Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System--And Pocketed $40 Million

A riveting true story of an unsuspecting woman who creates an ingeniously clever white-collar scheme that manipulates the Federal banking system out of millions--who eventually loses everything that is most important to her.

In Never Saw Me Coming, Tanya Smith shares her deeply personal and remarkable story of how she went from a precocious young girl to a money-grabbing, computer-savvy wiz. It starts out as a keen interest in technology and innocently acquiring phone numbers to Michael Jackson, as well as other celebrities, and moves to her successfully stealing and depositing $5,000 into her grandmother's banking account. By the time she is 18, the risk taker has confiscated millions in cash.

The FBI is hot on her tail and hauls her in for an interview, demanding Smith let them know who she's working for, "as these are not the kind of crimes Black people are smart enough to commit." Their words, indicating that intelligence was determined by race, severely offended Smith. Up for the challenge, she proves the FBI wrong and over time steals $40 million dollars, while securing diamonds, gold bars, and other commodities. Her lifestyle attracts the wrong kind of people, even those who set out to kill her.

Law enforcement persisted, ultimately dubbing Smith "one of the single biggest threats to the entire United States banking system." She receives an outrageous prison sentence--the longest for a white-collar offense--and is eventually released by mounting her own brilliant defense.

Complete with unexpected twists and turns, Never Saw Me Coming is a gripping caper that reminds never to underestimate a woman.

Author: Tanya Smith
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Published: 08/13/2024
Pages: 432
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.4lbs
Size: 9.40h x 5.90w x 1.70d
ISBN: 9780316569163


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/03/2024
Kirkus Reviews 07/15/2024

About the Author
Tanya Smith was born and raised on the Northside of Minneapolis, where her father ran the Capri Theater, famous for launching the career of Prince. She was inspired by her daughter to write her memoir. Currently, she lives quietly in Southern California, enjoying the peace of suburban motherhood.