The Girlfriends S5/E6: The Gold Bracelet

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guide, not quite on humor me with Robert

Smigel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Oden Kirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and Headwriters, Streeter Side L helped an Occupel aband with their "Between Songs" banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes, those people are starving for banter.

It was in a humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the Eyeheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Winning on Clay is an art, the rallies are relentless, and at the French Open only the toughest survive. I'd know, I competed there for decades.

Joining Renee Stubbs on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no non-sense breakdowns

of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moment set to find Roland Garros. Jen Chin win, she's an outsider to win the French fame, and she likes Clay. Listen, Leonard Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually went on any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the Eyeheart Radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever

you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of Eyeheart Women's Sports.

“White is full of hurdles, so how do you keep going?”

On herdeal with Emily Abadi, we're talking with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness from professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions, about the challenges that shape them and the mindset that keeps them moving forward. At our level, at this scale, being able to fail in the front of the entire world, I can do anything.

I can do anything. Listen to herdeal with Emily Abadi on the Eyeheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of Eyeheart Women's Sports. I'm Michelle McPhay, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've

ever reported on, on Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman.

Multimillion dollar house for our reason Lamborghinis private jets a billion dollar fraud.

But how long can this alliance last?

“Tell me what you know, is somebody coming after me?”

Listen to Kingdom of Frog, on the Eyeheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last time on the Girl Friends, Trust Me Babe, the group chat has grown by one member. He got cut, and Daredevil Droid is finally in custody. He's going to get what he'd served.

It's early summer 2017, and Laurie, Wendy's big sister detective from episode 1, is at home in Texas. I am in my kitchen, making dinner. Laurie's Baffert, her up in a ponytail, wooden spoon and hand. Five o'clock news comes on, on my little kitchen TV, kind of in the background, while I'm

doing my thing. She's just starring the orange chicken sauce into the walk. When I is per cup, I whip around, and I'm thinking, sure, literally I heard that wrong, well, that looks like him, and that's his name, Derek Aldrid.

Wooden spoon, still in one hand. Laurie turns the gas stove off, and pivots towards the TV. I go over and I'm watching, and it shows pictures of him, pictures of him and like some navy uniform. The moves closer, leans her elbows on the kitchen counter to get a better look.

It really is that loser her sister Wendy dated back in 2013, on the news. For you know the weirdest part, this whole takedown of Derek. It all happened just down the road from where Wendy's sister Laurie lives, literally about three miles from my house. Three is immediately on the blow at a Wendy, I'm like, are you sitting down, you're not gonna

“believe this, and she's like, he was arrested, and that's how Wendy hears the news.”

We are just going nuts. No way, I cannot believe all this is happening. Just a handful of miles from Laurie. Derek Aldrid has been marched to the county jailhouse in Fort Worth. Well, he's now faced a face with special agent Mike, who's planned to catch Derek at

the hospital with traces help, has all fallen into place.

We knew that we were never going to get him to admit that he was doing anything.

“The strategy was to confront him, and I mean, have you ever served him an military?”

Have you ever been in law enforcement before? No. No. Do you wear uniforms of military personnel? No.

I don't. Never. I happen to pass, but I mean, I mean, last week or last week, not last month, not last year. He had no idea that I had pictures of him on Dory's balcony wearing uniform, which was like literally a week prior.

And I remember putting that picture down in his response was, I can tell you this much.

I never wore this in public anywhere, and that's, I don't even know how that was taken.

That's, that's crazy. He's loosening his tie-up. He's kind of sitting back. You can see his demeanor change. Military IDs.

No. He can bake counterfeit. I don't like that. Thanks, Donald. Every chance we confronted him on anything, it was a denial or a lie or some sort of story.

Yeah, these credentials here, and you had this navy. No. This isn't, yeah. Okay. And what were you going to do with these here?

Nothing. I haven't done anything with them. No wear was he remorseful for anything. No wear to the take responsibility for anything. In particular, the Rangers Techant, we were able to pull some footage clearly.

You are showing ID and insisting their military and gaining something, which is the equivalent of no stolen valor.

I didn't like women, because they never saw ID.

This is a guy who's a professional liar, he's a professional con man.

“I think in the last 20 minutes, you have lied to our face about 50 times.”

Guys, I just won't do it. I told you the truth. Special Agent Mike is looking for the truth. The whole truth, but he's not going to find it in this interview room. Why would all of these people say this?

