Locked In with Ian Bick - I Was a Corrupt Correctional Officer — Then I Went to Prison | Robert Rodriguez

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Starting point is 00:00:22 To alleviate the piccassum of the eyes for allergy, actua more rapidly and supera Clarity and Flownays at 1. I was a sergeant, so he'd be like, yo, I'm on the head up with him. Like, you won't let me get a one with him, sergeant? I used to be like, shit, if he wanted, I go to the officer, like, yo, he want to shoot a fair one with you, you down? Did you consider yourself a dirty correctional officer at the time? And I already got my reputation now. Like, they know, yo, he's going to put hands on you if you get stupid with him.

Starting point is 00:00:46 If you're willing to lay hands on inmates, are you also willing to get them contraband if they asked? Did, like, jump on somebody with like five or six dudes. I did. He wasn't in handcuffs, though. How did you go from correctional officer to an inmate yourself? Robert Rodriguez once were the uniform, gave the orders, and used force on inmates. But after a fatal drunk driving crash, he entered prison wearing shackles and had to survive by becoming exactly what he once locked up. Rob, welcome to Lock In.

Starting point is 00:01:15 Thanks so much for coming on the show today. Of course, of course. Where do you come from, Georgia today or Atlanta? No, I came from Florida. Florida, okay. You were in Georgia for your prison time. Yeah, did my time in Georgia. You got a crazy story from Cleveland.

Starting point is 00:01:28 correctional officer to in me. We've only had a couple of those on the show so far, and every time the audience loves it. Okay, well, that's a good thing, man. Tell us where you grew up. Originally born in Buffalo, New York. Oh, wow. Yeah, born in Buffalo. Then I moved to the Bronx, lived in the Bronx for a little bit. You know, I grew up, you know, in the street. You know what I'm saying? My mom was on drugs. Went to the street, started selling drugs at a young age. Actually, my house got raided, and that's what made me kind of want to change, because they put a shotgun in my son's face. He wasn't even a year old at the time.

Starting point is 00:02:09 And that made me want to be like, you know what? This ain't for me. I was like 18, 17, 17 at the time, 17, 18 at the time. And I was just like, you know what, I got to do something different. So I moved to Jersey, started working little odd jobs. Then I just walked past a recruiting station. And I was like, you know what? Let me see what this is about.

Starting point is 00:02:28 Literally just walking down the street one day, I walked into the recruiting station for the army. Started talking to the guy. He was a tanker. He was like, yeah, yo, you'll be great, blah, blah, blah. You know, they're going to sell their story. So I joined the military. Then I ended up in Georgia. Did the military thing for a couple years.

Starting point is 00:02:49 And then I actually got kicked out the military because I got in a fight with somebody. So they kicked me out. But under general conditions. It's not like, you know, dishonorable, none. It was honorable under general conditions, whatever. After that, like, I started working, like, at Comcast, little odd jobs. And then I went to a VA, like, a place that looks for jobs for, you know, ex-military people. And the guy was like, yo, the prisons are hiring.

Starting point is 00:03:21 And at first, I was kind of, like, skeptical. I was like, damn, I don't want to work in no prison, man. But I was like, you know what? I'm down here in jail. Georgia, it's me, my baby mom, my daughter. I was like, you know what? Fuck it, let's go. Went?

Starting point is 00:03:34 As soon as I walked into the interview, the guy was like, yo, you were in the military? I was like, yeah. He was like, you're hired. He didn't even ask me no more questions. He was like, ex-military, you're hired. So then I started working at a prison called Roger State Prison in Georgia. It's in Reesville, Georgia. Started working there.

Starting point is 00:03:54 At first, it was kind of weird, you know, because I, like, I came from the street. So it was like, damn, how do I? how do I treat these people? You know what I'm saying? Like, how do I treat people that I'm used to being around? You know? So I think I was pretty cool as a CEO. But I did some fucked up shit.

