got into Detroit, I text her and was like, we're here. And she's like, yay. You know? And so her plan was for the following day for us to meet Tara and our birth parents in Port Huron at a restaurant.

[Nick Granite]

Baby S's birth father, who was Stephanie's partner, would be there, too. The next day, while driving to the restaurant in Port Huron, they got a distressing text from Tara Lee.

[Teresa Matheny]

She said, oh, I can't get a hold of her. She won't answer.

[Mike Matheny]

I'm doing everything I can.

[Nick Granite]

Yeah, Tara Lee canceled the dinner.

[Teresa Matheny]

So then we go back into panic mode. I'm a mess, you know, crying, don't know what to do. We had not slept. We were running on fumes.

[Nick Granite]

Teresa called the adoption consultant who'd first connected them with Tara Lee to see if she had any information. She did. She said a former client of Tara Lee's was bashing her on Facebook.

[Teresa Matheny]

Julie Falkenberry. And so that name stuck in my head. That night when we were at our Airbnb, I sent her a message. I was like, hey, just kind of fishing, you know, hey, you know, we're with Tara Lee. You know, we're here in Michigan or whatever. And she immediately, you know, sent me a message back and was like, can I call you? But I don't want to call you alone. I want to have my friend Courtney on the phone.

[Mike Matheny]

We're still trying to figure out which way is up, who's on our team, who's not, what's true, what's real. Don't talk to these women.

[Teresa Matheny]

I had to. I had to. I didn't know what was going on. I had to know. They call me. I am in the dining room, pacing around the kitchen table. I'm on the phone with these two women.

[Nick Granite]

Teresa was desperate to find out more about what Tara Lee had done, to get a glimpse of the bigger picture. But she wasn't prepared for some of the bombshells she'd learned from these two strangers. Two women who were much further down the path with Tara Lee. They'd had time to wrap their heads around things, but Teresa was still barely processing the unthinkable that was happening. On the call, Courtney told them that the FBI investigation was new and real. She invited Mike and Teresa to join a group they'd started on Facebook. She said it was full of other couples who'd worked with Tara Lee. Many, including Courtney and Julie, had had failed matches, birth moms who suddenly backed out or had miscarriages or had babies that died after delivery, babies they never saw. Yes, all of these things did happen in adoptions, but they were happening a lot with Tara Lee. Something wasn't right. Right? And Courtney had been to Tara Lee's house. She'd seen behind the curtain, seen some things that made her fear the worst. That when the FBI began turning over stones, they were going to discover a giant fraudulent scheme.

[Jonathan Van Ness]

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[I]

Hi everyone, this is Jonathan Van Ness. Clean water, fresh air, our health, electricity. Honey. We tend to take for granted the things that matter most, like the separation of church and state. Americans United for Separation of Church and State has been on the front lines defending your freedom to live and believe as you choose, so long as you don't harm others. Most folks don't see how church state separation affects our daily lives. Until that freedom is gone. The separation between church and state covers many core freedoms like civil rights for LGBTQIA plus people, women and racial slash religious minorities or reproductive justice and freedom. But those rights are not a given. Every Day Americans United works at the state and federal level to make sure these freedoms and more are protected for every American to enjoy and benefit from. They can't do this alone though. Join Americans United for Separation of Church and State and growing the movement because church, state separation protects everyone, freedom without favor and equality without exception. Learn more and get [e-mail] curious.

[Nick Granite]

Courtney Edmond and Teresa Matheny would become very close friends. I met Courtney in Atlanta, where Theresa and Mike live. She'd flown in for the weekend from her home in Colorado Springs. Courtney and her husband Curtis met in high school. He's a self taught computer programmer. She worked as an EMT and is trained as a doula. By 2015, they had four biological children and decided they wanted to adopt a baby. In the studio, Courtney sipped on a soda while I asked her about Tara Lee. What was Tara Lee's sales pitch to you?

[Evan]

One of her most famous sayings was my adoptions don't fail. And that was one of my biggest fears. She would tell all of her families right from the start, my adoptions don't fail. All of my adoptions are successful. She would tell me how she would get to know these women personally. She would say that she would take them herself to doctor's appointments and so it didn't seem like it was run just like a business. She made it sound personal. She made it sound like it was her passion, her lifeline. Like this is what she lived to do.

