Locked In with Ian Bick - I Robbed a Bank… Then Went to Florida’s Brutal Youth Prison | Lee Morris

Episode Date: September 1, 2025

Lee Morris’ life story is a raw and powerful journey from bank robbery and brutal prison time to redemption. Growing up in Duchess County, New York, Lee’s childhood was shaken by his parents’ divorce, leading him down a troubled path. After moving to Florida as a teenager, he fell in with the wrong crowd, began robbing houses, and eventually escalated to robbing a bank — a decision that landed him four years in one of Florida’s toughest youthful offender prisons. Even after his release, Lee continued down a destructive road and was sent back to prison 16 years later for drug charges. Today, he’s sharing his story of survival, the realities of prison life, and how he finally turned his life around after years of chaos and incarceration. #PrisonStories #TrueCrimePodcast #BankRobbery #PrisonLife #FloridaPrison #RedemptionStory #SecondChances #LockedInWithIanBick Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Presented by Tyson 2.0 & Wooooo Energy: https://tyson20.com/ https://woooooenergy.com/ Use code LOCKEDIN for 20% OFF Wooooo Energy Buy Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop Timestamps: 00:00 Intro: The Bank Robbery 00:18 Lee's Troubled Childhood 03:02 Family Background and Early Influences 06:00 Growing Up in Poverty 09:19 Early Delinquency and Moving to Florida 13:14 Getting Involved with Guns and Crime 15:36 From House Robberies to Robbing a Bank 18:16 The Bank Heist Unfolds 20:54 Aftermath: Getting Caught and Facing Court 25:00 Prison: Sentencing and First Days 27:00 Surviving Florida Youthful Offender Prison 33:36 Prison Violence and Racism 40:44 Learning Prison Rules and Inmate Justice 45:12 Family Support During Incarceration 47:51 Smuggling, Confinement, and Prison Life 52:52 Release: Getting Out and Reentering Society 55:40 Back to the Streets: Drugs, Probation, and Temptation 01:01:03 Drifting Back into Crime 01:04:49 Major Drug Case and Second Arrest 01:07:40 Second Prison Term: Adult System 01:13:33 Contrasts Between Youthful Offender and Adult Prison 01:15:54 Lessons Learned From Prison 01:20:27 Work Release and Returning to Society 01:24:12 Making a Fresh Start: Moving North 01:26:00 Finding Support and Unconditional Love 01:28:03 Life Today and Reflections 01:29:00 Advice for Young People & Final Thoughts Powered by: Just Media House : https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Bad advice? You talking to me? Kayak, got that right. I don't think she took me serious at first. So I'd open the book bag and showed her the pistol that was in there. So then she gives me everything. So then I'm thinking, damn, this ain't that much money.

I know there's more money down bottom, but I got to worry about dive packs and stuff like that. But already I can hear this iron's coming. So I'm like, I got to get out of here. Lee Morris grew up in Duchess County, New York, where a childhood marked by his parents' divorce, set him on a troubled path. After moving to Florida with his dad,

he fell in with the wrong crowd, started robbing houses and eventually escalated to robbing a bank. That decision landed him four brutal years in a Florida youthful offender prison. But even after his release, Lee's life spiraled again and 16 years later he found himself back behind bars, this time for drugs. Today, Lee is sharing his powerful story of survival, second chances, and how he finally turned his life around after prison. Lee, welcome to Lockton, man.

You're literally a town over from us. I appreciate you so much for reaching out and coming on. How do we get connected? Does someone introduce us? No, I basically, I don't know what it was. I'm on social media and I'm always so bored with it. Like, it's the same content over and over, and I came across you. I'm like, damn, this dude is so awesome.

This is so refreshing. Like, this is what I'm interested. I know 100 people that are interested all in the same stuff. So I'm like, damn, this is great. And then I started to see, like, the people that are following you and stuff on social media. I'm like, wait a second, this dude's got to be local. So I'm like, dang, I got to reach out to him. And now here we are a couple days later.

Well, I appreciate that so much, man. I really, it's great. It is. It's like refreshing and needed because I'm like gotten where I like can't stand social media anymore. So like to see this content is really cool. It's real stories from real people. And I also, I really like the local ones too because it pushes it out locally where it's like if it makes people think differently about those that have been incarcerated. Because I know how people look at me locally.

I know it's different kind of like in the country now, but locally, people are just so weird when it comes to people. I know. It's like, and especially you because everybody knew about your situation. You know what I mean? I wasn't around at that time. I was in Florida, but I've asked a few people, oh, yeah, I know that. Yeah. And if you asked 10 different people from this area, each one of them is going to say a totally different thing.

Different story, yeah, yeah. And they have no idea because they were never involved, you know. Exactly. I think the most important facts are like I'm almost done paying the restitution. No, I thought that was great. To me, that was actually that was the first thing I saw that was like that you paid almost all the restitution. I'm like, dang, dude, that's a stand-up, dude, that's good. I feel like that's the only way to clear my name.

Yeah, yeah. That's what it's going to take to, like really clear it. I think a lot of people will be like, you know, just see that as like such a good positive thing. I appreciate it. But enough about me. Let's get into you. Where'd you grow up? So basically all my family, I was born in Indianapolis, but that's all my families from Dutchess County, New York, around the Poughkeepsie area.

And for whatever reason, we went down to Indianapolis, my grandma, that's where she was raised. And I think that's why we were there. And I just happened to be born there. Within a year, I think we were back in Dutchess County. I grew up there and moved. Actually, I had got in trouble when I was like probably 11 or 12 in school. All types of stuff happened. And back then, of course, there's like no cell phones or nothing. My mom's a single mom, so she's working constantly. There's all these like cops and in the school trying to call her and get a hold of her. Nobody can get a hold of her. So they placed me on what it's called a, a,

New York has a PINS program. Persons in need of supervision. And it's like through the family court in New York. So they placed me on that. And then basically the only person they could get a hold was my dad. So they told him that if I moved in with him, that they would take me off the PINS program and, you know, pretty much everything that had happened, you know, would go away.

it's probably wasn't the best thing to happen for me because my dad's a little him and me are like the black sheep of the family where he's like kind of maybe a little off the chain so it probably wasn't the best thing but within a year um he moved to florida and i went with him and uh yeah but so basically you know up until i was 12 was in like the judges county area and then i was in florida um so about I was like 30 years old. Were your parents split your entire life? Yeah, I have no memories of them. Only one memory of them together was my dad coming around. He was like harassing my mom, and she punched him in his nose and him bleeding all over the place. And that's the only memory I have of them together. So, yeah, they were always separated.

Did you have a lot of siblings? Two brothers. Yeah, two older brothers. I was the youngest. And they're like completely different than me. You know, my, my oldest brother, he actually had moved out of my moms when he was like 15. And he lived with my dad. But it didn't turn out bad for him.

He like, he ended up moving in with my grandparents and they kind of raised him. Both of them are like extremely successful. One's in L.A. One is in Connecticut. He's got like Tony's and S.B. and all this stuff doing for like ESPN and stuff so that's awesome yeah it's really cool so well how do you think your parents would describe you as a kid back then uh we asked each one of them pro you know i you know i think about that often and something like dang i don't know like

i think i was extremely quiet and like an introvert i don't think i didn't talk very much my mom said like even when i was in the crib like i wouldn't cry wouldn't do nothing like They'd have to always go in there and check on me to make sure I was still okay alive. But, you know, I think about that often, and I really don't know. But, see, I started getting in trouble at an early age. So they probably thought I was definitely, you know, a troubled young dude for sure. And I'm sure they blamed themselves. You know what I mean?

It was kind of, it was rough growing up and, you know, having no money and it's all that stuff. So do you think the no money aspect makes a big difference in how you grow up versus getting in trouble and not getting in trouble. Yeah, for sure. I think so. I mean, of course, there's people, I think, that grow up with money and maybe they, like, take things for granted and they do things out of rebellion or attention from their parents. But I think definitely growing up in poverty and you grow up in your environment, you know,

you're kind of a product of your environment, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, I definitely, I believe that. Were you teased because of your poverty? No, because I feel like everybody in that area kind of was like that. And you know what? I don't think I was because, you know, it's weird. Like, one day I would wear like a sweatshirt and something and then like the next day I'd wear it inside out. Like nobody said anything.

And then like my step sister would have, you know, wear the same clothes like three or four days later. I might wear something that she had or something. But like, no, I was never teased or anything like that. At the time, did that all feel normal to you? Or did you feel like you were... It did. It felt normal. It did.

