Peter McDonnell
Appearances
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
On September 8th, right on schedule, Tammy and Nick Granath'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 text disputing that.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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. Courtney called Tara Lee.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Curtis broke the news to their kids.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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 Graniths, compulsively typing and matching families to birth mothers, was how she acted at home, too. Her kids and husband revolved around her.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Courtney said Tara Lee 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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
If she dropped the ball, she'd blame it on a health issue that no one would dare question. She'd also go shopping.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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. Oh, and a Chick-fil-A.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
So what's going through your head?
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Huh, right. And as you're at their house, are you witnessing Jeremy sort of his business going gangbusters?
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
In Detroit, the highest earning commercial HVAC installer makes about $75,000 a year. But most people who work on HVAC systems make a lot less. According to ZipRecruiter, the average is under $30 an hour. I don't know where Jeremy was on that scale. He could have been at the top or the bottom.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
The Granivists 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 Graniths 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 him.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Tara Lee, admired for her straight talk, was also making stuff up, and Courtney saw it happen.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Wow. Right, because then she can play the, you need to adopt the sibling card. Yeah, exactly. 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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
They'd also begun to trust that Stephanie was telling the truth. That the baby wasn't due for another month.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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 couple sent to Tara Lee. They wondered how many other couples were out there who'd had failed adoptions with Tara Lee.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
who'd been through the same things they had. They decided to find them and invite them to join their group.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
They decided to meet face-to-face with Tara Lee to discuss what to do about Stephanie. And because the Graniths were always at the hospital, they picked the Chick-fil-A near the hospital lobby as the meet-up spot.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
So what began as a support group became a group that realized there might be a crime being perpetrated here.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
By the time Courtney and Julie called Theresa Matheny in mid-October, their Facebook group had grown to include couples from dozens of states across the U.S., 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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Plus, on the first of every month, subscribers get a binge drop of a brand new series. That's all episodes, all at once. 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. Baby Broker is an original production of Sony Music Entertainment and Perfect Cadence.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
It was hosted and reported by me, Peter McDonald. I'm the executive producer, along with Catherine 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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Our production managers are Tamika Balance-Kolosny and Sammy Allison. Our lawyers are Allison Sherry and Kathleen Farley. Special thanks to Steve Ackerman, Emily Rasek, and Jamie Myers.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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 Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
The Graniths 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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
I think Tara Lee knew what was coming.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Tammy wrote Stephanie a letter explaining their decision.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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 Graniths 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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
They'd been parenting May for more than two weeks. The idea of swapping her for another baby was outrageous.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
The Graniths 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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
The day the Graniths backed out of their match with Stephanie was the day the Mathenies first heard about her. As it turns out, Tara Lee's suspected double match of Stephanie's baby wasn't with the Mathenies and the Graniths. It was with the Methenys and someone else. Days after the meeting in Chick-fil-A, Tara Lee told the Graniths she'd matched Stephanie to a new family.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
So they asked for a refund of whatever money of theirs hadn't been spent.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
They wouldn't and didn't. The Mathinis 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 Granaths and Mathines might one day figure this out.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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 Granaths 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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
And now she was leading the Mathinis 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 McDonnell.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Episode four, we all became investigators.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
In early October, the Graneth's daughter, May, was discharged from the NICU. I'm frantically packing up whatever we've got.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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 Mae, cousins.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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 money that hadn't been spent on Stephanie.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
The new family Tara Lee matched Stephanie with was, of course, the Mathinis. By early October, the Mathinis 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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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 Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
I'm doing everything I can.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Tara Lee canceled the dinner.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Yes, all of these things did happen in adoptions. But they were happening a lot with Tara Lee. Something wasn't 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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
Courtney Edmond and Teresa Matheny would become very close friends. I met Courtney in Atlanta, where Teresa 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.
The Binge Cases: Baby Broker
Baby Broker | 4. We All Became Investigators
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?