Kriti Mehrotra
With ABC’s ‘Betrayal: Secrets & Lies: The Kentucky Conman’ delving deep into the crimes of Edward “Ted” House through the eyes of his ex-wife, Libby Earle Henry, we get a gripping original. That’s because it incorporates not only archival documents but also exclusive interviews with those who once trusted him implicitly to really underscore the inadvertent consequences of his actions. He was eventually found guilty on the federal charges of bank, mortgage, and wire fraud – so here’s what we know about where he stands today.
Edward “Ted” House Was Once Leading an Almost Idyllic Life
Born in 1969 into an affluent, prominent, and well-connected family in Indiana, Edward “Ted” House was reportedly the apple of his parents’ eyes. He thus grew up surrounded by unwavering affection, care, kindness, trust, and support, which continued even after he chose to enroll at the University of Kentucky upon graduating from high school. That’s where he first came across his future wife in history class in August 1991 – his opening line to Libby Earle Henry had to do with their syllabus, yet she still agreed to go to dinner with him.
Ted and Libby’s first date gradually evolved into something much more serious as they fell head over heels in love, resulting in him getting down on one knee for her less than a year later. They tied the knot in a big wedding in 1993, shortly following which they happily built a home together, kick-started their respective careers, and welcomed a daughter named Caroline into their world. However, things changed a little in the late 1990s as Libby reportedly developed chronic back pain, leading to her evolving into a homemaker while he avowed to provide for their young family. He was already a thriving professional in the mortgage industry by that point, and he then transformed his hobby of house flipping into an alleged real business with highly profitable margins.
Edward “Ted” House Reportedly Lost Everything Dear to Him Because of His Frauds
While Ted seemed to be thriving in the early 2000s, as he had recently purchased a million-dollar home, often went on exotic family vacations, and indulged in breaks, the reality was much different. That’s because, according to records, he wasn’t operating a legitimate business at all. He was taking false loans, buying distressed properties for cheap, and then reselling them to his straw buyer at a high profit within days, all the while pocketing the excess money himself. He had no idea when he started this scheme that it would take over his life as he allegedly became very distressed, jumpy, and panicky at home, which his wife almost immediately noticed. All he could tell her at the time, as per the aforementioned show, was that he had gotten involved in something bad.
It was later on that Ted reportedly told Libby they were in “financial trouble” owing to some “bad business decisions,” but it was his alleged anger issues and the domestic incidents that really bothered her. After all, according to the original production, he once “exploded” and injured her just because she had purchased an antique platter. In another incident, he allegedly told his stay-at-home wife to “Get a J-O-B, b****h” when she asked for money to buy groceries. Therefore, she ultimately filed for divorce, only to later learn he had allegedly forged her signature on a few mortgage papers involved in his fraud and acquired loans as well as credit cards under her name.
Edward “Ted” House Currently Leads a Quiet Life
Ted and Libby’s divorce was finalized in September 2005, following which she was allowed to stay in a condo belonging to his parents while receiving $1,200 per month in child support. He had the latter amount reduced to $149 per month a short while later by demonstrating that he had no steady source of income or any assets he could mortgage, since they had been repossessed. That’s around the same time it came to light that the FBI was actually investigating him for bank, mortgage, and wire fraud related to his real estate scheme. In the end, he was arrested, tried, and convicted in federal court before being sentenced to 18 months in federal prison in 2009.
From what we can tell, Ted was released from federal custody on August 19, 2010, and has since made the conscious decision to remain well away from the limelight. All we can assume is that the 57-year-old has likely spent the past 16 years trying to rebuild his life on his own, especially as his prominent Indiana family reportedly withdrew their support for him once his criminality came to light.
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