Then there is evidence of it happening. Then there's videos and pictures of you doing it. Guys, look at what I got that ID. What's on eBay? There's nothing that we're going to do inside the interview room that's going to have

an aha moment go, you're right, I did do it. But Mike's not going to give up that easily. He's about to discover there's a whole army of women. Who've been working on this case since long before he began. Every single one of them kept their records, kept documents, kept pictures.

Oh, and one more thing, Derek. Did what are you thinking? They don't play in Texas. I'm Anison Field, and from the teams at Novel and I Heart Podcasts, you're listening to the final episode of The Girl Friends Trust me, babe.

. Episode 6, The Gold Brace Let. Derek is arrested on June 1st, 2017, an over-the-months-up follow, special agent Mike and his team, continue their investigation. It takes them all over the country spans years of Derek's life.

And as their evidence grows, so does their charge list. Then a few months, the indictment is 10 charges long. Fallen in possession of a firearm, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, mail fraud. And the evidence looks pretty damning, so damning, in fact, that Derek takes a plea deal. He pleads guilty to just three charges, and all three of them pertain to Dory.

Two counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of mail fraud, they're using Dory's address and claiming it was his.

“The question on everybody's mind now, will the punishment fit the crimes?”

Every reaction I got from almost everybody was, he's going to get out, and he's going to do it again. If you look over the years, he got a slap on the wrist for every single thing he did, he never spent any significant amount of time in jail. I can't blame them for being skeptical.

But this time, the prosecuting team have got a plan. Those three charges are only about Derek's crimes against Dory in the colony.

It's the same thing he did to so many women for years. The prosecution thinks they can make the case that when it comes time to decide on Derek's sentence, the judge should take all of that history and loss into consideration. It's a legal concept known as relevant conduct. If the judge agrees, instead of the typical three years in prison for mail fraud,

Derek could get a sentence of up to 20 years. But they won't know whether their plan has worked until Dory chord dreads sentencing hearing, the moment his sentence is handed down.

So it's crucial that as many women as possible are able to make it to Texas in person.

For the victim to get up there and talk about some things that were excrucially painful for them, that really does sway what the judge thinks. It's mid-summer, a year after Derek's arrest in Fort Worth. The prosecution's plan is in full swing. It was wild because all of us girls were together.

It's the evening before the sentencing hearing. Nearly a dozen women who'd been scammed by Derek, agathered together in person. Women who otherwise would have never met, but for the dead be ex-boyfriend they all haven't common. They're now in a makeshift sorority house, preparing for the big reckoning.

It was a huge, beautiful home. Tracy is there. The country girl who was wind and dined by Derek on Dory's dime.

“Everybody could pick where they wanted to sleep. I think I slipped down the basement or something.”

And uh, that was a bizarre time. That's Wendy, a DIY detective from Hawaii. Who saw Stout Derek scooped having lie immediately. There was an instant bonding. I felt like I would do anything for these women.

And there's other women you haven't met yet. A doctor from Hawaii, a nuclear scientist from Minnesota, a flight attendant. They were all delightful every woman I met. I just really liked. And though they bond, some of the women, it's a shock.

That was the first time I started hearing about the PTSD so many of them had.

They all had a different story. Some had lost everything to Derek. Some hadn't. But they all had one thing in common. Every last one of them had been lied to. Before long, they're cracking jokes, swapping wall stories. Didn't he wear those atrocious bike shorts? It leaves nothing to the imagination. And tearing the shirt, ex-boyfriend, a new one.

“The worst thing in his mind would be for a bunch of women talking about how bad he was in bed.”

There you go. There's some justice right there. And among them is Vanessa, a smiley Californian on her first visit to Texas. I felt that it was really important for me to be involved. All the women gathered in that house will have wondered at one time or another, whether anything Derek told them about himself was true.

And how did he become the guy who ruined their lives? He was more naive back then and maybe not so crafty. It's Vanessa who can give them some of those answers because she's Derek's college sweetheart. I'm going to date myself but we're going all way back to the 90s. I couldn't believe I got into UCLA. It's 1989 and Vanessa is heading to college.

I was ecstatic when I found out. Vanessa's dad owns a Mexican restaurant in LA and he's protective of her. Her mum passed away from cancer when Vanessa was still just a kid and she'll

be the first and her family to get a degree. So for that first year, she lives at home.