You know, like... It's not until, like, I had my own kid that I realized, like, you know, the difference of, like, I'm just expecting everything and wanting everything. And you're thinking, like, damn, like... You know, school clothes and you that was, like, you know, that really didn't happen. You know what I mean? I remember getting a pair of, like, when I... Getting, like, my dad bought me a pair of British night. one year and I was like I'm not wearing these you know I mean I was I took that for granted too I guess so

if there's one thing you could change about your childhood what would that be uh I don't know if I would really change anything to tell you the truth I guess more I wouldn't want my mom to have struggled so bad you know what I mean like she was constantly working and she was working two or three jobs so that meant that there's no super you know what I mean I was there was nobody around. I could go do whatever I wanted. My oldest brother, he wasn't there. He's already living, you know, with my dad or my grandparents. My middle brother, all as I saw was the back of him at his desk. Like, he was heavy in the school. He's like class president and like, you know, extremely smart. End up winning all these scholarships going to, you know, Oxford University in

England. And like, you know, he just went one way and I went a different way. You know what I mean? Getting into all types of trouble. And like, also with, My kid, like, my kid just turned 13. So I was like, damn, like, she's so innocent. And for two years before that, I'd already been, you know, like smoking weed, having sex with chicks. I had a gun. I had got caught with a gun in school. And the principal took it from me, put it in his desk.

And at the end of the day, I went and got it back from him and took it and went home with it. So. That was in Florida? No, that was in Wappengers, whatever, Van Wick, middle school. Was that normal at the time? At the time, yeah. Because that's something that would never happen today. Never happened, no, never.

So do you think that kind of enabled bad behavior? Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure. Now, if you lived with your dad first instead of your mom, do you think it would have been a different outcome? No, probably not, because I don't think so, because even though he would, Like probably he didn't have to work as much as my mom did and he was around. He was extremely lenient on what I did. Because when we went to Florida, like, you know, I didn't really have any rules or, you know, maybe rules, but I didn't, you know, I just did what I wanted to do. And, like, it might be 15.

And, like, I always worked. I started working when I was, like, 13, you know, doing tile, all types of stuff. I was a, a habachi chef, like, on the grill at, like, 15. And he'd call me up there at work, like, oh, I just found 10 guns in your room, and they're loaded, and, like, you know, pissed off screaming at me. And he would get physical, too, you know what I mean, sometimes. But he was, even though he was still lenient, you know what I mean? I would still pretty much do whatever I wanted. What was your fascination with guns?

I guess the power, you know, and especially at such a young age. And though, you know, even though, like I said, maybe I didn't get bullied, but I wouldn't, comfortable and who I was and like I don't know if I was depressed at that time too maybe but you know I don't know the guns just something about them like you know how how dangerous they can be and how powerful they are and how much like importance they really do hold if you don't you know do it the right way and tell you the truth I remember I was uh I think was like 14 or 15 we're getting ready to go to school. Thank God my stepmom had just already left. I had this new pistol. It was a revolver. I'm sitting on my bed. And I think there was no bullet, but there was one. And it was two spots away.

But when you pull the hammer back, it goes over one spot. And I shot it and it went off and right into the wall. And my stepsisters right on the other side in the other room. Same level with her. I'm like, oh, man, I just killed my step sister. And thank God it. It had hit one of the studs. and I took a dime, put it in there, put some toothpaste, and covered it up. My dad never saw it. I'm like, oh, my God. And ever since then, I'm like, you've got to respect guns because you never know what might happen. Now, were these guns you were buying or getting for three?

No, stealing. We were, like, we weren't going to school every day. We're going and basically robbing houses, me and like two of my buddies, one of them that had a car, probably just turned 16 or something. So instead of going to school, Just going to hitting houses. And this is in Florida now at this point. Yeah, this is all in Florida.

Yep. Okay. Is this like a gang you're running with or just a crew friends? No, just a lot of, just my buddies. Florida's kind of different as far as not now. You know, it's full of gangs now. But at the time, it wasn't like it was up here or it is now. It really wasn't any gangs.

It was more like neighborhood, you know, clicks, I would say, at that time. So just buddies in my neighborhood. You know what I mean? I had a lot of buddies, a lot of people in my age in the neighborhood that were all, you know, kind of doing the same thing. Although I feel like because I was from New York and where I was from, like maybe I was a little more advanced as far as, you know, the things I was doing, I was 12, they probably weren't doing until they were like 16, 17, you know what I mean? So I might have been the aggressor, like the person in their lives that maybe steered them in the wrong. direction, you know. Do you think going to Florida was like a trigger to advance to this new streak of crimes, robbing houses?

Yeah. I think so. Florida is, I mean, all you got to do is like listen to the news. Like they got Florida, man, you know what I mean? Like Florida is like, it's like a whole other, it's a whole other country, basically. It's like a third world country, even though it's so nice, so beautiful. But it's like, it's so different to you could, you could be around all these million-dollar houses and go over two blocks and, like, be in the hood, like, in the, you know, like a real rough spot.

So Florida's just, yeah, it's a strange spot. I don't know. And I couldn't tell you what it is, like, why it is the way it is. You know what I mean? But, yeah, Florida is like... This episode is brought to you by Redfin. You're listening to a podcast, which means you're probably multitasking. Maybe even scrolling home listings on Redfin, saving homes without expecting to get them.

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Probably like two or three years, because then it got to more like maybe we hit somebody's house that had a couple ounces of meth or coke or something like that. And then we, you know, start selling drugs or start, you know, selling the guns that we got. And then basically I had, you know, buddies that were hitting banks and were getting away with it. So I'm like, oh, then that was like the next, you know, advance.

Like, oh, that's, I got to do that. But, you know, to go in and lay it down a bank, you got to have a few people with you, you know what I mean? and I couldn't get anybody to want to go with me. Like nobody, you know, nobody's going with me. So I think eventually at some point I ended up in Tallahassee, Florida, my girlfriend at the time that I had been with for years, basically living off and on at her house.

And I think about that too. Like her parents loved me and were such good people, but they, like, then they had money. Like, they'd let me live there and we'd go on vacations all the time or, like, they'd go on vacation. I'd have the house with like six different cars and stuff. Like I would just, you know, kind of had free rain and what I was doing at like, you know, 15, 16. But she was a really smart, good girl and ended up going to Florida State University.

And I had followed her up there. And this was the time when I heard like, you know, I had a couple buddies at this time that I was probably 17, almost 18. And buddies that had hit a bank and got away with it. got a couple hundred grand, you know what I mean? And like, damn, I got to do this. But there was nobody willing to go with me, you know what I mean? I think I went back down to Bavard County, grabbed a few buddies, went back. I don't even know if I told them what we were doing, you know what I mean, at the time,

like, why they were coming back with me. So I got them back up there with me and just started staking out banks, trying to find something. And I remember hearing two about a, an armored truck that was in the same area. They might have went to the same bank because it was right there. It's like Florida State, the football stadium is like, you know, in Tallahassee, FSU is everything.

It's all college kids, all, you know, the whole town is run by college kids. But the stadium's so big and so beautiful and like pretty much the main thing in that city. And right behind it is just a little. Bank of America. And I remember reading in the news or something about an armored truck that had left there and they forgot to close the back door or something and a big block of money. That was all Saran rat. It was like 400 grand.

And somebody found it and they ended up getting spooked and turning it in. They didn't get no reward or nothing. I'm like, ah, these scumbags didn't even get this dude, a reward for turning this money. So I was like, that's a bank we're going to, you know what I mean? I ended up telling my buddies what we're going to do. One of them was like he'll drive my car. And the other one he really wasn't with. He was supposed to be some kind of lookout or something.

He didn't want to do it or whatever. So he ended up going to like a Whataburger next door and just go on and sitting. So we basically planned this all out in like a two-day period or something. It was like, you know, something spur of the moment. But something I've been wanting to do for a while. So because I couldn't get nobody going there and lay it down with me, I'm like, I got to do the whole, um, the note thing. But I had brought a gun with me because not be, I didn't intend it to show it to the teller, but I intended like, I'm not going to prison no matter what. Either I get away with it or I'm dead.

