A woman in Los Angeles bilked investors out of lots of dough with a phony proposed three-wheeled car, back in the 70's. She sort of looked like Tootsie. Ultimately, the hangars where the cars were being built were empty, and the woman was later discovered to have really been a man. Anyone know how I can find out more about this story? Thanks, in advance.

The alias used by the man was Liz Carmichael. The car was called the Dale. The guy's real name was Jerry Dean Michael (he also went by the alias Geraldine Michaels). When he was caught, he was taking female hormones in prep for a sex change.

There is a picture and a bit of information on the car (and the designer) here:

http://www.3wheelers.com/dale.html

There is an email address on that page to someone who is writing a book about the Dale. Perhaps you should get in touch with him. I hope this helps. :)

Hey, Allierain,
How cool are you? Thank you so much for the info. A freind of mine met up with Liz Carmichael when he was in the process of buying a house, and showed up as both the 'husband' and the 'wife' on different occasions. Wild story. Thank you very much!:talk: :wave:

Thanks Allierain for the link. About a month ago I tried searching for info on the Dale Car scam with little luck.

I remember seeing both the original segment and then the update about the capture on Lifetime reruns when I visited the states in 1997. Didn't a UM tip lead to the capture? I can't recall if it did or not.

Originally posted by Allierain
The alias used by the man was Liz Carmichael. The car was called the Dale. The guy's real name was Jerry Dean Michael (he also went by the alias Geraldine Michaels). When he was caught, he was taking female hormones in prep for a sex change.

There is a picture and a bit of information on the car (and the designer) here:

http://www.3wheelers.com/dale.html

There is an email address on that page to someone who is writing a book about the Dale. Perhaps you should get in touch with him. I hope this helps. :)

He must've been taking them for years because by the time he had been arrested, he resembled my grandmother and his breasts were huge (I apologize for being so graphic).

Liz Carmichael, as reported in a May 2002 rerun of the mystery on Lifetime, was captured, then living as a female, served out her sentence and was released! Quite a letdown after such a scam!

Originally posted by Anonymous1
Liz Carmichael, as reported in a May 2002 rerun of the mystery on Lifetime, was captured, then living as a female, served out her sentence and was released! Quite a letdown after such a scam!


Let's hope that...he?...she?...doesn't do it again.

Thanks for the laugh, Dough! You're very right on...Liz DID look like Tootsie. I had NO idea what case you were referring to until you said that. Hilarius. She made one helluva ugly woman.

I remember this case very well. Seen it several times. I always thought it was a little weird.

It was pretty odd to watch "Liz" walk in looking really tall and muscular like a man with a low male voice. LOL!

Resurrecting an ancient thread here, but I watched the Liz segment today and was wondering a few things. Maybe someone can educate me on this stuff....

Liz had 5 children, but I don't think there was any mention of their mother. Were these his biological children or were they adopted? Did he commit a "parental kidnapping" to get custody of them while he was constantly on the run or did he actually have legal custody?

It would be great if one of his kids would visit here. When Liz was finally apprehended, he was living with one of them. When he was arrested, it looked like Liz was dressed sort of like a man, but had a bit of a female body.

Did Liz really take hormone therapy in preparation for a sex change, or was that a lie to explain why he was living as a woman?

How did he go from being a pretty good conman to working at a dating service and as a flower vendor? Was he just trying to stay off the radar by not getting involved in any higher level type jobs?

Did Liz develop his female persona specifically for that huge "Dale" con or was he living the lifestyle before he decided to become the female Henry Ford?

Thanks for posting that link allierain. The Liz Carmichael segment is always bit funny to watch but it was interesting because it was scam that was playing off one of the desperations in society. Liz claimed that the Dale would 70 miles for each galloon of a gas and at the time there was a bit fuel crisis in the economy and gas price were rising. At that point many people were wanting a solution to ease the problem.

Apparently she died in 2004 from cancer.

http://www.facebook.com/?ref=hp#!/profile.php?id=825153265

Ok this is my first post - and i realize it is not likely she would be on Facebook living in Sheffield England.....but DAMN at first I did a double take!