Michelle McPhee

My jaw dropped when she told me this. So let me get this straight. She went from big money deals with fancy people to scraping her fake nails off a scratchy?

My jaw dropped when she told me this. So let me get this straight. She went from big money deals with fancy people to scraping her fake nails off a scratchy?

When a buyer eventually came through and purchased the buildings, Cyrus said John McCabe took the credit.

When a buyer eventually came through and purchased the buildings, Cyrus said John McCabe took the credit.

So, as of January of 2021, the pot buildings were finally off her plate, no more desperately trying to sell gummy bears at the country club, and the lending business Sarah had been launching with John McCabe's help was finally getting off the ground.

So, as of January of 2021, the pot buildings were finally off her plate, no more desperately trying to sell gummy bears at the country club, and the lending business Sarah had been launching with John McCabe's help was finally getting off the ground.

No LinkedIn, no Facebook. Our fact checker even tried a reverse image search for him with a photo Sarah sent, but nada. Deep into reporting this series, Sarah told us that she wasn't even sure that John McCabe was his real name. That was gutting. I had spent months looking for this guy. And now, only now, she was admitting that the name might be an alias. Then one Friday, my editor got a call.

No LinkedIn, no Facebook. Our fact checker even tried a reverse image search for him with a photo Sarah sent, but nada. Deep into reporting this series, Sarah told us that she wasn't even sure that John McCabe was his real name. That was gutting. I had spent months looking for this guy. And now, only now, she was admitting that the name might be an alias. Then one Friday, my editor got a call.

A man said, you've been trying to get in touch with me. We had. Even sent a certified letter to his last known address in Hawaii. At long last, John McCabe had called. The conversation was brief. That's when he denied even being an associate of Sarah King's. My editor wasn't deterred. She asked to send him a bunch of questions we had about his dealings with Sarah. He agreed.

A man said, you've been trying to get in touch with me. We had. Even sent a certified letter to his last known address in Hawaii. At long last, John McCabe had called. The conversation was brief. That's when he denied even being an associate of Sarah King's. My editor wasn't deterred. She asked to send him a bunch of questions we had about his dealings with Sarah. He agreed.

Only, we never heard from McCabe again. Instead, his criminal defense lawyer, a guy out of Irvine, California, called us to say that he had advised John McCabe to not comment at this time. It was frustrating, but I wasn't ready to throw in the towel. I needed to find someone else who'd met John McCabe, someone who'd worked with him.

Only, we never heard from McCabe again. Instead, his criminal defense lawyer, a guy out of Irvine, California, called us to say that he had advised John McCabe to not comment at this time. It was frustrating, but I wasn't ready to throw in the towel. I needed to find someone else who'd met John McCabe, someone who'd worked with him.

I needed to understand what was going on with Sarah's lending business. So I went hunting for one of the people who gave money to King Family Lending. If the story of King Family Lending sounds all over the place, yeah, you're not imagining things. Sarah told me time and time again that she was legit, that King Family Lending was legit, until John McCabe showed up.

I needed to understand what was going on with Sarah's lending business. So I went hunting for one of the people who gave money to King Family Lending. If the story of King Family Lending sounds all over the place, yeah, you're not imagining things. Sarah told me time and time again that she was legit, that King Family Lending was legit, until John McCabe showed up.

I finally got someone to talk with us, an investor of Sarah's, a man by the name of George Poulos.

I finally got someone to talk with us, an investor of Sarah's, a man by the name of George Poulos.

George wasn't pulling any punches.

George wasn't pulling any punches.

George is married, has two young kids, and used to run an IT business, but is now retired. Very comfortably, it seems. He lives in a wealthy, family-friendly neighborhood in the OC. He looks a little like Christian Bale in his wiry beard era. George first met Sarah in July 2021, around six months after the pot buildings were sold.

George is married, has two young kids, and used to run an IT business, but is now retired. Very comfortably, it seems. He lives in a wealthy, family-friendly neighborhood in the OC. He looks a little like Christian Bale in his wiry beard era. George first met Sarah in July 2021, around six months after the pot buildings were sold.