Starting point is 00:04:15 I'm not going to lie to you. Like, I put hands on people plenty of times, you know? And a lot of it was like when you disrespecting me. You know what I'm saying? Like the actual first time I put hands on somebody, it was a white dude. And he came up to me one day And he was like, yo, why to fuck you so much We with the black dudes

Starting point is 00:04:35 You always hang with the black dudes Like you're cool, they don't like you You know what I'm saying? And I'm like, yo, listen, I'm just What we used to say, I'm gonna do my eight And hit the gate But he just kept talking shit, talking shit Like, you know, mad

Starting point is 00:04:48 Because I was, I would kick it more With the black dudes Than I would the white guys So he got mad And he was, oh, you're just nothing, buddy You know, whoop, love her And I'm like, what? I was like, I say,

Starting point is 00:04:58 less. So I was like, yo, get on the fence. You know, he got on the fence, you know, the fake pat down. Like if you're doing something wrong, put the handcuffs on them, took him to the hole. When I got to the hole, though, I was like, yo, listen, I brought him to the shower area. Because how it is in Georgia, with the prison I was at, there's four dorms. You got, you know, it was called building 12. You got 12, A and B, which is population. And then you got C&D, which is lockdown. You got your regular lockdown. Then you got isolation. upstairs. So I brought him into the regular lockdown.

Starting point is 00:05:32 And I was like, yo, as soon as I take these cuffs off you, turn around and start swinging. And he was like, what? I was like, yo, like, the way you talk to me, where I'm from, we don't do that. So as soon as these cuffs come off, turn around and swing, bro, because I'm going to your shit. I'm telling you, I'm going to go in your shit. So I took the cuffs off. He turned around, but he didn't start swinging. So I beat the shit out of him.

Starting point is 00:05:58 Like, I was just rocking them. I did that a couple of times. And the inmates don't snitch on you for this? Mm-mm. I had one lawsuit. I should, I wish I had the paper with me, but I had one lawsuit on me because the prison at the time, Roger State Prison, was known for that.

Starting point is 00:06:14 Like, I know dudes who kept the handcuffs on, five or six, stomped the shit out of person, you know, beat them bad. I've seen that. But me personally, like, where I come from, I'm like, if it takes five of us on one guy, and he's handcuffed? Come on, man.

Starting point is 00:06:32 If five of us can't beat one guy without handcuffs, then we don't need to be doing this shit. Were the other correctional officers reporting you for something like this? Hell no. So they were all doing it. They were all doing it.

Starting point is 00:06:43 They was all doing it. But again, like in my situation, I took the cuffs off and I would tell him, turn around and swing. Naturally, guys wouldn't because they're like, oh, if I turn around and hit you,

Starting point is 00:06:52 I'm going to catch another charge. I wouldn't have did that, though. I'm like, yo, I'm about to whip, your ass. So when I take these cuffs off, turn around and swing. Did anyone ever swing on you? No. Never? Never. But you would always hit that. And I would always, yeah, I did. I did. And it was one guy, I'm a sergeant and I transferred to Georgia State Prison. It was literally right across the street from Roger State Prison. Like, you could see it from the prison. It was a maximum security prison. So I get there. And that's, you know, it's a different breed of people.

Starting point is 00:07:27 them dudes would fight. I just never had the opportunity to meet somebody who actually wanted to fight. You know what I'm saying? It was dudes that would come to me and be like, yo, I want to fight like the officer. I was a sergeant. So he'd be like, yo, I want to head up with him.

Starting point is 00:07:42 Like, you're going to let me get a one with him, sergeant? I used to be like, shit, if he won it, I'll go to the officer like, yo, he want to shoot a fair one with you. You down? Either they'd say, hell, yeah, let's go. And I would lock him in a cage, like, where how it was set up, It was buildings, it was two buildings called L&M building in Georgia State Prison. And they were like the Supermax type joint, like the shoe.

Starting point is 00:08:06 But in Georgia, they don't call it the shoe. They call it SMU. So when they come out, they sell and we go through a little hallway into the barbershop, there was a little waiting area where you lock them in the cell for them to wait, their turn to get their hair cut. So he was like, yo, I want a one with this dude. And I settle off. So like, oh, you want to get them a one?

Starting point is 00:08:26 He was like, yeah, hell yeah, I'll do it. So I put him in the little cage and let them fight it out. We did that shit a lot. It was crazy. Would they make wagers against each other? I've heard of some stories where the CEO's bet on who's going to win. Oh, yeah. You already know.