[Nick Granite]

Like a lot of the couples Tara Lee worked with, Courtney and Curtis had been trying to adopt for more than a year and they'd gotten nowhere. Their desire was high. Their expectations were low. In 2017, less than one week after they signed on with Tara Lee, she matched them with a birth mother. But being on a monitored text chain with the birth mom was too arm's length for Courtney. She wanted to get closer to the woman whose baby she was going to adopt. So she found her on Facebook. The young woman had posted selfies of the timeline of her pregnancy with excited captions like, just eight more weeks. She'd even given the baby a name. It didn't seem like she wanted to give her baby up for adoption.

[Evan]

Courtney called Tara Lee, can I back out? What can I do? And she's like, no, I can guarantee you that she's going to place this baby. I can guarantee you that it's gonna happen. You don't have anything to worry about. She's just in denial. She can't take care of this baby. I know she can't take care of this baby. She knows she can't take care of. Of this baby. And so, hesitantly, I continued.

[Nick Granite]

But despite Tara Lee claiming her matches never failed, Courtney had a bad feeling this one would be the exception. So she didn't prepare her house for a baby.

[Evan]

And Tara's like, she would get mad at me. She would yell at me, no, you need to set up a nursery. You need to buy a crib. You need to buy a stroller. You. Everything. Get everything set up.

[Nick Granite]

Courtney had raised four babies. She knew what she was doing. So did Tara Lee, Though I think she wanted Courtney to not only financially invest in the outcome, but emotionally invest in it. And that's what Courtney was guarding herself against. I hadn't heard Courtney's story yet, but I knew enough to predict that if the match did fail, Tara Lee would try to roll her into another one. At Tara Lee's constant urging, Courtney began to believe the adoption might happen. One day, at home in Colorado Springs, Courtney and Curtis put a present out for their kids to open. It was an outfit for a baby boy, their way of announcing they were adopting a baby. She said her kids flipped out with excitement. She said Tara Lee was proud of her. A few weeks later, the birth mother went into labor. Courtney and Curtis flew to Detroit for the delivery. They went to the hospital, the one with the chick fil a, and gave Tara Lee her final payment of $4,000. Then they went up to meet their son.

[Evan]

We got to feed him. And, you know, we're talking to the nurses, and they said, well, Tara told us not to be there too long because the birth mom wanted to have her other kids meet the baby thought was weird, but we just went with it. We went out to dinner. We did a little shopping. We'd come up with a name because Tara was pushing us. You have to come up with a name. She called me, and she's like, hey, she's wavering. I don't know if she's gonna place this baby. And I. I went off on Tara. I had lost it. I was in the parking lot on my knees telling her, I told you I didn't want to do this. I told you this was going to happen. And I was like, you have my kids involved. You have my husband involved. My husband had to literally pick me up, put me in the car, and take me for a drive because people were looking. I was screaming. I was so broken at that point, I remember just sitting in my shower crying for like an hour because it, it's a very weird feeling when you meet a baby that you think is yours, but it's not really yours.

[Nick Granite]

Curtis broke the news to their kids.

[Evan]

They were heartbroken for sure, but I think they were more sad for me.

[Nick Granite]

Tara Lee convinced Courtney that her failed adoption was an anomaly. All she needed to do was stick with it, give it one more try. In early 2018, Courtney flew back out to Detroit. This time she planned to stay for a few weeks. She wanted to help Tara Lee. She'd even sleep at her house. She wanted to see how adoptions are supposed to work. But that's not what she saw. Courtney said she stayed in a spare bedroom in Tara Lee's five bedroom, four bath house and that everything was chaotic. The way Tara Lee acted in the hospital with the Granites compulsively typing and matching families to birth mothers was how she acted at home, too. Her kids and husband revolved around her, Courtney said. Taralee divulged that she'd had some serious health issues in the past year, including breast cancer and a heart attack. But after living with Tara Lee, Courtney began to doubt if that was true. And I heard the same doubts from other couples I talked with. Courtney said she thinks it was Tara's cover for when she was too busy, too overwhelmed with matches and birth mothers. If she dropped the ball, she'd blame it on a health issue that no one would dare question. She'd also go shopping.

[Evan]

She said, my way of therapy is shopping. But she, she said I don't ever shop with anybody. It's always me by myself. But this one time she did take me. She's like, you're lucky I'm taking you. I don't take anybody.

[Nick Granite]

Courtney told me they went to a high end shopping mall, probably Somerset Collection in a northern suburb of Detroit. It has stores like Balenciaga, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany's and Versace.