So if these cops come up on me, I'm going to pull the gun on me and do suicide by cop. They're going to kill me. And what I did is I purposely didn't bring the clip. in it so there's no bullets just a gun with so they would have known afterwards i never really intended you know to do any harm to the police so um so i get to this bank and it's perfect really how it is it's like i said it's right by the fs u stadium it's got a front door and it's got a back door that are both open it's extremely busy bank but behind it is some woods with a trail that everybody uses they live back and there's like it's all hood back there too so everybody in the hood

we'll walk through this trail on game days to go to to the fsu football games so i go in through the front you finally get up to the thing i give the lady the note and i think she tried to help me out at first because i've learned later that like you know there's all these spots for like ones five tens and then there's this extra spot and they don't touch that spot if they touched that spot that's the alarm going on so she had given me all the money and i realized in my head i'm like damn that ain't that's not a lot of money it this is a friday at like three o'clock probably everybody's cashed their checks like there's not that i fucked up so she starts to call it i'm like no no no give me the rest of that and i ended up showing her i remember she i don't think she took me serious at

first so i'd open the book bag and showed her the pistol that was in there so then she gives me everything So then I'm thinking, damn, this ain't that much money. I know there's more money down bottom, but I got to worry about dive packs and stuff like that. But already, I can hear the sirens coming. So I'm like, fuck, I got to get out of here. So I dip through the back and I hurried these people,

hey, white boy, where are you going? People yelling at me and stuff. So run across this little field, jumped to barbed wire fence. I got a big scar on my arm right here that remind me of jumping that barbed wire fence. But get back there, run through the thing. Then there's this big,

concrete company, which later on when I was in prison, I met this kid from Tallahassee and his dad owned that concrete company. So I get back there, my homeboy's there. Boom, he pops the trunk. I get in the trunk, close it. Boom, he's speeding off, driving. And I can hear sirens everywhere, cops everywhere. But within a couple turns, we're in the middle of Florida State University. College, like, I know for, like, we're good. You know what I mean? That's why it was stupid. I used my car, my own car, but I knew once, you know, where we were, like, nobody's ever finding that. So, um, dip off go to, like, I think went back to my apartment complex eventually and threw everything in the dumpster. And I think later on that night, ended up taking my

buddies back to, um, to Bavard County, like Coco, Cocoa Beach area. That's where, you know, know, I had grew up at. And that night, one of my buddies, because I didn't get, you know, I really didn't get nothing, like, nothing what I thought I was going to get. So I told my buddy, like, you know, the one drive and I maybe gave him something, but the other one that was supposed to be in and didn't want to do it, I'm like, I can't give you nothing to him. I'm sorry.

So that night, I think he went somewhere to, like, a party that one of our buddies was was throwing and um he ended up robin this was like his best friend to taking all the kids moms platinum jewelry so months go by and he ends up getting in trouble for that and to try to get out of that he's like listen I know about this bank robbery you know what I mean and and gave him all that info so I remember one day it was like a couple months later I go back to my apartment complex and I'm in my car of course still got it like an idiot and I hear all this it's like kind of late at night but I hear all this banging and stuff and I'm like damn it's kind of late for them to be doing maintenance and what it was a bunch of

cops and the dude downstairs was selling dope and they had just knocked his uh knocked his door in so that's what the noise was they were like you know trying to get the door back you know on the frame or whatever and I'm like fuck and I went upstairs got all my shit like anything that I may have left over or whatever and i tell you truth i think i still have the gun at that point and i threw the gun in the fucking trash and all that go downstairs throw the gun into the dumpster and as soon as i let go of the bag hey come here for a second and it's a cop and he's like hey uh is that your car yeah that's my car um all right well can we get your information because we you know we heard about uh somebody that was around here ran some old lady off the road or something and right in my head

I knew, oh, this motherfucker's getting my information from me. He just, you know, he knows what time it is. And that's what they did. They got my license plate. Then they took my driver's license picture, put it in a lineup, and bought it back to the bank teller and showed her. But, like, when they do it, whenever somebody picks somebody have a lineup, they have to basically say how sure they are that this person, you know what I mean? She said 70% sure. So that, you know, I guess that's workable, but at the same time, like, you know, so I knew once that cop got all that, like I went back down south, hit out for a while.

And after a little bit, these detectives are calling me and stuff, tell me to come turn myself in. I'm like, fuck. So I didn't know what to do. I wasn't going to turn myself in, but what they did is they started calling all my family members and telling them that, They're looking for me. I'm armed and dangerous, so if they come in contact with me, they might kill me or something. So now I got all my family calling me and, like, you know, they're worried and like, oh, they're going to kill you, all this stuff. Fuck, man.

So I ended up turning myself in. And, man, my mom, my stepdad, and both my brothers all put up. They paid like 70 grand for my lawyer. Like they all put a lot of money up. I had this lawyer. It was like the top three of all Florida. Like, damn, that's great. And dude was good.

And he's like, that 70% we can work with. But there's kind of a lot of other things. And then come to find out one of my like close main homeboys that I grew up with and hitting the houses with ended up, you know, years later, everything I did was with him. And I forgave him. But he had also told on me. So my lawyer at first was like, you know, this one dude that's involved.

Maybe he said some things, but that's really not that big. Anybody's going to try to get out of trouble. Somebody that's not involved in is your friend, and he's saying you did it, like, that's bad. I'm 18. I'm like, dude, I'm not going, because Florida at the time has 10, 20 life. If you use a gun and a robbery, you either get in 10 years, 20 years or life.

So it's a PBL, punishable by life. I was terrified, honestly. honestly so I'm still like I'm not you know what I mean I'm I didn't do it wasn't me let's go to trial and I waited a year in the county and to go to trial that lawyer of course wanted he wanted more money that 70 grand won enough not for him nobody's got no more money than that to put up you know what I mean so he keeps trying to get me to take these pleas then the day that I go to pick my jury. I'm wearing a suit.

My other co-defendant is, he's there. He's wearing a suit because they're trying us together. The other one, they've got him separate, I guess, because he was, you know, talking or whatever. So, um, so I got my suit, and there was a different judge there this day. Because the original judge, I remember, had given one of my other homeboys that was in, you know,

had met while I was in jail there. We ended up writing a screenplay together, why we were in jail and stuff like for a whole movie, because that's what my brother was into and doing that stuff. So we did that. This dude got, had the same charge as me and got two life sentences. I'm like,

oh, fuck. I'm scarred. I'm through. So it was a different judge there that day when we were doing the jury. And he was like, listen, I'll give you guys youthful offender right now, but both y'all got to take it.

It can't be just one or the other. Both y'all got to take it. So I found out my other co-defendant, he's willing to take it. I mean, he just drove. So, of course, I figured he would do it. I'm still like, I'm not doing it.

I don't want to go home, man. And what they did is they brought my mom in there crying. And she's like, oh, I can handle you doing the six years. I can't handle you doing, you know, 10, 20, whatever. Fuck. So I was like, damn, we'll do it. So I ended up signing the plea. Now, youthful offender in Florida maxes out at six.

You only get six years, which is great. And I think that's up until, You're 19. You can get you full offender. And we ended up both taking that he got three in. It's got to equal six. So if you do four in, then I got to do two years out in probation. He got three and three. I got four and two, which was honestly for what we did.

I got off good, especially all the other bullshit I've done in my life. You know what I mean? I got off good. Um, so, but I, and I lucked out because when the night that I left to go to the reception center, we were in Tallahassee, so you go to North Florida reception center, which is, uh, Butler. And that's a rough, that's a rough spot. You know what I mean? You hear about them killing inmates and, you know, torture and people doing all types of crazy stuff.

And, um, but that night when I left, and bam my co-defendants there with me i'm like oh hell yeah this is great so we go the reception center and where they store the youthful fender like it's not dorm style it's like you see like in the movies you're in a two-man room you know a bunk with the bars in the front so it was like the real deal prison experience off rip and uh and it was it was a wild experience but it's like it's always the same you know you no matter where you go there's like always the same types of people you get this some weird dude that comes in trying to be your friend and he knows everything but he course wants something you know you learn that quick but um we were there for a little bit and then when i get

transferred you know like three or four whatever it is in the middle of the night they tell you to roll it up and i look behind me and my co-defendants there with me too so i'm like damn this is great You know what I mean? I'm going, this whole thing I got to do, you know, with him. And, man, every dorm we went to, I was with him. If I got moved to the work camp, he got moved to work camp, no matter what we were together the whole time. He got out a year before I did. But that was pretty cool, you know what I mean?

To get to do that, like, that was big for me, you know what I mean? That puts a lot of weight off when you got somebody that you know him for a long time. You know he's a good solid dude and he's there with you all the time. that was like that was huge did you experience that violence that you had heard of these uh you know these places yeah yeah and especially like um you know youthful offender of course when i got sentenced and i knew i was going to youthful offender when you're in you know in the county jail and you're waiting there's all these people oh shit man you're going like they're trying to tell you scare you up you know misery loves company so all these dudes are like you know try to terrify you

Yeah, I think it probably worked, I'm sure, but it was rough, dude, because there's like, at the time, I think it was like six youthful offender. There's none of, there's no, there might be one now still. They all got shut down because, you know, all the stuff that was going on. And you're talking two, it was, this was 2000 or 2001. There's no, there's no camera, no video cameras in prison, nothing like that. Like, um, I'm wondering. in Triton, Florida, which is in the middle of nowhere, small population. Basically, everybody that is there works, you know, at the prison or somewhere close by, and they just, they make their

own rules, you know what I mean? All of them got these key chains hanging out their pockets, which has got 13 knots on it, which is supposed to be, I think, how many loops there is on a noose or something. And then, and the big ball at the end, when you look at the ball, the way it's sewn it's a yeah there's a swastick on the end of it like oh fuck damn the hell did i get into so when you first get there and you pull up on the bus they come on the bus and they're fucking smacking the smackin the shit out of you and like screaming and yelling then you get off and they go to the they call the paint room you go in that room and they're fucking push-ups mountain climbers uh squat thrust you're doing all this shit fucking over and over they

do it for about an hour break your ass down And the whole thing's kind of built off like the military as far as like, like you're going to, you're going to wake up to the sound of the bugle going every morning. Then you're going to go and do, it was either half hour or an hour of PT physical training. Then you're going to go to breakfast. Then you're going to go to work for the day and then come back.