I was miserable. I'd maybe made one or two friends. It's hard to meet people on campus. People don't just stop and talk to you. Except for people like Derek Wardred.

“I think he said something. Have you seen you before? No, no, you go to school here.”

Derek has walked past Vanessa while she's waiting for a medical appointment on campus one day. His young handsome presents himself as a medical student at the same college. He's weighing a white lab coat, his name embroidered. He said he was studying cystic fibrosis. I didn't even know what that was. They still kind of don't. It's so strange to imagine Derek and his college years. I can hear the same guy we've come to know in these anecdotes.

They date for a year. And as far as she's concerned, he's it. Nothing weird or of note to report. Until this one thing happened.

“About six months before she's due to graduate, Vanessa is walking up to Derek's apartment near campus.”

And she catches sight of him in the third floor window.

He was in his white lab coat with the French doors open, and he was throwing everything that was in his apartment out of the window. Vanessa watches from the street below, obscured from view behind a tree. I see him throwing this Carrera marble top table out the window. Stuff her dad had learned him. This table that my dad loved. He must have spent like, I don't know, a thousand bucks on it. A lamb. I gave him this antique typewriter because I felt like

he could use that for his studies. Outflow is the vintage typewriter. My mouth hits the floor.

“I'm frozen. I'm like, what is going on? I left. Because I didn't know what to do.”

Vanessa sits in her car trying to make sense of what she's just seen. I was like, what do I do? What do I do? I'm actually curiosity gets the better of her. I come back to the front of his apartment. And I see him now, not in his apartment, and he morbidies out in the front on the street talking his police officers. He said that someone broke in and did that. He was not taking responsibility for it.

I was even more relaxed. Like, where is going on? When Vanessa brings the subject up with Derek later, she remembers that he doesn't admit to

“being the guy standing on the ledge. And he still denies it was him throwing the furniture out of the window.”

He claims he even went to court to testify against the man who broke into his apartment. But so far we've been unable to locate court records of this. Standing on the street that day, Vanessa felt sure it was him. I was so fond of him and so in love with him. And I was so attached to the idea of building a family with him that I let it go, which was a mistake. Vanessa finishes college six months later, graduates. And afterward, it's Derek that she wants

to celebrate with. I blew off all my friends, all the sorority girls, even my dad, to be with him, just him. It's after the graduation festivities rover that the other shoe drops. They're sitting in his car. Derek is about to leave Los Angeles to visit his parents. I kiss him goodbye, and he's like, "I'll see you soon." You know, when I get back,

I never heard from him again. Literally, he fell off the face of the earth.

They've been dating for a year and a half. Vanessa's first serious relationship. The guy she was in love with. But one of the worst parts of all of this, Vanessa soon realized, wasn't just a loss of her boyfriend or the life she'd been imagining with him. Who was something else entirely. On the night of my graduation, Derek said, "Oh, maybe I'll borrow that, you know, to go with my suit." A gold bracelet. When Vanessa's mum died, she was just nine years old.

Her father gathered together all her mum's gold jewelry, had it melted down, and reformed into a bracelet. A thick, Cuban style chain. It was kind of masculine, bracelet, a man or a woman

could wear it. At first, Vanessa's dad intended to wear it. But in the end, he'd gifted it to Vanessa.

And now Derek wondered if he could borrow it. And then I was like, "Happily," just like, "Yes, borrow it, but don't forget to give it back." Of course he forgot to give it back. When he left, the bracelet disappeared with him. For years, she wondered what had happened. And then one day, about 20 years later,

What's he doing? Where is he? Is he married? You know, I'm expecting maybe a LinkedIn profile or Facebook link. But instead, I see a news article. I was like, "No wonder," he just disappeared. Before she knows it, like, every woman in that group chat, she's on the phone to send a.

“Do I want to get on board with her and the rest of the girls to try to fight together?”

And that first house, like, "No." There are a lot of reasons to leave this in the past.

But as she learns more and more about Derek's trail of destruction, I said, "You know what? Yes. Maybe I'll get my bracelet back." And now, here she is in a house in Texas. Surrounded by the women who came off to her. We bonded. And we told stories. One girl was like, "Oh, he told me he was an attorney and then another girl was like, "No, no, no. He was a firefighter." He was wearing a white lab coat with me and he was wearing a naval officer uniform with someone else.

There were like eight different names that he used for each different girl. Derek all right. Derek all dread. Richard all dread. Still all dread.

