PHOENIX — She asked for less time in prison and Tracii Hutsona got it.
A federal judge granted the Phoenix restaurant owner’s written request for a reduced prison sentence last month, changing it from 51 months to 42 months.
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Hutsona owned Breakfast Bitch, a hot spot in the Roosevelt Row area that opened in 2020, before she went behind bars.
She surrendered to prison in March of last year after taking a plea deal for wire fraud.
In court, she admitted she stole more than $1 million from actress Joumana Kidd, NBA star Jason Kidd’s ex-wife. Hutsona used to be her assistant, despite her history, having been convicted of a federal fraud scheme once before.
"I did apologize," Hutsona said in an exclusive interview with the I-Team last year. "And I am remorseful."
The reduction comes amid concerns for the restaurant.
In February, the restaurant’s landlord took steps toward eviction, saying in court filings that the restaurant was behind more than a month in rent and owed more than $27,000. A few weeks later, the complaint was dismissed.
An attorney for the landlord declined to comment for this story.
In Hutsona’s release plan, including in her letter to the judge in early March, she said her daughter was trying to keep things afloat but that the company is “struggling” without her leadership.
Hutsona said they already had to close the San Diego location and that she was worried about the Phoenix spot, noting she, at one point, employed about 130 people.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office wrote a letter asking the judge to deny her request for a reduced sentence. The letter called Hutsona a "serial fraudster," referring to her past conviction.
In March, the judge granted Hutsona's request, citing a change in sentencing guidelines that was amended last year, plus her good behavior in prison. She's currently being held at FCI Phoenix.
In an email, Hutsona’s daughter told the I-Team in part that the rent issue was “greatly exaggerated and has since been resolved."
She added that the restaurant is in “capable hands” and that they’ve “maintained financial stability”
Hutsona’s release date is listed for 2026 on the Bureau of Prison's website.
Instead of serving a sentence, she hopes to be back serving people at her restaurant.
"I’ll be back bitches!" she said in last year's interview. "Hopefully stronger than ever."
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