Then you can go to yard, whatever you do. But anywhere you go, chow, anything like that, you're marching, wherever you go you got to sound off they're doing cadence the whole time you know there's somebody in the side you know calling cadence for when you march uh anything you do wrong it's push-ups or some you know some sort some some uh form of um of physical training uh in the winter time they're going to turn on the fans on high and open up all the windows summertime they're going to turn the fans off close all the windows They might get bored and be like, you know, get you up in the middle of the night.

Get all your property. And these are dorm styles now. So get all your property. Put it on in your sheets. Put it on your back. And we're going to go mountain climbing. So you're going to go around. If it's a single bunk, you go over it.

If it's a double bunk, you're either going to go between it or over that. And you might do that for fucking hours. Or they may be like, everybody take your property and dump it in the middle of the room. and there's like, you know, 60 people or something with all their property, all your pictures of your family, letters, everything you love and cherish, all that you have in the world is in there. And now, all right, y'all go get it. Now, your food, everything.

And, you know, you've got to fight with 60 people to try to get all your shit back. You know what I mean? And, of course, there's some weird dudes out there that want to, like, have pictures of your chick or something like that, you know, a bunch of weird shit. They used to take us outside and be like, all right, grab a rock. Some people grab a little rock. Some people grab a big rock. All right, now dig your graves.

You'd have to fucking take that rock and dig a giant fucking grave for yourself. I don't know why they would do that to us. But another time, I might see, like, have you dig a, the biggest hole you've ever seen. I'm talking about 20 feet across, six feet deep. Everybody with shovels just, building this fucking digging for a week straight, just digging. and then at the end And then while you're digging There's like somebody that fucked up

That's running around with cinder blocks on his back He's running around the formation the whole time And when you're done digging Or they feel like you're done digging He'll, the cop will come up And throw in a leaf All right cover it up You're like fuck man

He just did all that for him to throw a leaf on that shit They just did all types of crazy stuff like that You'd hear about You know all the time We'd have the news out side because some kid in confinement died and like they'd be like oh he was uh he was in there and working out with his inhaler and his heart exploded or something but then i'd have a homeboy that works in confinement but like dude you could smell the gas in there they gassed his ass and it's

not just like you know they have like the ones on their hips and stuff but in confinement they have these fucking tanks that they roll in on dollies big fucking four-foot tanks they roll in on dollies and just sticking in thorns and fucking mason the shit out of people and sometimes they would die, you know what I mean? And then they would just say, you know, that it was something else. You know what I mean?

That would happen a lot. And sooner or later that place did get shut down. Like, you know, the feds came in and shut that shit down. There's a lot of crazy articles. You look up Lancaster Correctional Institution. You thought this was your run club era. Turns out it was more of a thinking about run club era. The good news?

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the message for everyone paying big wireless way too much. Please feel the love of everything good. in this world, stop. With Mint, you can get premium wireless for just $15 a month. Of course, if you enjoy overpaying, no judgments, but that's weird. Okay, one judgment. Anyway, give it a try at mintmobile.com slash switch. Up front payment of $45 for three-month plan, equivalent to $15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only, then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. Seeful terms at mintmobile.com. But all youthful offender ones were rough. Why would they gas these kids? What were they doing that to cause that? To cause that.

Who know? They were probably, I mean, one, for no reason. I'm sure these kids were talking shit. And like I said, it was a lot of, like, you know, KKK, which it's still like that today. You know what I mean? I don't know if you've seen it. I sent you guys a AP news article about how the Ku Klux Klan is, is like heavy in Florida prisons, you know, to this day and the stuff that they're doing. And, you know, probably some black kid that was mouthing off to them. And, you know, they weren't. They definitely weren't having that shit. And I would see that all the time where there was like, you know, dudes coming in and be like, basically they felt like there was rules. Like, you guys can't just do whatever they want, but they did do whatever they want. And it was rough for me, too, because these dudes were super racist

and they were very hard on the black inmates or the Spanish inmates. But I was a white kid and I had gold teeth at the time. So to meet to them, I was like, I'm worse than all of them. You know what I mean? So they like, they really hated me. Oh my God What would they do, do you? Just, you know, all that stuff

Or they might take you in the room And cuff you up and beat the shit Like they'd beat the shit out But they did that to all of us, you know what I mean? It would be more like to single me out It would just be like screaming and like You know, we'd all be working out But they'd be like extra hard on me

But as far as everything that was happening It was happening to everybody You know what I mean? Like there's nobody that escaped You know Escape that stuff How would the other kids treat you because you were someone that robbed the bank

where you looked that high on the totem pole? I don't know. I think a lot of, you know, at that time we're kids and I think maybe probably a lot of them thought that was cool or whatever. But it was that and it was so now everybody's got like, you know, everybody's got their own tablets and, you know, and you can get pictures sent in. At that time, all you could do was use the phone or write letters

and get pictures sent in and you get pictures sent in and get pictures. you get five pictures sent in at a time. But we all had picture books, and that's how you did, like, you showed people your picture books, and that's how, like, you would relate with people and show what you were doing on the streets. I had, like, four picture books, and, like, all my homeboys always looked out for me, sending me tons of pictures and stuff, and, like, all of them got, you know, in Florida at that time, or still now, like, it's popular to have, like, cars on big rims and, like, all the music speakers and stuff. So all my friends had a whole bunch of cars and all that shit.

So I had tons of pictures of all this shit. And everybody loved that type of shit. Which was cool too and good and worked out later for me because like I guess people knew that like, you know, anything we talked about, I was probably serious about what we talked about. So if we made plans for later on once we got out, you know, almost always those plans came to fruition and came true. So I think that helped there. But, you know, it's just so weird when you're in prisoning with that many people. There's so many people in there for so many different things.

And like you can look at some people and realize, like that dude, you can tell he don't belong here. He probably, you know, was driving drunk and his girlfriend got killed in the car or something. And that's why he's here. You can just tell they didn't belong there. And then there would be like, you know, like the prison I was at for my age, It was supposed to be like 18 to 25. So even though, you know, it would be up until 19 that you could get you full offender, you could stay in a youthful offender until you were 25 and then you would get moved to adult.

But sometimes people would slip through. Like I had a bunkey one time that was like 15 from Miami that was in there for murder. And a lot of people in for murder or like you might get these weird kids that you knew something was off. And like, what we would do then is, like, say a dude was an orderly up in, like, an admin in the administration office. He would get some of the ladies that worked up there to look up people's charges. And you find out dude, like, had been raping his little fucking five-year-old sister his whole life or something. And then you'd wake up every night and they're fucking torturing this kid and, like, putting bengay in his eye and fucking doing all types of just crazy shit. So I think for the most part, because the all the.

officers were so bad it brought the inmates together like it was more us versus them instead of like where most prisons it's like you know inmate versus inmate inmate in that setting you know even though it's you know of course shit went on but it was mostly like us versus them you know what I mean what's a moment in there that you'll never forget that'll like never leave your mind oh man I've got I've actually got a few one of them is like how they used to torture that kid that was on the dorm with me that, you know, I'd been raping his sister and the things that they used to do to them. Another one is one of my buddies, this white kid that, like, he'd gone into it with the Latin Kings, and he didn't, boom, fight one of them, beat the shit out of them.

So they'd come a couple deep. He'd beat the shit out of them. That kept happening. Then one night, in the middle of the night, we wake up, and they tried to, like, back, They would put locks, you know, combination locks on the belts. And that's how they, you know, get into fights like that. And they went in there a bunch of them and tried to get them while he was sleeping. And he fucking sent every one of them to the helicopter had to land and airlift every one of them out of there.