Richie Peterson. Richie Taylor. And even though maybe he was a different persona,

it was so relatable and being this persona that we thought we were in love with. We had a lot of spirit in us. We had a lot to fight for. Tomorrow they'll learn whether it all pays off. And Vanessa will get the chance to look Derek in the face. That was my moment of truth. This person has been deceiving people since he was a young man and it needs to stop.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guide. Not quite on humor me with Robert's Michael and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Oden Kirk to David Letterman help make you funnier this week. My guests SNL's Mikey Day and Headwriters streeter side L helped

“an Occupella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?”

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Wasn't a humor me with Robert's Michael and friends on the iHeart Radio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs and on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast I'm breaking down everything happening at Rolling Girls. Every match, every upset

and what it really takes to win on clay. Genshin went I mean she went down to three to rebuke him up but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French. And she likes clay. Listen, learn a rebuke him up is arguably the best play in the world right now and actually we're not any surface because if she's serving well good luck. Consider this your court side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the iHeart Radio app, apple podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by capital one, founding partner of iHeart women sports. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is how do you conquer them? On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WMBA standout Kate Martin and rising hockey star Lila Edwards.

If a boy can do it I won't see what girl can't like I've never understood that like it didn't

make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you but don't ever feel like you don't feel like don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie LaDecu. The ability to show gold medals to someone

“have their face light up and smile that means the world to me and that's what motivates me to”

win more gold medals at our level at this scale like being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning, it's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to hurdle with Emily Abadi on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn in the Heart Way with me, your host and your favorite therapists, care games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations

pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession

of the thing. And we're still chasing it and we don't know when we're done enough because people scoreboard what life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you

“find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, are you a good person because you're”

free because that's two different intentions Brown. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, care games, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way.

Open your free, outheart radio app, search, learn the hard way and listen to them.

It's the morning of August 22nd, 2018, in Sherman, Texas. The women arrive at the old, very pretty, quote house. We took a little bus together. I don't think anybody made any breakfast or anything because we were all on pins and needles. They step out onto

“the stairs that lead up to the entrance and inside. You've got all the old woodwork, the old”

flooring, church pews. That's all I saw, church pews. The women are sitting together in solidarity across two rows, waiting. And then the judge has arrived. When you hear those three loud banks, it's like suddenly everything goes completely silent. William Tatum, the assistant United States Attorney in Texas, is the legal brain behind the big plan. You could hear a pin drop at that moment. He's sitting up from with his team as the preceding scout underway. Then, out comes Derek.

Just a side of him. Oh, oh, it just made me sick. He did not look our direction at all. He's not in a pilot's uniform, not dressed as a fireman or a doctor. This time, he's in a uniform he's qualified to work. Derek was shackled, his feet were shackled, his arms were shackled, and orange jumpsuit. Derek has already signed a plea agreement, admitting to the three charges. But it's a judge who'll hand down a sentence. And so, the lawyer's

duke it out, over what should factor in and what shouldn't. They argue over whether Derek has really accepted responsibility for his actions. Despite his guilty plea, Derek is still claiming that he did, in fact, have authorization to use some of the credit cards. Not him personally, of course, but his alter ego. Richie. His defense lawyer even disputes the idea that Derek used sophisticated means to conduct his scams. He argues there was nothing particularly complex

about any of it. Nope, nope, nope. He had to have spent hours and hours to have created those documents and details and contracts. I just wanted the judge to know this guy was incredibly calculated. Before long, Wendy and the others will be offered just that opportunity.

They started calling us to read our victim impact statements. First off is Cindy, who's been

leading the way for years. Then, Dory steps up. I was the second one to read my impact statement. May 17th, 2017 was the last day I would be the trusting, loving, giving person that I had been for 50 plus years. Derek is forced to listen. It was a day that I uncovered that my boyfriend, Richie Taylor, who I now know, is Derek Aldred, had ponded and manipulated me. Statement, off to statements. I want my voice to represent those women. Victims whose lives

“have been turned upside down, due to Derek, the sociopath. I believe that swindling for Derek”

is like a drug. Every time he gets away with it, he has a deeper desire to do it again. He's a master manipulator. He will go to unimaginable links to steal money from women. I don't think that Derek understands the fundamental difference between lies and the truth. I've seen in the history that over and over again, the justice system has led us down. As soon as he's free, he will just do this again. He must be stopped from ruining other lives.