[Evan]

Oh, and a Chick Fil A and we weren't even there an hour and she probably blew through ten grand. She walked into the stores, they all knew her name. She would go up to the counter, she would say, I want that. Not look at the price tag, I want that. Pack it up for me. Get it ready. And she would go to the next store.

[Nick Granite]

So what's going through your head?

[Evan]

Say, I just want you to know that this is not my money. This is not coming from the adoption. I don't. Or adoptions. I don't make a Lot of this is all Jeremy's money.

[Nick Granite]

And what did Jeremy do?

[Evan]

Jeremy was a H VAC guy. She said he owned the business and made a lot, a lot of money. So she said that that's where all the money would come from.

[Nick Granite]

Huh? Right. And as you're at their house, are you witnessing Jeremy sort of his business going gangbusters?

[Evan]

Oh, Jeremy was always home. Jeremy was always home. Jeremy was pretty much the only parent. And then do what Tara said. And while I was there, they did start demoing their kitchen.

[Nick Granite]

In Detroit. The Highest earning commercial H Vac installer makes about $75,000 a year. But most people who work on H Vac systems make a lot less. According to ZipRecruiter, the average is under 30 bucks an hour. I don't know where Jeremy was on that scale. He could have been at the top or the bottom. The Lees had a mortgage, too, and health insurance and multiple cars and cell phones and big grocery bills. By my calculations, they wouldn't have much left over, if any, for a shopping spree at Tiffany's. But Courtney said she didn't grasp the significance of this until much later. She was focused on how Tara Lee would pinball between crisis and opportunity with her adoption clients all day.

[Evan]

She would get phone calls in the morning from a woman she had never met that would state she was pregnant. Tara would take her word for it, not get any proof, call many, many families that afternoon, match her, and demand money that night.

[Nick Granite]

Tara Lee admired for her straight talk, was also making stuff up. And Courtney saw it happen.

[Evan]

He had a birth mom come over to the house, take a pregnancy test that I went and bought. Came back negative. I looked at it, and Tara said, it's positive. I'm calling this family.

[Nick Granite]

So she took a negative test that you saw, and she pretended it was positive and called a family to say, hey, I've got a baby for you.

[Evan]

Yeah. And this family, this birth mom had already placed with this family. So she said, I'm just gonna call the same family.

[Nick Granite]

Wow. Right? Cause then she can play the you need to adopt the sibling card.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Nick Granite]

That money making lie sent Courtney packing. She flew home to Colorado Springs. But she wasn't done with Tara Lee because Courtney was still invested. She had matched with another birth mom, and this baby was real. When the match began, the birth mother didn't have a place to live.

[Evan]

Tara did have a relationship with a slumlord that had these junk houses that she would just kind of house her. The women she was working with in, I only saw One, it was trash. Holes in the walls, tarps for roofs, yards. Overgrown. Smelled like musty mold. Like, just not clean. Not clean. Just crap houses. Tara put her in a house that had no appliances. I don't think it had any heat, didn't have electricity. So she was keeping her food in the snow to keep cold. Her baby's milk, you know, eggs, just the basic stuff. They slept on the floor. No bed, not even an air mattress. No couch, nothing.

[Nick Granite]

Courtney said she gave Tara Lee money to buy the woman a refrigerator, a bed, and to pay for heat. But the woman told Courtney she hadn't gotten any of those things.

[Evan]

She would send me pictures, and I would tell her. I would come back to Tara and say, tara, why is she not getting these things? She's keeping her food in the snow. She's sleeping on the floor. She's pregnant. Tara would be like, she's lying to you. I gave her that money. She had to have used it on something else. She would say, you know, she probably used it to buy drugs. She probably used it to get alcohol. It was always something like, you can't trust these girls is what she. You can't trust them.

[Nick Granite]

But Courtney kept pushing, and she said Tara Lee eventually got the woman what they'd agreed on. Where it came from and how much she paid for it wasn't clear. As the baby's due date approached, Courtney said Tara Lee asked them for her final $4,000 payment. They paid her and flew to Detroit for the delivery. But when they got there, this birth mother also expressed serious doubts about whether she wanted to give her baby up for adoption. Courtney said Tara Lee tried to convince the young woman she should do it, but Courtney did not feel right about that at all. She ended the match.

[Evan]

I'm done. I'm walking away. I'm going home. And I left and haven't seen Tara since.

[Nick Granite]

When it was over with Tara Lee, Courtney said she felt all alone. She didn't know any other couples who tried to adopt through Tara Lee, but she knew they were out there. She thought if she could just talk with some of these families, it might help her heal. So In July of 2018, she found Sarah Scott on Facebook. Sarah lived in Maryland. She'd also had a failed adoption with Tara Lee.