Everybody knew not to fuck would that, do that to that. Another time would be where I seen somebody like really get hit. with a lock on a belt and just be cut, you know, like that movie, a carrier or whatever, they pour that pig's blood on the girl, and she's just drenched from headdollin blood. That's like that's what they look like. That shit's wild. I remember one time, one of them, you know, officers,

I remember his name. I don't know if I should say it, but he ended up having a heart attack on the rec yard. These dudes went in, grabbed his walkie, talkie and got him help and saved his life and afterwards he fucking beat the shit out of both of them and they both got like in all this trouble for getting on his walkie talking so i just remember stuff like that why would they beat that why would he beat the god they were just not too yeah i know yeah they were they were insane dude why were the guards so against these inmates uh i just think it was at the time where they were like you know where the shit of society and their experience

extremely racist and they can do what they live in a town where they can do it like there's no law they can do whatever they want and they did they definitely definitely did i remember the first time when my custody dropped and i started i was at the work camp and started going outside the gates to work first you go with an officer but then when your custody drops again you go out with like a worker from like the county or something and i remember the first day going out and this dude bought us chicken for lunch and I remember bawling my eyes out in the back of the van because I couldn't comprehend because it's been so many years like I couldn't comprehend how like there was this adult authority person that was like treating it was with any kind of respect or anything you know it was so bizarre to

me at the time and I remember just like ball my eyes out like holy shit what the fuck is happening right now but um yeah there's probably there's a lot of things I'll never you know that I'll never forget about that. Where was your dad while your servant descendants? Was he supportive? Did he visit you? Yeah, they all I think they all were. Except for my I think both my brothers maybe

kind of held a grudge with me at that time and for a while after. Yeah, my dad would come visit me. It was probably like a six hour drive or maybe like three hours one way, three hours back. He would come sometimes. My mom

at the time was actually here. in this area and she used to come down a couple times a year and see me and she would constantly write me a letter my mom was always extremely extremely supportive my dad and my stepmom

like they would come see me and stuff and write me letters and then I always remember too and this another thing I'll remember because I feel so bad I had the chick that I was with that was at Florida State going to college.

I would basically make her bring me in, like, dope. Because she would, now she come every single weekend. Like my family, you know, every couple months or like twice a year or something. This girl was coming every weekend. She was a very dedicated chick. So I said, man, you got to start bringing in this, this, this. You know, my home boy's got it. You got to start bringing it in.

So she would be bringing it in, bringing it in. and finally one of my brothers and his girlfriend had come from New York City and come down there and they're like finally going to come see me and like, you know, start to let me back into their lives and stuff. And that same very day I get popped in visitation afterwards with the dope. Somebody had told on me I had some weed, coke, and steroids, some D-balls. And this Mexican kid, I remember one of the D-balls, I wasn't. and sell him. He ended up telling his guard. I mean, they went right to it. And so, of course,

then they had to call everybody that was there that day. Like, they called and were like, you know, you might be getting some charges or something like this. Definitely can't come visit this dude no more. So I'm like, oh my God, of all that time for this to happen. My brother just starts to let me in. He's got this new girlfriend he brings and they come down from New York City. And now all of a sudden, they're like, could be facing charges for bringing in dope and stuff. I remember, feeling so horrible about that and uh and i've gone to confinement for you know for a couple months behind that lost all my gain time no more phone calls no more mail no more viszo you know none of that that was uh that was rough but they never charged you for that they didn't

at that time they really didn't do that now later on i see that they would do they would do that constantly they would always give people outside charges for that but for some reason at that time and probably for the amount of what i was getting in like you know you know back then people weren't really like they were smoking some weed coke was unheard of so i had that i was you know the steroids were just for me and but there really wasn't nothing else you know of course later on or you know how it is now like it's just flooded with everything so especially in florida So, yeah, that was rough. I went, you know, went to the box for a while for that and then come out.

And after you go to the box confinement at the main unit. And so afterwards you stay there for a while. And actually eventually I ended up going back to the work camp. And the job that they gave me was the lieutenant's orderly. and the lieutenant's orderly is in charge of the viso park so all these other guards that were there and remember what happened they're like can't make this dude in charge it he just got you know trouble bringing dope through here you can't do that but they did i did do that for a while so that was cool but uh yeah it was uh a youthful offender prison was definitely was definitely rough

and you ended up doing four years there completely yeah yeah i think i maybe ended up getting like two months gain time back or something eventually, but pretty much I had, because I had maxed out because of that. So basically four years. Yeah. So you get out, you're 22 at the time? 24. 24. Oh, because you're in county after you got charged and everything. Yeah, yeah, so all that. So maybe, or yeah, maybe a little bit before. But I was around 24. I do remember that. It was, it was 2004 when I got out. And so basically, like, especially in Florida, like, you know, you're meeting all these dudes. A lot of the dudes that I knew were from Miami, had also met this, my buddy from Texas that had got caught with like 500 pounds of weed and in Jacksonville and was there. Like, you know, you link up with all these kind of like-minded people and really we just spent years. out on the yard just talking and you know making plans and actually even before i got out

my buddies had went out there met his girl got a couple bricks of cocaine from his girl and uh i don't if it was the first trip or the second trip my other home boy went with them and he was going to drive it back and ended up getting popped on the way back in nine 10 with like two kilos and like two AK-47s and he ended up getting like 30 years or something but only did in like Texas. It's crazy. He only did like five or six and got out. And he was with Pimsy when he was, he slept like two bunks down from Pimsy when he was there. But yeah, you just meet all these people, you know, especially from like Miami or South Florida. Like as far as Florida goes, like Florida is a whole other world.

Miami is a whole other world that like is off the chain. Why do you think guys make plans to commit more crimes while in prison? Probably because we were young and stupid and also just, I don't think everybody does that. I mean, I hope not anyway. I just think that it was my mentality. And it was also because I, when I went away, all my buddies were still on the street and they were like really hustling and like making large amounts of money and they're young and they're buying fucking three or four houses and they got all these cars and doing all this shit so I knew the money was out there for when I got out you know what I mean so I'm making plans with people and stuff um you know why they do I don't know that's it's not I don't think it's I don't recommend it but you know what I mean so where does your path take you once you get out?

Same old stuff, hustling, making money. All my buddies are like, you know, the first thing you do, like, when you get out, my buddies are already established. And there might be, like, two other buddies that got out, but they got out before you, so they're a little bit higher up. Like, first, what I'm doing is, like, I'm driving him around. They call it in Florida, we call it stick, like making sticks, like to meet people and sell dope, you know what I mean?

So every make we do, boom, they hand me some cash, hand me some cash. Then, you know, we had the thing with my buddy in Texas, but that's kind of, you know, it's kind of far and long to make that trip. And I remember one night, I forget when it was, but it's, we're in Bavard County. It's right outside of Orlando. Orlando is like 30, 40 minutes away. And my buddy's going to go to Orlando for some, it's like October Fest or something. I got out in July, I got out July 24th, 2004. So when October comes around, he's going to October Fest in Orlando.

I don't want to go. I'm not supposed to leave the county anyway, even though I do, you know, do do that sometimes. And he goes out there, not having fun, decides to leave. When he's leaving, kicks this phone, and picks it up, brings it back for whatever reason. When he gets it back, I'm thinking, oh, you know, read a lot of. of books like self-help books you know rich dad poured all these books when you're in prison you know what i mean and like i got to change my karma i got to do some good like some kind of good i got to get this phone back to this owner and um it took like it was locked so i couldn't call anybody but like after like

three days it rang and i answered and this chick she's like i don't know the area let me put you on with my with my boyfriend like all right so i'm talking to him i'm like holy shit this sounds like you know such somebody i was in prison with and this was he was a latin king and a cool kid but he wasn't really like you know i'd never talked to him about dope or anything like that you know um so i'm like damn i know this is him so i say his street name that no nobody really knew in prison he had just happened to tell me one time and i remembered it and i said it click phone goes bright i'm like oh shit i fucked up i shouldn't have done that so i start trying to keep calling him back he wouldn't answer wouldn't answer he's probably freaked out

I guess phones did do text at that time. So I think I started texting them, tell him who I was to him. Like, this is Lee. And so finally he hits me back. He can't believe it. They drive to Coco that night, talking to him.

That night we followed him back. And then ended up coming. He fronted us like two bricks of Coke that night. And we'd come back with that. And it was kind of on and popping from there. And then we started. linking up with some of my buddies from uh from miami going down there like twice a week grabbing a couple bricks coming back and um so i wanted to also be like there's all these dudes in prison that

were like i'm gonna you know what i mean i'm gonna you know i can keep in touch and everybody's like oh yeah right because nobody ever does i'm like dude i promise i'm never going to do that so i started be that dude where like I'm writing people letters I'm sending people money you got to send money orders at that time and then they go on the books and um and I would also do where like when you get out I'll come pick you up I'll bring you clothes I'll buy you shoes give you some money and then drive you wherever you need to go you know what I mean and I did that quite a few times and uh but I remember because like I'm sending these people pictures and they're pictures of me There might be pictures of like 70 grand or something like that, cars, all this shit I'm sending these people.

