Sophie Lyons (December 24, 1848 – May 8, 1924) was an American criminal and one of the country's most notorious female thieves, pickpockets, shoplifters, and confidence women during the mid-to-late 19th century.

[4] On the afternoon of January 31, 1880, Lyons returned to the Essex Market police court where she brought her oldest son, 14-year-old George, before the magistrate.

She claimed he refused to attend school, often left home at nights to sleep in the streets and "was so generally unruly" that she requested that he be put in a juvenile correctional facility.

These accusations caused a disturbance in the court room and the magistrate called for a recess to listen to both mother and son in private.

[citation needed] After hearing of this incident, Lyons invited George to her home on Montgomery Street and had him arrested by waiting police officers.

George admitted that he had an argument with Woodward, who had withheld his pocket watch, but denied intimidating her to obtain his recommendation.

[5] By 1880 Lyons had split from Ned and moved her base of criminal operations to Detroit, partly due to the city's proximity to Canada.

Lyons refused to be taken back to the dry goods store, insisting that she be searched to prove her innocence, but was instead arrested and taken to the Mercer Street police station.

She was charged with the theft of a pocketbook from an unknown woman in New Jersey, which contained $12 and a railroad ticket, and it was requested by the court that she be remanded.

Her lawyer, Emanuel Friend, successfully argued for her release by pointing out the largely vague circumstances of the charges and the absence of the store detective.

She also owned 40 houses, not including vacant property, due to real estate and business investments worth $500,000[11] (equivalent to $15.4 million in 2023)[12].

She publicly offered to provide rent-free homes for any criminals with families who were brought to Detroit by the Pathfinders' Club reform group.

On February 2, 1916, she announced at the Pathfinders' annual dinner that she would be donating land worth $35,000 to establish a building for juvenile delinquents.

Lyons specified that the gift was offered on the following condition: "The home is to be devoted to the work of convincing children who have begun to be criminals that they have chosen the wrong path, and also to training them so that they will have the strength to go alright.