I remember I felt real powerful when I said it. Like, listen to me, you know,

“you're not in charge anymore. I wanted him to look me in the face, I could just give him that.”

You discussed me, look. He never even looked.

When the women finish, the judge turns to Derek and I'll see if there's anything he'd like to say. There is. After a bit of waffle to his honour, Derek says, to say I'm mortified and I'm embarrassed and I'm shamed and I'm sorry, doesn't begin to capture really how I feel. You know, the harm that I've caused some of the people behind me, I know the money is really inconsequential to a degree. I never wanted to hurt someone's trust like that to where they would

leave me and move on about life and have that type of deficit. You know, that's the, that's the

cross that I'm going to carry and, and to those people, I'm very, very sorry.

I hope at this point that the victims behind me can have some peace now. Go back home and move on about their lives with a little more, a little more peace than they've had the past three, four, five years. Then he brings up my name, or even in someone like Vanessa's case where it's been 25 years. Hopefully this brings some closure to that. So I'm sorry, and that's all I have to say. There's something about that tone of surprise that's jarring to Vanessa.

“I just wanted to laugh in him and like, you know, be like, you know what? Really?”

And then it's over. The women have said their peace. Even Derek spoke enough, apologised,

subsequently or not. It's finally time for this decades-long saga to come to an end.

The women are lined up in rows, knots in their stomachs. The judge was getting ready to give his sentence. And you can hear a pin drop. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guide, not quite on humor me with Robert Smygo and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funny this week. My guests SNL's Mikey Day and Headwriters Streeter side L helped an

Occupella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smygo and friends on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Goss.

Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on clay. Genshin went. I mean, she went down to three to rebuke you now, but I'm delighted. Yeah, she's an outsider to win the French, right? And she likes clay. Listen, learner rebuke you know is arguably the best player in the world right now. And actually we're not any surface because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court-side seat to the

French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of I Heart Women Sports.

“Life throws hurdles, big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them?”

On her role with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them, and the minds that that keeps them going. From the WNBA standout Kate Martin and rising hockey starling La Edwards. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't feel long. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champ,

Scabby Thomas, and Katie LaDecu. The ability to show gold medals to someone and have their face light up and smile. That means the world to me, and that's what motivates me to

world, like I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning,

“it's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to her little Emily Abadi on the I Heart”

Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of I Heart Women Sports. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn in the Heart Way with me, your host and your favorite therapist, care games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field,

and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking trip fatigue, Ryan Clark,

sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough, because people with scoreboard are why. Life becomes about wins and losses.

“Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you”

heal on earth, are you a good person because you're free? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, care games, as we have real conversations about healing, growth,

fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, I heart radio app search, learn the hard way, and listen to them. Derek sits in the courtroom, in his orange jumpsuit, and a judge, cloaked up, is ready to deliver the moment they've all been waiting for. The judge said it. I sent you two to 88 months. We're all like, how many years is that? How many years is that? You can't have your phone in there,

so we're all like, how many years is that? One of the ladies in front of us had a calculator,

and she held it up, and it's a 24. You got the maximum 24 years. No parole.

There was a collective sigh of relief. All of us were just like, silently, high-fiving, and clapping, and just like smiles so big. You could just feel everybody's shoulders just lower a little bit, like we've been fighting to get somebody to pay attention, and this judge got the memo. Alongside the sentence, Derek has ordered to pay $254,892, and 41 cents. The judge tells Derek, if he could have given him a higher sentence, he would have.

I can't get them their money back. I can't give them any other solace, but all I can do is protect society for as long as I can do so.

“So that's what I'm doing. The bottom line for the court is I have full belief that if you get”

out of jail, you're going to commit these same crimes again. That's what your history and your pattern has been. All the court can do is try to protect society from your criminal acts, provide adequate punishment for the entirety of your conduct. You have assumed identities and personalities to defraud the individuals out of some of them large amounts of money. In all likelihood, the totality of your criminal conduct has yet to even be discovered.

You have a pattern, or it looks like the inability to ever tell the fool truth. The courtroom empties. The news begins to spread to those who weren't there in person. Like Lisa, a hockey loving nurse who decided not to go to Texas. I have so excited that I started jumping for joy. Lisa can hear the girl celebrating in the background of her phone call. Like we did at Crills, we did it, like he's going to jail now.