Well, the guards at Lancaster in the mailroom recognized my picture. And they're like, oh, hell no. So they started sending this, all these, taking copies and everything, and sending them to my probation officer. So now all of a sudden my probation officer knows everything. And like we're going out like Cape Canaveral is right there. So you can go out on the gambling ships. So it goes out a couple, it goes out like three months. miles and you're in international water so now you're able to you know it's legal to gamble so

she'd be like uh you know you're not supposed to lead the county when you're going on on the ships and going out you're like you're leaving the country you can't do that you know what i mean like oh shit so um so she knew like right away but i remember she was so happy and proud with me because like like my buddy had owned a clothing store so right away i said i worked there she's like damn i got all these people that, you know, I've been had for six months and can't find a job and you're here right away. Like, she was just happy with me for, you know, a few different reasons. So, uh, so just be careful what you're doing.

All right. But I was smoking a lot of weed and stuff. And eventually I remember getting pissed test and failing. And, um, and she felt, I remember she felt so bad. I went in there and the cops were waiting. for me the next time I went in and the cops were waiting on me, took me to jail. Then you got to get fucking moved all the, because Tallahassee, you know, I'm in Coco, but I got to go all the way back to Tallahassee, see the original judge or whatever,

where I got my charges. So that was horrible. And, you know, sitting up there for a while and finally getting out. And I remember the, it was the same prosecutor who hated me before and he was in there. He was like, oh, no, let him back out. He wasn't the one that went in the bank and all this. I'm like, oh, my God. This is great.

So this, they end up letting me back out. And, but now I've got a seven to seven curfew now that I'm out. So, um, I can't go out. I can only be out of my house between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. unless you're working. So, um, a couple of my buddies had this rap group or whatever in the area. Haters better duck, HBD. So, uh, we started a radio show. So that was like my way of like this is my job I've got a radio show I can be out in the club at night and like we're promoting whatever we're doing

And she was cool with it she let me basically let me do whatever She would even tell me like you know later on down the line Like oh that you know the DA or these two guys you know Special Investigation Unit they want to come in you know use me to come in your backyard and take pictures of all the cars and stuff like I told them no I'm like, damn, she just felt so bad after violating me that first time, but had looked out for me a lot after that. And they never popped to you for selling drugs? Well, what happened was she would, she wouldn't work with them. So what they did ended up just changing my probation officer and giving me somebody who would work with them.

So I remember one night it's late. And these people never come by. They never do nothing. I'm living way out in the woods. I got a pit bull kennel out in the back. I got like 26 pit bulls out in the back. And it's late at night. And she calls, like, oh, I'm going to stop by.

So right away, I'm like, oh, fuck. Damn, I knew. And it just happened to be the first time that the girl I ended up marrying was coming over to the house. And we never let no females, nothing like nobody's allowed at the house. You know what I mean? But there was no dope. There was nothing there. So I'm like, fuck.

So they end up coming and boom. There's like 20 of them. They all got, you know, the black hoods on and the fucking DA bulletproof vests and all that shit. There's nothing in the house. So, you know, they had thought because my homeboy, my roommate, he had just went from tech to Texas for a funeral. His uncle died. And they thought that he went out there to get a couple bricks. But that wasn't the case.

So they're like, you know, they found this giant safe. We had safes on the floor. They didn't find them. We had these giant fucking safes. And they had this dude come in. It took them like six hours, dude, to get in the safe. And they finally got in the safe, but all that was in there was a gun. And it wasn't in my, it wasn't in my room.

It was in my homeboy's room. So they were a little upset about that. And the girl ended up marrying her. She didn't tell them nothing. So like, damn, this bitch is solid. But, uh, um, that was, that was, that was, that was, that was like the beginning of that. I think after that, I basically was like, like I said,

I'm marrying this girl. She got pregnant before that. Like, I'm going to, you know, pretty much go straight. I was still, you know, getting a bunch of pounds of weed from Texas or like, you know, my homeboys in Miami gave me a couple ounces of crack at a time or something. You know, but basically I wasn't doing much. Now that the whole doctor shopping thing in Florida was pumping big at the time. I did get into, you know, kind of doing all that and making money with that.

But then also, you know, getting hooked on that shit too through all that. And that shit was, you know. Crack a Cayman Jack Margarita and taste your escape. It's America's number one for a reason. Cayman Jack is a premium malt beverage with flavors. Please drink responsibly. Camin Jack beverage company, Chicago, Illinois. USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day like superheroes inside.

or auto and home insurance. With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usaa.com slash bundle. Restrictions apply. Rampant and had a control at the time. How long did you do on the home confinement? Well, I think when I got out prison. Yeah, the violation.

Well, an extra. It was like an extra six months over the two years. I think that was it Or maybe three years At the most altogether And you completed all that Without any issues Yeah, after that

It was, I completed that And did that But you were selling drugs Throughout that whole time Oh yeah Yeah Yeah And they knew

They know, I mean They knew what was going on But Kind of smart about it I guess Like, you know A lot of things happened At that time

With different people Getting popped And different people Telling and stuff A lot of us would leave Kind of state Or some different people leave for a while and go, you know, Maryland or somewhere, go out for a while

before we came back. So, uh, my, the girl I ended up marrying, she was from Indiana, she's from Indianapolis. So eventually at some point, that's what she wants to do is, is move back up there. So I'm like, fuck it. Oh, you know what I mean? I'll go. I was always used to moving and doing different shit so we end up going back up there but of course i've already got like a mean addiction to opiates at this time and and again i always meet kind of like like minded people that are hustling and doing different things like that and you know i got him with some dudes from chicago that i linked up and did a lot of different stuff with and like hit a couple licks for like rob one dude for like 80,000 another dude for like 60,000

you know, a few smaller ones, shit like that. And eventually, you know, this is, and this is, I'm talking about, this is a big, like I got in 2004, there's a lot of time that passed in between, you know, just kind of in limbo, you know, hustling here and there. And, you know, I've had some really rough and low points, but I never really worried about that because I always knew that, like, somewhere around the corner, you know, something good will pop, and it always did, you know what I mean, whether it was robbing some drug dealer, you know what I mean,

or hustling or, you know, something always happened. And I think eventually, you know, when heroin started really popping off after the, you know, after the roxies, the blues and stuff, I had found out what it was going for in Florida. And it was a lot. And I was like, it can't be. Because, you know, Florida used to be like the cheap spot, you know, when we were getting coke, you're getting bricks. Like, it was much cheaper than what everybody else was getting it for.

So I couldn't believe I called some people like, yeah, no, that's just what's going for. It's like, damn, so my buddy from Chicago gave me like 200 grams of heroin. I got on the fucking megabus, went down, back down to Florida, and just started, you know, started up from there. And eventually, you know, like, of course, you know, link up with. with some of my old buddies and stuff. Now, most of my buddies, like my roommate at that house at the time, my other buddies, they had already, they got murdered and killed. So a lot of my good home, close home boys are like dead and gone,

but some of my other buddies are still around. So, you know, back to hustling again, doing all that. And, man, within a year of being back in Florida, I got fucking 104 code of finance. I got the RICO. I got a conspiracy cell methamphetamine, conspiracy to sell heroin. I got all these fucking crazy charges. And it's on the news. I know if you watched the link that I sent you, but like they got the governor there and they're like making a

real big deal of it. And it's like kind of a big political thing. I'm like, fuck, man, I'm fucking scarred. I didn't get caught with no dope, no nothing. Even though like, even when they came to the house to arrest me, they're standing at the door with the door open, calling for me and the chick I'm with to come out. And never once they come in, get the safe. There was so much shit in there. They didn't do none of that. They were just calling us for her to come out.

We come out. They get us and take us to jail. And I remember I had like fucking, I had like a half ounce of fentanyl that I hadn't cut yet. And I stuck in my ass. Go to jail. Now I got that in with me in jail. I fucking go to sleep

or my home one of my, I first get in there on my homeboys like, oh, it's something. They're always looking for something. So I break off a few of them like this. And boom, I go to sleep. And I remember waking up and hearing all this this, I'm like, damn, dude's fucking snoring loud as shit. Go back to sleep, wake up.

There's fire department cops everywhere. All these people lay down on the ground. And it wasn't them snoring. It was them gargling and choking. And they were all. dying and thank god none of them did die now like i remember like uh my one buddy my home boy trouble he said that uh he's like man i see my dead grandpa and like he thought he was dead but they they brought all these guys back to life and they knew because i had just come in and i came in

with fentanyl charges too because i think maybe they did i had maybe i had a small like fentanyl charter had one prior to that or something. So they'd keep coming in every day, rush and rushing us in the dorm and trying to find it, and they couldn't. And then one day they did, they got me. But I lucked out because, like, what we would do is the fentanyl's white and rocked up. So if you just saw it on the street and you were a cop, you'd think it was cocaine.

