Peter McDonald

She also saw how Tara Lee used her personality to bamboozle people.

Tara Lee had invented a lot of stories, lies rather, to make her fraud work because her con took so long. Here's Matt Sluss.

Tara Lee had invented a lot of stories, lies rather, to make her fraud work because her con took so long. Here's Matt Sluss.

Tara Lee had invented a lot of stories, lies rather, to make her fraud work because her con took so long. Here's Matt Sluss.

One of the ways Tara Lee made fake pregnancies feel real was by sending out ultrasound images purported to be of the baby the couple was adopting. The ultrasound image she sent to Tammy and Nick Granath of Sabrina's baby is an example. It wasn't actually an image of Sabrina's baby, because Sabrina didn't exist. Tara Lee found these images online, and she'd repurposed them for different families.

One of the ways Tara Lee made fake pregnancies feel real was by sending out ultrasound images purported to be of the baby the couple was adopting. The ultrasound image she sent to Tammy and Nick Granath of Sabrina's baby is an example. It wasn't actually an image of Sabrina's baby, because Sabrina didn't exist. Tara Lee found these images online, and she'd repurposed them for different families.

One of the ways Tara Lee made fake pregnancies feel real was by sending out ultrasound images purported to be of the baby the couple was adopting. The ultrasound image she sent to Tammy and Nick Granath of Sabrina's baby is an example. It wasn't actually an image of Sabrina's baby, because Sabrina didn't exist. Tara Lee found these images online, and she'd repurposed them for different families.

Matt Sluss traced them to a website selling ultrasound images for pranks. But these images were the middle, not the end, of her lie.

Matt Sluss traced them to a website selling ultrasound images for pranks. But these images were the middle, not the end, of her lie.

Matt Sluss traced them to a website selling ultrasound images for pranks. But these images were the middle, not the end, of her lie.

Her most common lie was that the birth mother changed her mind and was going to keep the baby. It's believable because it happens. If it was a closed adoption, Tara Lee just told the lie, like she lied to the Graniths about Sabrina.

Her most common lie was that the birth mother changed her mind and was going to keep the baby. It's believable because it happens. If it was a closed adoption, Tara Lee just told the lie, like she lied to the Graniths about Sabrina.

Her most common lie was that the birth mother changed her mind and was going to keep the baby. It's believable because it happens. If it was a closed adoption, Tara Lee just told the lie, like she lied to the Graniths about Sabrina.

But if it was an open adoption and the baby wasn't real, or if she diverted a baby to another family in a double or triple match, Tara Lee might impersonate the birth mother in fake texts, saying she was keeping the baby. Tara Lee would send the devastated couple a screenshot of the fake texts as proof the match failed, and then she'd commiserate with them.

But if it was an open adoption and the baby wasn't real, or if she diverted a baby to another family in a double or triple match, Tara Lee might impersonate the birth mother in fake texts, saying she was keeping the baby. Tara Lee would send the devastated couple a screenshot of the fake texts as proof the match failed, and then she'd commiserate with them.

But if it was an open adoption and the baby wasn't real, or if she diverted a baby to another family in a double or triple match, Tara Lee might impersonate the birth mother in fake texts, saying she was keeping the baby. Tara Lee would send the devastated couple a screenshot of the fake texts as proof the match failed, and then she'd commiserate with them.

In other situations, she'd say the birth mother miscarried. She even paid a woman to pretend to be pregnant. I think the real reason Tara Lee wanted to limit communication between the birth mothers and adoptive parents was that when it came time to lie, she had to control the narrative. All of Tara Lee's lies were egregious, but some were extreme.

In other situations, she'd say the birth mother miscarried. She even paid a woman to pretend to be pregnant. I think the real reason Tara Lee wanted to limit communication between the birth mothers and adoptive parents was that when it came time to lie, she had to control the narrative. All of Tara Lee's lies were egregious, but some were extreme.

In other situations, she'd say the birth mother miscarried. She even paid a woman to pretend to be pregnant. I think the real reason Tara Lee wanted to limit communication between the birth mothers and adoptive parents was that when it came time to lie, she had to control the narrative. All of Tara Lee's lies were egregious, but some were extreme.

Remember when she told the Grannis that she couldn't come to Chicago to have dinner with them because a birth mother named Rashonda and her baby had been murdered in Detroit? Tara Lee matched Roshanda with a couple in Georgia, who paid her about $15,000. She also sent them details about Roshanda and photos.