Minneapolis genius grew up with Prince then successfully hacked into banks' computers and stole $40m... before unveiling shock twist at her trial

A Minneapolis woman who grew up alongside Prince managed to make off with millions in stolen cash after hacking into banks.

Tanya Smith managed to accrue millions by breaking into the computer systems of banks at the age of 20 in the 1980s as part of a wire fraud scheme. 

In her new book set to release later this month, titled 'Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System — and Pocketed $40 Million', Smith chronicles her crimes which saw her end up in prison for over 13 years.

The book documents her early life which includes name dropping a friend's big brother as being rockstar Prince, her time behind bars and a daring escape in 1988.

While on trial for her crimes, Smith deployed a twist worthy of a soap opera by producing twin sister in court and challenging eyewitnesses to tell them apart, in a clever bid to sow doubt in the minds of jurors. 

Tanya and her sister Tamara Jo accused each other of carrying out the fraud before a voice expert testified they had both been in on it. 

The twins made phone calls to bank officials and persuaded them to release hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, claiming they wiring money to cover it. 

A jury found her guilty of all 37 counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and credit card fraud, according to the Star Tribune.

Her twin sister was found guilty of nearly the exact same charges, with Tanya then being sent to a prison in West Virginia which she escaped from in 1988. 

Speaking with the Star Tribune ahead of the release, Smith told the outlet that she had been able to hack into banking networks because her 'brain just kicks in'. 

She added: 'Somehow my brain just kicks in and I can figure stuff out. I can make it happen. I’ve always been like that.

'If somebody has an issue and they need help, I could probably help them figure out a strategy.'

While being questioned by Minneapolis police, who refused to believe she was smart enough to commit the crimes, she told the outlet it was her first experienced racism.

Smith said: 'Growing up in north Minneapolis, I never experienced racism. My friends were all races of people, all religions.

'So the first time I encountered racism, really, was when I was in that interrogation room. 

'That was the turning point for me. I was always trying to help other people but that’s when I felt, “OK, let me show you how smart this Black woman is".' 

When pushed to speak about Prince, she revealed she had been close friends with his younger sister Tyka. 

She added: 'Prince was just — we knew he was talented. We watched him play all these instruments ever since he was very young. 

'But he was just Tyka’s brother. He was always a nice person. As we got older, I noticed he had gotten a lot better. 

An excerpt from the book shared with the outlet shows she used to taunt the star in his younger years, describing him as being 'not a big talker'.

It reads: 'The Nelsons lived six blocks from us. Taryn [Tanya’s twin] and I would often pack up our Barbie dolls and head to Tyka’s to play. 

'Born in 1960, like us, Tyka had a beautiful singing voice. Her parents were both jazz musicians. 

'Her father, John, played the piano and used the stage name Prince Rogers; her mother, Mattie, was a singer. 

'There was always music playing in their house, especially in the basement, where her big brother played the drums or the keyboard.

She recalled how their mother would tell them to go into the basement, where Prince played his drums, if they started to get too loud, much to the annoyance of the older brother. 

Smith writes: After a few more shouts from his mother, Prince would get all huffy and stomp up the steps. He wasn’t a big talker, but his icy sneer let us know he was pissed off.

'We enjoyed tormenting Prince. Even when we didn’t want to play Barbies, we’d push Tyka’s mom to run him out of the basement.'

'He’d written a song to taunt us called “Lippy Lippy Lou” about a nasty girl with big lips. I was too mad to take in the words, but I still remember the song’s funky beat. All his banging on the drums and keyboard was paying off.'

She also writes in her book that at the age of 13 she got a plane ticket to fly to Michael Jackson's home and demand to meet him.

Prince sold over 100 million records before his death at the age of 57 in 2016 after accidentally overdosing on fentanyl. 

Smith now lives in Los Angeles, where according to the outlet she cares for unhoused people and works a part-time customer service job.

She told the Star Tribune her daughter had influenced her to write the book after stumbling across newspaper clippings a few years ago about her mom. 

Her publisher has also since teased that the book might also be adapted for the screen.