So we would put a little cocaine in it. They would field test it for cocaine. It would turn blue. So you would beat that fentanyl because the fentanyl holds much more. more, you know, time than the cocaine does. So that's what happened. End up getting like introduction to a jail facility or whatever. But like they said, it was cocaine.

So I lucked out. But thank God, none of them dudes died, I would have been really in rough shape. So what happened to that drug case you were on? So a lot of us sat in there for a long time. A lot of people are like, oh, you know, they're not taking no charge. and a lot of people got some really big charges. And I'm like, fuck this. I'm trying to actually ended up bonding out after like six months.

I'm going to stay with my mom in South Florida. And they offered me. And I took it right. I like took the first thing. Like there was all these people. They were like offering them decent things and they didn't. And then later on they'd end up getting like triple the amount of time or something because they thought they were going to beat it. And I ended up just taking the first one.

So it was like it was four years. So they gave me four years for the RICO. I think they dropped all the conspiracy charges. But just for the RICO, they'd give me, offer me four years. I'll take it right now. So I took that. And now it's like, yeah. Now this was during like COVID hadn't happened yet.

So when I'm in the county jail waiting to go to prison after I turn myself in, that's when COVID starts happening. So I never experienced, you know what I mean? I don't know what, you know, people went through a lot of rough times at that time. Like, I don't know anything. I just know what it was like there. And there were people, a lot of people getting sick, people dying, the whole toilet paper thing. But for some reason, every time they would check me, I would get moved to, like, there'd be all these dorms that were all in lockdown.

There'd be one dorm that doesn't have it. And I would always be in that dorm. You know what I mean? and so yeah I ended up going to first place I went to was Florida State Penitentiary and now up until then I of course I'd only been to the YO so that's all I knew you know what I mean it was but it's night and day difference the way the guards treat you

and now there's camera video cameras of course everywhere so they can't get away with a lot of things that you know that they used to get but it's also like they're like going in these dorms going to like trap houses you know i remember like walking into this dorm and fsp and all as i could smell was fucking weed and molly and there's just big groups of people in these dorms everywhere just all around just smoking and there's one dude that his job is just to do laps around the dorm spraying smell good and he'd have a locker full of food because that's all he had to do was just walk around and and cover up that smell

And of course, the bunk that I get to is like way back in the corner. It's one of the bunks where the cameras can't see to. And I can tell my bunkies were hustling heavy, like real heavy. And so basically the doors would be locked, but, you know, people could get in and or, you know, work call or whatever it happened. People, they call it sliding, so they'd slide to different dorms and shit. So, but all day people would be sliding into my dorm, come back there. My bunky would be on his bed with his cell phone. And these dudes would just, boom, call their people.

Hey, send this amount of money to this cash at. Boom, my bunky would check it. Making a killing. And actually, one of the guards, this female guard ended up getting popped, getting in trouble. And she was the one bringing all the dope in. But she didn't say anything. And I remember he actually bonded her out of jail. That same night that she went in, he fucking called his people in Orlando.

Boom, got her out. It was a solid dude. But eventually they would like, you know, start trusting me more and more. All right, you do this. Bag up all this dope, shit like that. And one night, all the dogs come in. They strip us all down to our boxers. Everybody's in there.

And they take the whole corner. to confinement under investigation because they really didn't, you know, they didn't have no proof for nothing. That chick never said nothing. The guard never said nothing. But they kind of, you know, of course they knew. So they ended up bringing us over to the, I guess, the East Unit or something. I don't, whatever it's called it, the main unit at FSP.

But it was good because, like, we're all next to each other. and you're in these, like the first time I went to prison when I was in like the old school where you're in this single room with the bars and that's how it was. And that's how, like, if I go to confinement, I don't want to be like at Lancaster when I had a bunky. So you're like, even though you're in confinement, it's not solitary confinement, you're in there with somebody and that shit sucks, especially if you don't like him. But this shit was sweet because it's like there's nobody, you know, nobody in the room with you. But I remember that night, first night I wake up and I'm like,

fucking itching and like tearing real bad because they had mace somebody in there and didn't clean it up good so there were still mace like all over the pillows and stuff like that so um and then i found out that all the guards say that this this was the old wing where all the um people on death row that's where they this is the old death death row wing so the room that i'm in is the room that ted bundy was living in when he got executed and all the guards would say like that it was haunted, you know what I mean, like that the whole, the whole wing was haunted. Like they'd walk through to do their count and they'd all count would always be off because they would swear they would see somebody in there that, you know, wasn't really in there.

I don't know if it's bullshit or what, but I thought that was wild that it was in the same cell that Ted Bundy was in when he got executed. So a lot of years passed between your first prison sentence and your second one. Is it weird being back in prison so many years? later. Yeah, yeah, and it's even weirder just because of how, you know, the difference between youthful offender, youthful offender and adult.

And now I'm also like, damn, I let my family down. I let my mom down. I got, you know, my kid. Like, I let all these people down. And for what? For nothing, really? Because honestly, I was an addict that was, even though I made some money and did some stuff, like,

it was all basically to fuel that addiction. You know what I mean? It was all for nothing to tell you, truth so like i let all these people down you know for nothing so that was that's hard to get over that but um i think once you do time though like you could do time again you know what i mean like as bad as it sucks as much as you hate it like once you got that out the way like you're always going to survive like it might suck but you're going to survive regardless you know what i mean you're going to be able to do it you think it's like riding a bike like where that memory of just the habits the everything yeah

And plus you've already learned, like, the basic rules of, like, respect, the things not to do. You know what I mean? Like, also to tell you the truth, like, that's a time when I became, like, it was necessary because now I'm drug-free. My mind's clear. I'm reading all these books. And I'm in that mind state for a while that lasted like a year after I got out, too, where, like, there's nobody. else that can control, like, how I feel and how I, like, you can't upset me. Like, I'm in control about, after about a year of me being out now, I'm like, you know, I get upset about all types of

things. I'm like, that's no longer the case. So there are some, like, big benefits to, you know, being in that environment and, you know, learning the things that you do in a short, short of period of time and how intense it is, like, you know, there's some lessons that might take someone a lifetime to learn that you can learn in a couple years in prison, you know what I mean? What were some of the differences, like prison politics-wise, between 16 years before and then, you know... Well, big because I would say, like, in the first one, it's a lot of kids.

So, like, kids feel like they've got something to prove, I'm better than you. You know what I mean? Like, there's just that kid mentality that when it's adults, they don't have that at all, you know what I mean? And there's... You got people in here. Like with the youthful offender, too, even though there is some people that have life sentences,

most of them are going to get out regardless after six years at the latest. Whereas an adult prison, like, these dudes got multiple life sentence. Especially if you're at like FSP, there's a lot of people that like were just on death row and then it got overturns. Now they're there with you and they're going to be there forever. They're never going to get out. So there's a lot of difference. but mainly like just the mentality of like a kid and an adult. You know what I mean?

It's such a big difference. I don't think you realize that to your older. I think when you're 20, you think you know everything. When you're 40, you think you know everything. But when you're 60, you learn at 40 you didn't know shit. And probably the same thing when you turn 80, you realize that at 60, you didn't know what you should know. Well, you're always learning as time goes on. How old were you during this prison sentence?

This one? Like early 40s? Well, I turned. I turned like 39, 40, maybe 42 in there at that time. So yeah, early 40s. I think I turned actual 40 in there as well. But how much time did you serve on that bed? I think I probably got all my gain time.

So I think it's two months a year. It's 85% is what you're doing in state prison. Now, after, and I don't know how I did it because I never went outside the gates. I never exercised my cussi or anything like that. All as I was was the the loinger man in the dorm that, you know what I mean? Like when the clean clothes come in, I'd put them in the cubbies and that's all I did. And I was hanging out all day on the tablet, listening to music. I had like, and you know, it's wild is when Trump did those, the stimulus checks,

we found out that a lot of people are pissed off about they don't like this. But we were able to get those. So everybody in prison is getting all. Three of them are however many stimulus checks you got and all these thousands. And I blew every bit of it on music. So like... A lot of music. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. Lots of it. Lots of it. So, um, like, did you guys have tablets and stuff in there? No, they do have them now, but not when I was there. Really? Yeah. So, yeah.

The tablet, the whole tablet thing is wild too because like that was a constant battle between the staff and the inmates because that's the other. thing in prison even the first time with kids like these dudes are like mcgiver like you see people that can make something out of nothing and like come up with all these crazy inventions and stuff and they're doing all these things to these radios but with the the tablets they got these dude and these dudes are getting paid bro they're getting three you take them their tablet give them three hundred dollars on the cash app and what you'll do is boom you got your regular tablet and you might go to the calculator app and put in a certain code,

bam, all of a sudden you've got Facebook, cash app, you got all this porn stuff. Like, you've got access to everything.