[Evan]

And she's like, you know what?

[Teresa Matheny]

I.

[Evan]

Let's start a little Facebook group. Let's just. I'm going to start one up right now. I was like, all right. She's like, okay, it's going to be you and me. And I'll add Julie and we'll just see where this goes.

[Nick Granite]

The third member was Julie Falkenberry from South Carolina. She'd had a failed adoption with Always Hope too. They started messaging, and then Julie addressed the elephant in the chat room.

[Evan]

She's like, I have a question. Do you think there's something not right with Tara? I was like, girl, I am glad you asked, because, yes, this is what I am seeing.

[Nick Granite]

Courtney told them everything you just heard. And when she did, she said they recognized their stories in hers. Like there was a pattern to these failures. Birth moms on the fence about the adoptions early on, birth moms not getting the money the couples sent to Tara Lee. They wondered how many other couples were out there who'd had failed adoptions with Tara Lee, who'd been through the same things they had. They decided to find them and invite them to join their group.

[Evan]

By the third night, we had nine families. After a month, we had 20 families. And then a little bit after that, we were up to 100 families. It wasn't until we started adding more families that we were like seeing patterns of that. It was like they would mention the same birth. Two families would mention the same birth moment, and then it would be. They would show the same sonogram picture, and then it would be in the comments that they would connect. Like, wait a second, I matched with that birth mom. You're matched with her too? Yeah. You know, and they're like, wait, wait, I've already paid this much in fees. Have you? You know, and it was, it was. We were connecting the dots there.

[Nick Granite]

So what began as a support group became a group that realized there might be a crime being perpetrated here.

[Evan]

Yes. And we all became investigators.

[Nick Granite]

By the time Courtney and Julie called Teresa Matheny in mid October, their Facebook group had grown to include couples from dozens of states across the US all the way to Alaska. Courtney told Teresa and Mike that she really hoped their adoption with Stephanie was real. But it was also possible that Tara Lee was planning for Stephanie's baby to go to another family. Teresa told me she and Mike barely slept that night. They were fully invested in this adoption, financially and emotionally. She'd taken maternity leave from work. They'd booked a long term rental.

[Mike Matheny]

We're like in the middle of it. Tara's got our money. We're already in Detroit.

[Nick Granite]

They knew the FBI was investigating Tara Lee. She'd canceled their dinner. And then Courtney called to tell them she believed Tara Lee had been double matching babies.

[Mike Matheny]

By Tuesday, I literally was like, if this dinner, like, if we don't meet these people today like we're leaving. I'm out of here.

[Nick Granite]

Next time on Baby Broker.

[Mike Matheny]

As we drive to Port Huron, it's supposed to be me and Teresa, birth mom, birth father and Tara.

[Nick Granite]

The FBI gets involved. Went into our conference room and I.

[Teresa Matheny]

Took that big rollout paper, tore off.

[Nick Granite]

Like a ten foot section, put it across the conference table and then just literally started handwriting a roadmap of every name who is connected to who, birth parents, names, match date, how much money was paid, did the match succeed? Was it failed?

[Mike Matheny]

We don't know anything about birth mom's medical condition was high risk.

[Teresa Matheny]

She whispered to me and said, you know you still have a balance due to me.

[Nick Granite]

Don't want to wait for that next episode. You don't have to unlock all episodes of Baby Broker ad free right now by subscribing to the Binge Podcast channel. Search for the binge on Apple Podcasts and hit subscribe at the top of the page. Not on apple. Head to getthebinge.com to get access wherever you listen. As a subscriber, you'll get binge access to new stories on the 1st of every month. Check out the Binge Channel page on apple podcasts or getthebinge.com to learn more. Baby Broker is an original production of Sony Music Entertainment and Perfect Cadence. It was hosted and reported by me, Peter McDonald. I'm the executive producer along with Kathryn St. Louis and Jonathan Hirsch of Sony Music Entertainment. Stephen George recorded the narration at the Invisible Studios, West Hollywood. We used music from Audio Network and a few tracks from Epidemic Sound. News clips are courtesy of WXYZ 7 in Detroit, Michigan. Our production managers are Tamika Balance Kolasny and Sammy Allison. Our lawyers are Allison Sherry and Kathleen Farley. Special thanks to Steve Ackerman, Emily Racik and Jamie Myers.