Starting point is 00:08:42 Like, we're sitting there like, yo, I think he's going to take you. Would you want to bet on it? And we'll sit on the side and be like, yo, I bet you he rocks him, whatever. You know what I mean? But, yeah, we used to do shit like that. It was crazy. There was no cameras or anything? Not where I was at.

Starting point is 00:08:58 Not in the section like L&M building. There were no cameras in there at all. Like Georgia, I want to say they didn't start really putting cameras until I went to prison. Like before that, there was no cameras. It was your word against theirs. How long did it take to go from correctional officer to a sergeant? It took me, honestly, like a year and a half, maybe two. But I was like, you know, every job I ever did, I always try to do it to the best of my

Starting point is 00:09:26 You know what I mean? Like I always push myself as far as I can go. So when I became a correctional officer, at first I was just like, you know what? I'm going to just do this job and then that's it. But then when I started actually fighting with people in there and shit, I was like, you know what? I'm going to push it as far as I can go. Everybody respected me, obviously, even the officers, because they're like, yo, you know, if you got a problem, call wherever he's, he'll pull up and, you know, they're going to put hands on you.

Starting point is 00:09:51 You know what I mean? So when it came time for me to get a promotion, I had to go up against a problem. I had to go up against a board. They asked me a bunch of little, you know, C-O questions, and then you get promoted. And there was no bad rep about you at all at that point? No, it was, the rep was, oh, he'll put hands on you. That was the rep. But to the officers, it was a good thing.

Starting point is 00:10:12 Ah, so the board and everyone, the high-ups were okay with that. They knew. They knew. They knew I had lawsuits against me. Because, like, from the one prison I was at, like I said, it was a big lawsuit because they were known for handcuffing dudes and beating on them. You know what I'm saying? One of the guys, I remember the exact guy. I don't remember his name, but if I've seen his face, I know who he is.

Starting point is 00:10:31 He's the one who added me to that lawsuit. Because the same situation, I'm standing on, I'm running child. And at Rogers State Prison, they got to come up to shoot. It's like a shoot that separates the buildings from the child. They got to come up to shoot. So I'm on the other end running child. And I already got my reputation now. Like, they know, yo, he's going to put hands on you if you get stupid with him.

Starting point is 00:10:53 So I'm sitting there. I'm actually kicking it with this. female and we're talking and I'm you know I'm trying to put my work in the bagger and um it was a it was a black girl a correctional officer yeah it was a correctional officer and uh one of the dudes he was a black dude I guess he was like a little upset about that because I'm in Georgia they're like yo we don't you know you don't talk to our women type shit so he got mad and he said some shit I can't remember exactly what he said but when I looked into the crowd because they you know and they in the shoot you got like a half of building in the shoot

Starting point is 00:11:25 so it's mad dudes I look in the crowd and I was like yo if you really got balls let me know who said that and he raised his hand and I was like oh word I was like yo come here he comes over I was like yo get on the fence you know he get on the fence pat him down

Starting point is 00:11:41 put your hands behind your back handcuff him I was like yo hold this down I'll be back I bring him to the hole I call my lieutenant and I'm like yo LT I got one down here I got to I got to talk to and you know that's, they know what I met when I'm like, yo, I got to talk to him.

Starting point is 00:11:56 They're like, oh, he about to whoop his ass. So I'm like, yeah, get him to the box, same shit. Get him to the shower. I'm like, yo, when I take these handcuffs off of you, turn around and start swinging, bro. Because I'm going to go in your shit. He don't say shit. I take the handcuffs off.

Starting point is 00:12:10 He spin around and drop to the floor, like try to curl up. And I was like, nah, it's too late now. And I just, I started kneeing him in his side, punching him in his shit, beat on him. next thing you know the lawsuit was already going on with the they would they had like the warden a couple lieutenants a couple of sergeants couple officers the whole third team and next thing you know i get paperwork and it's like yo you got a lawsuit against you um what do they called in there i want to say iA but it's not ia like the people who who come and be like yo you know you did this

Starting point is 00:12:50 wrong, you did that wrong. The ones who try to correct the correction officers. In the feds, it was the SIS, like the investigation. Okay, see, well, I was in the state. I wasn't nothing with feds, so I forgot what they were called. But they were, the dude comes in, one of the, I want to say IA, I don't know why that keeps popping up, but I think it's IA. But anyways, he comes up to me, he's like, yo, I seen your statement.