And that's the only way you can find it. But the cops were always, you know, guards were always doing stuff to like counteract that. So it was like a constant thing. But it was wild, though,

that there was people in there smart enough to, you know, to do all that stuff. They called freaking, freaking the tablets. They were freaking these tablets and coming up with all types of crazy stuff.

But, yeah, it was, it was wild. but I don't know yeah there was a lot of differences between you know between the first time and and it was mostly probably the mentality but there's all there's all this technology and stuff too and and I think and then you would guards were much different like we had one of the dorms I was in we'd have this this guard that was from Georgia and he would get on the microphone and say how about them them dogs whatever they said. say about the Georgia Bulldogs.

And we knew when he said that, that the canines were coming on that compound. All of a sudden, you see everybody rushing the bathroom, go put all their dope up their ass and hide their dope. That's a good guard right there. He was awesome, man. Awesome. And there was actually a couple like that. But there was so flooded with dope.

I mean, and because it was, you know, at the COVID time, you know, prices of everything tripled. and after I left, after I got out of the box under investigation at FSP, I stayed there for a little while and then I get, I guess when I first got there, I had signed up for faith base. So I went to this faith base camp and you'd think, oh, that's sweet, that's nice, it'll be nice and calm, but that place was like, that place was out of control. And that's really where I did most of the, the COVID at.

But, man, you'd have all these dudes that were like, you know out where they work out they got 200 cartons of cigarettes and like one of my homeboys bringing in fucking two ounces of weed two ounces of molly two ounces of meth a whole bunch of cigarettes cartons of cigarettes all that like every week they're bringing all that's dope and of course like i'm always you know sorry mom but i'm linked up with all these dudes that are doing shit and like i got a fucking i could sew so i was sewing like i'd make uh i could take a sweatshirt and like I would make full, like, sweatpants and all this shit from people. And I'm putting, like, YSL or Gucci and, you know, stitching it on there.

And, like, but I also had my bed where I could fucking undo it. And I got all this fucking dope and cartons of cigarettes and shit in there. And, um, but it was wild. But what I think I was saying was, like, after amount of time, I just found out one day that I was going to work release. And even though, usually you got to go, you know, outside of the gate, work for all. You got to exercise your custody. I never did any of that. One day they just like, oh, you're going to work release.

So my last year, I went to work release, which was really cool because now you're re-accomated with, acclimated with society. I mean, the first time when I got out, like, my buddy picked me up and my girl and, like, I think we stopped at McDonald's. Like, I'm not going inside. Like, I didn't want to be. I was scared to be around people. I was just terrified. It was just such a weird, strange feeling. I just so out of place.

But after going to work release first, like it gets rid of all that. And then I got out with like $15,000 that I'd saved. You know what I mean? Like working. So that was, you know, nice to get out to have that. But big difference between the two times. Did that put you on a different path going through work released, doing programs like that this last time in prison?

Did it change your mindset? It did. I mean, honestly, I would love to say that it did. But it was just another trap house, you know, full of dope,

people constantly getting sent back to prison. I was selling dope the whole time. Like, I don't know, I would love to be able to say something different. You know what I mean? And, and,

I think it changed my mind as far as, like, when I got to, I realize, like, I'm never doing, like, that's, you realize that, like, that's prison shit. Like, if I was to go back to prison today, I'd probably get, I'll do whatever I got to do to survive. And, you know, I know how to survive. I'm going to do it regardless. But, um, but that's prison shit. Like, uh, I definitely real, like, I'm cool with, like, before I say, like, I'm not, I don't want to work.

Like, I don't want to, I'm selling, I hate, I'm not doing it. Like, I hated the government. Like, I hated it, like, all that. Like, I'm not like that no more. Like, like, I love. love working and I don't want to go back so do you go from there then to Connecticut do you leave Florida the day that I eosed my mom my stepdad were there and we drove straight up here straight up it was that their choice to remove you from Florida yeah they wanted to and I and I was I think I was cool with it because I knew if I would have stayed in Florida especially because like I said I'm when I was doing good selling dope at fucking out of my job

and, you know, at work release and all that. Like, if I would have stayed there, yeah, I'd probably already been back. Honestly, they saved me. They definitely saved me. Now, you're a grown man at that point. Yeah. You're in your early 40s, right? Yeah.

So how did that feel your mom making decisions like that for you? Well, I mean, obviously I could have made whatever decision I wanted to. And, but I would have felt bad. And that's a thing. she, you know, the first bid she was there. The second bid she was really there. Like I'm talking about she's emailing me on the tablet every single day, taking whatever phone calls, coming to see me all the time.

And she's coming from another state. You know what I mean? Like, she really went above and beyond. So I honestly, like I knew it, but at that time I realized, man, no matter what, there might be nobody in this world I can trust. I can trust my mom 100% regardless. Like, that's everything. Like, she really had my back and showed me that she had my back, regardless what anybody else thought.

Like, she was, she was definitely there. And so I knew at that time, like, I got to make some, even though I might not want to come up here, like, I got to. Enjoy every day like it's the weekend at Treasure Island with special rates of only $79 midweek. Could it get any better? It does. Get free parking, too, at Treasure Island, while. staying in the center of the strip. With summer coming, enjoy all your favorites, steps away from your room, including their world-class spa, classic Vegas steakhouse, and tropical resort-style

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100% without that. Yeah. It would have just continued what I was already doing because I was doing too good at work release selling dope to just completely be like, oh, stop that. You know what I mean? Because people would still be calling. I'd still be in that area. Coming up here, it changed everything. And like I said, I had a little bit of money, so it's not like I had to do it.

I could, you know, once I got a job, start working and all that. and they just showed me a lot of love and, you know, made me realize a lot of things. And my grandma was like, you know, it was close to passing away at that time and we knew it, you know, she had Alzheimer's real bad and, like, I would constantly go see her in New York at the place she was at,

and that had a lot to do with it too, I would think, you know, a lot to do with it. Because, again, she just showed me unconditional of love you know what i mean sometimes it's hard people like it's one thing like knowing me and and like the things that i've done but people will judge just you know the tattoos and shit like you know i've got to try extra hard to gain people's respect and get them to like me you know because the people just judge you off rip do you regret having the tattoos uh i don't think so i mean i think the one right here on my eye i don't think i would have done there maybe

done something smaller or something because it's like right in your face you know what i mean like and i can see how people react when they see it so yeah i would i think i would uh i wouldn't have done that i don't think what's your life look like now man my life is extremely positive i've got nothing but good vibes and so happy for everything to come like i've got my girlfriend is everything our kid is everything my family my job Like everything is so smooth. That's why like moving up here and getting out of that environment was everything. And just being in this area and seeing like even just how the cops are compared to down there.

Like, man, I would think in New Fairfield, I went like six months before I even saw a cop. And then when you do see them, it's like they got their lights on. Like their no sirens on arm, but the lights are on the car. And like, God, they just let you know where they are. And it's like, and this area is great. I love it. Like I love it here. And no, life is good.

I feel very good. I have no, you know, no, no, no ambition and like, you know, selling dope or, like, using drugs, anything like that. Like, I'm just trying to move forward, you know what I mean? What's the biggest piece of advice you want people to take away from your story today? I would just say, like, especially if you're young, you know, that's the main thing for me is, like, you know, I would love to, you know, I would love to. to be able to reach out and talk to that's, you know, used to be my goal was like to go around and do that. Like people, you know, young kids think that it has to be some type of way or have to act hard or tough or you're from these neighborhoods.

But man, you don't have to do none of that. You really don't like make your mom happy, make yourself happy because all you're doing is creating a hard life for yourself. And nobody has to live that life but you, you know what I mean? You're the only one that has to live. So whatever decisions you make, they're not also they're not affecting you only they're affecting everybody around you know what i mean everybody goes through that same stuff with you you might think it's only you all i'm the one but

that's not true but you're the one that does ultimately have to deal with it none of it's worth it and there's other outlets you know whatever that might be but instead of getting high and doing that that ain't nothing but a downfall and you know there's nothing good that's that you know there's nothing good that's going to come from any of that ever it's just all bad news i wish i could change all that stuff i wish i think about that all the time like you know things i would change using drugs would be the the main thing you know i'm happy about all the people i met along the way and like the people i met in prison i love them and always be my friends but i hate having to have hurt my family and and just that that addiction alone is is hell

No matter how well you do on it or think you're doing on it, it's, it's rough. It's really rough. Well, Leah, I appreciate you coming on the show today, man. I appreciate you, man. Thank you so much. Like, I'm really, really happy to be able to talk to.

And thanks for, let me get it, get a guy, because this is my therapy right here, straight up for a real. That's the purpose of the show, man. I appreciate it. Yeah, and I wish you the best in the future. All right, you too, man. Thank you.