A federal indictment charges a couple and their daughter, who authorities allege worked as a prostitute and topless dancer, extorted $2.6 million from an Oakland County businessman to cover up a sexual relationship he had with the daughter's underage cousin.
Jailed in lieu of bond after his arraignment Wednesday, Terry Tackett, 52, of Romulus is named in a 119-count indictment. The charges against him include money laundering, tax evasion and conspiracy to obstruct justice.
Tackett's wife Kimberly, 53, and daughter Jessica, 25, of Westland are charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice. They are both free on bond following their arraignments. All have pleaded not guilty.
The 37-page grand jury indictment outlines a case dating to 2008 when Jessica Tackett was providing income to the family while working as a topless dancer.
During that time, she met a businessman called Person A in the indictment, but identified in other news media reports as a retired software engineer from Orchard Lake.
The indictment charges that Jessica Tackett worked as a prostitute getting paid for having a sexual relationship with the businessman. That included him having a threesome with Jessica Tackett and her underage cousin, according to the indictment.
It was threats to report the sexual encounter with the cousin that the indictment alleges Terry Tackett used to extort the money from the businessman. The indictment also alleges that Terry Tackett made a variety of threats against the businessman, claiming organized crime and motorcycle gang connections.
The indictment cites separate letters from the Tacketts and the unnamed cousin sent to the businessman in late 2008 threatening to go to police if they weren't paid. There are other documents, which the businessman asked the defendants to sign, stating they wouldn't report the sexual encounter to police or seek additional money from him.
Part of the indictment is a listing of $2 million in cashier's checks and what is alleged to be the laundering of the money. It is alleged that businessman also paid $640,000 in cash.
The indictment charges all three of the Tacketts with attempting to obstruct the investigation by hiding assets, telling others what to tell investigators and filing false police reports against the businessman, including false rape charges.
The Tacketts tried to hide classic cars, including a 1976 Chevrolet Corvette and a 1968 Chevy Chevelle, and other vehicles from the IRS, according to the indictment, enlisting others and threatening others. According to federal documents included as part of an order revoking his bond until his trial, Terry Tackett showed as "continuing pattern of threatening violence, mutilation and murder against a number of people unless they promised to lie to law enforcement and assist him by making false statements and filing false documents."
According to the documents, Hackett told a former girlfriend he would "hang her from a tree and cut her genitals out" if she talked to federal agents.
The case is scheduled to go to trial May 5 before U.S. District Judge District Judge John Corbett O'Meara in federal court in Ann Arbor.
Attorneys for the Tacketts couldn't be reached for comment.