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‘Serial Con Artist’ Tracii Hutsona Gets Four Years In Prison For Defrauding Jason Kidd’s Ex-Wife Of $1M
“I am very sorry to Ms. Kidd for violating the trust,” Tracii Hutsona said during a sentencing hearing after pleading guilty in July 2022.
A convicted fraudster who conned the former spouse of ex-NBA player Jason Kidd was sentenced this week.
Tracii Show Hutsona was sentenced to 51 months in prison for embezzling more than $1 million from divorced TV personality Joumana Kidd — the former wife of NBA star Jason Kidd — federal prosecutors announced on Tuesday.
Hutsona, who posed as a social media influencer and founder of a lifestyle brand, worked for Joumana Kidd between 2015 and 2019. Prosecutors said that while serving as Kidd’s personal assistant, Hustona used her access to her employer’s sensitive information to pocket more than a $1 million, supposedly to fund her lavish lifestyle.
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Hutsona spoke briefly prior to Judge Jesse M. Furman handing down her sentence.
“I am very sorry to Ms. Kidd for violating the trust,” Hutsona said in court, the New York Post reported.
The 54-year-old vowed to pay Kidd back and to maintain a clean rap sheet upon her release from prison.
“I will pay her back,” Hutsona continued. “I will continue to move forward with honesty and integrity.”
Furman, meanwhile, described Hutsona as a “serial con artist” who engaged in “despicable conduct.”
“I want to believe you,” Furman said, per The Post. “Your record doesn’t give me a whole lot of hope.”
Hutsona, who was previously convicted of fraud in California, pleaded guilty in her current case in July 2022. She was out on bond prior to her sentencing.
“Not long after serving a lengthy sentence for a previous federal conviction, Tracii Show Hutsona betrayed her employer’s trust by misusing her employer’s financial information to fund her own luxury lifestyle for years,” Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said in a statement. “Her desire to live the high life at the expense of her victim has placed her back where she began — facing another substantial federal sentence.”
In addition to the 51-month sentence, Hutsona was also ordered to pay $1,148,759 in restitution. She's required to report to prison on April 13.
During an interview that aired on CNBC’s “American Greed,” Joumana Kidd admitted she was enamored with Hutsona, whom she met following her divorce and move to California.
“I honestly thought I was winning,” Joumana Kidd told “American Greed." “I was like ‘Wow, like I’ve got this great person, who’s just so worldly.”
At the time, Joumana Kidd was receiving treatment for breast cancer and needed help with small tasks, so she hired Hutsona as a part-time assistant. They agreed that Hutsona could bill her through her company Elite Lux Life, according to a New York Times report.
Initially, their arrangement worked for both women.
"She was the other person who cared a lot about my kids,” Kidd added. “That’s where she really started to play a role in my life.”
Kidd began to suspect that Hutsona was misusing funds when her financial adviser warned her that she was overspending. After that, she and a team of investigators would further look into the spending, before presenting findings case to prosecutors in 2019.
Hutsona was charged in a New York federal court in February 2021 with wire fraud and identity theft.
To learn more about the case, stream "American Greed" on CNBC.