All the women we interviewed for the series were among those who gave statements to NCIS investigators. A most-gave victim impact statements at Derrick Ordred sentencing hearing too. In total, NCIS investigators were able to link Derrick Ordred to at least 25 victims. Women from Hawaii, Minnesota, Texas, Nevada, California, women who consider themselves hopeless romantic, donned right bullbusters that done it. Derrick was elated by seeing all these girls and how good

get real upset. It really helped me see that there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

“And I'm not a fool. It can happen anybody.”

Seeing this group of women who are very diverse, but you know, all had one thing in common and we just wanted to be loved. In the years since the various relationships with Derrick, some of the women have found romantic love again and some haven't, like Vanessa. I'd say that Derrick really kind of screwed it up for me and made me not really want to trust people. I feel like being a part of his big lie really took away the potential opportunity for me to be with the right person.

My sorority sisters, most of them are married and they're married to people that they dated

during the time that I dated Derrick and had I met someone else who was a real genuine person,

“not faking to be someone else. You know, I could have actually fallen in love with someone”

and maybe had a family and I feel like Derrick kept me from that. But Vanessa and I also share a fundamental belief. The love and joy is not something that you can only get from romantic relationships. Vanessa lives a beautiful life that's filled with love. She has so many friends, close family, a big garden, which is often absolutely filled to the brim with dogs, her own and others. I'm a pet sitter on the side. I've been doing that for about 10 years

and I love it. She's happy with the trajectory her life has taken since Derrick. She's put the experience behind her and I am in complete support of that, which is why I'm going to let her go back to her sweet pooches and sweet tea. Just after one question, what do you think you did with your bracelet by the way? I'm guessing he pondered, from money, I doubt he kept it. I'll ask him about the bracelet if I do manage to get through. Oh, M.G. Please, I would love that. Oh my gosh.

I agree with Vanessa. Derrick is best put behind all of us. What a waste of energy. However, as a journalist, of course I will give him a right of reply to some of the allegations that have been made against him, which means getting in touch with him in prison. And if I'm going to email this guy, I might as well ask about that bracelet and hey, who knows, he might have a sudden rush of conscience. Anna, I just wouldn't email from the prison from Derrick. Oh fuck.

Each of the women we have spoken to for the series have told us about their individual experiences. So we asked Derrick to respond to some of their allegations. Derrick denies that he spiked any drink in Hawaii in 2015. He denies that he filed a false police report over furniture thrown out of his window in the mid-90s. Despite the plea agreement, the 24-year sentence, the unequivocal words of the judge. Derrick also denies the idea that he stole money from all

of these women. One thing Derrick does admit is that he lied and cheated while dating

“some of these women. Deployable behavior is how he describes it. Remember how Derrick's bank”

refused to refund the money Derrick had stolen? Once he's sentencing hearing was over, she sent them a long and feisty letter and she tells us they promptly reversed their decision on that. Most of the women have made some kind of peace with the idea that they're unlikely to get their money back. But the bracelet, the one made from gold jewelry belonging to Vanessa's mother, who died of cancer when she was just a child. The one that went missing, right around the time

Derrick disappeared from her life in the 90s, without explanation. That's a bit harder to make

peace with. Here's what Derrick has to say about that. Highly owner, Vanessa seems to have a very

different view of how we broke up and the relationship ended. Let me give you some very clear details of our breakup and this bracelet, which is in quotation marks. The only bracelet I am familiar with is basically, Derrick says he can't remember that bracelet. I sense that the foundation that's being

not true. I mean really, what man wears a woman's bracelet for starters?

“Maybe Derrick really doesn't remember Vanessa's bracelet. I can't tell you though, I've read his case”

file. It's obviously not the first time he's been accused of stealing or lying.

It's not even the first time he's been accused of taking a beloved piece of family jewelry from a woman he was dating. And for what it's worth, the only time I've ever been able to find an example of Derrick coughing to his behaviour is when he's had absolutely no other choice. And sometimes not even men. Derrick has said countless times that he's sorry for the pain he's caused. And maybe he really is. If that were true, one way he could have made a men's, practically

tangibly, would be to finally give a woman who's been waiting 30 years a few answers.

But hey, because you never know your luck and because I'm an unrelenting optimist and with a

stranger things have happened, particularly on this show, I have a quick request. If you happen to hang out around UCLA in 1995, if you were to a gold trader or a pawn shop in Los Angeles at that time, and you have a particularly sharp memory, or if you knew Derrick or Derrick or Derrick had back then, or you knew someone who did. Do you have any idea what could have happened to Vanessa's bracelet? It was gold, it had a chain link in a Cuban style, kind of masculine looking. Not to be a

total true crime tragic, but someone must know something. So if you do, get in touch. It belonged to someone who really treasure that. And it's missing. It's important we are honest about the damage these con artist's cause, because only then will the victims be taken seriously. By the law, and by the rest of us, these kinds of experiences do leave scars.

“I think after going through all this, I'm no longer the hopeless romantic. As for Derrick,”

she used to read Daniel's steel books. She watched the occasional hallmark movie. Then she met Derrick, and brought his scamming spree to a screeching halt. She's changed a lot since then. It's not my life goal to meet Mr. Perfect and have the happily ever after. I'm really a piece with myself. I love myself. I love who I am. I'm perfectly fine. Mean my dogs. I really value my friendships. I have some really, really, really solid. Good friends of my life. That really, really helped me through this.

And so I'm trying, I'm trying now to make up to my friends that were there for me, be there for them and whatever they may need, be the best friend that I can to people that stopped their lives to help me. Help me through it. Well, it's tough for her still. Eventually, those scars harden. I'm definitely stronger. Now it's like I'm steel. It's like you could say whatever you want. I know who I am. I'm happy with me. They remind you daily. Who was there all

along? Sure, you got jute, hurt terribly. But you also mocked up the pieces. Survived it. I just hope people learn particularly girls that might be in a sticky situation. We women have to look out for each other. The number one lesson I learned from all of this is to trust my gut.

Really trusting yourself, not second guessing yourself like I did. Always go with your gut feeling.

“It will never steer you wrong. I think women are so good at having these instincts”

and being able to recognize them. We're not always good at listening to them. Girlfriends. If I, your lesbian agony arms, can leave you with one message from this series. It's this. Know your worth. You're better off without any loser making you second guess yourself.

here's some other advice for you. We always say that trust your girlfriend. There we go.

“Coming up in the next bonus episode of the Girlfriends. Trust me babe.”

I can't describe the bashing that the public gave us. Oh, I'm smarter than this. I wouldn't fall for it. People are very powerful behind their computers. Truly these techniques they really work. They can work on any of us. The Girlfriends Trust me babe is produced by novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from novel, visit novel.ordio. The series is hosted by me, Anison Field. It's produced by Leona Hermit. Our assistant producer is Valeria Rocker. Our editor is Joe Wealer.

Production management from Shuri Huston, Joe Savage and Charlotte Wulf.

Fact checking by Daniel Suleiman. Sound design, mixing and scoring by Daniel Kempson and Nicholas Alexander. The Girlfriends Team was composed by Daniel Kempson and Louise the Guestine and performed by Daniel Kempson with vocals by Louise the Guestine. Music supervision from Daniel Kempson and Anison Field. The series artwork was designed by Christina Lemcool. Story development by Susie Baker and Olivia Smart. Novel's director or development is Selena Metta. Max O'Brien is the executive

producer for novel. Katrina Norvel and Nikki Eto are the executive producers for iHeart Podcasts. And the marketing lead is Allison Cantor. Special thanks to Carrie Lieberman and Will Pearson at iHeart Podcasts. Julie Sensulo and Langston, Carolyn Shrelevin, Katie Gillis, Kelly Hunt, Rachel Monroe, Tom Olderag and Tad Vesner. Quite on humor me with Robert's Michael and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odin

Kirk to David Letterman, help make you funnier this week. My guests SNL's Mikey Day and Headwriters Streeter Side L helped an Occupella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert's Michael and Friends on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Winning on Clay is an odd. The rallies are relentless.

And, at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I know, I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no non-sense break-downs of the biggest matches. The toughest players, and the moment set to find Roland Garros. Jensen Winner, she's an outsider to win the French ring, and he likes Clay. Listen, Leonard Rybakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And actually,

we're not any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports.

“Life is full of hurdles, so how do you keep going?”

On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we're talking with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, from professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions, about the challenges that shape them and the mindset that keeps them moving forward. At our level, at this scale, being able to fail in the front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything.

Listen to hurdle with Emily Abadi on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. I'm Michelle McFey, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on, a Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman.

Multi-million dollar house for our isn't Lamborghini's private jets a billion dollar fraud.

But how long can this alliance last?

“Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me?”

Listen to Kingdom of Freight on the iHeart Radio Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.