Starting point is 00:13:15 So before I turn the cameras on, I want you to read your statement. So you know what you said. And then when I turn the cameras on, just repeat what you wrote on the statement. So I'm like, all right, he was like, just stick to your statement and you won't get in no trouble. So I'm like, all right, cool. So I go there, I read the statement real quick. Boom, push it to the side. He turns the cameras on, turns the mic on.

Starting point is 00:13:39 He's like, so, you know, incident such and such and such and such, blah, blah, blah. What happened? And I read it to him, you know, like, oh, the inmate was, he snatched away from me. So I went to grab him. Then he started resisting, so we ended up fighting. You know what I'm saying? But that's how it worked. We all, yo, there was so many dirty, 30 correctional officers in Georgia, man.

Starting point is 00:14:01 Did you consider yourself a dirty correctional officer at the time? If you look at it from an inmate's perspective, and again, I did both sides. So I really could have. I really was like, you know what? I was grinding. because at the end of the day, if I tell you, I'm gonna go in,

Starting point is 00:14:22 like I'm gonna punching your shit and you hit me back, you could actually get charged. And I might not even be the one to charge you. Like, all I got to do is writing an incident report me and you got the fighting, and they would end up charging you for that.

Starting point is 00:14:35 I didn't think about it like that. I was, I was like 23 years old, 24. You know what I'm saying? So I was just thinking of it like streak shit. Like, if we're in the fight, we're in the fight, big deal. How did you view inmates?

Starting point is 00:14:48 What did you look at them as? As a correction officer, I honestly felt like they were like dudes from the street. You know what I'm saying? Because I grew up in the hood. Like I grew up in the street. So that's how I would treat them like guys from the street. You know what I'm saying? So again, if you get disrespectful, then you know what it is.

Starting point is 00:15:07 You know what you got to go to in the street. We're going to shoot the fair one. And they're going to shoot the fair one. You know what I'm saying? I ain't got to worry about no gunplay or not like that. You know what I'm saying? Like, you got your hands, I got my hands. May the best man win.

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Starting point is 00:16:33 Head to bluechew.com for details and safety info. And big thanks to Bluchu for sponsoring the podcast. So do you think if you say stayed in the suburbs of Buffalo, you would have been a different type of correctional officer? Nah. I don't think so. But then again, I don't know. Because, you know, I know guys who grew up in nice neighborhoods, nice areas.

Starting point is 00:16:56 Some of them will come to work and just not, like, you know what? I'm just going to do my eight and get out of here. Like, don't bother me. Don't knock on the window. Don't talk to me. I'm just here for my little check and I'm gone. But then some dudes was there for the bullshit. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:17:11 Some dudes were there for that. Like, they looked at people like, You ain't shit. Me, I was just like, like I said, I used to treat everybody like if we was on the street. I would kick it with certain people who were, you know, kept a good vibe with me. You know what I'm saying? I used to go get my hair cut. An in a hair used to cut my hair.

Starting point is 00:17:28 I was sitting in a barbers chair. Like, we in the barbershop on the street. You know what I'm saying? So it was different from me. So, but when it comes to me thinking, like, you was a dirty CO. I could say I was just by that because I knew if you did. hit me, they could possibly charge you. You know what I'm saying? I wouldn't have did it like that. Like if you would have wop my ass, you would have just wop my ass out of my, I'd be like, damn, my,

Starting point is 00:17:55 you got me. You know what I'm saying? And I'll let you go about your business. But I can't say what other correctional officers would do. You know, like there was an instance one time, it was count time. And when at Rogers, like, when you come in the dorm, they got two hallways that go down the way. And that's where the rooms are at. So when you walk, and then hollered count time. Everybody's supposed to get up and go to their rooms and stand by their bunk because it wasn't cells. It wasn't a cell block. It was a room full of like 15 people right across from each other down this hallway, down that hallway.

Starting point is 00:18:27 So I come up there. I'm hollering count time. I'm with a female. She's counting with me. So I'm like count time, count time, you know, whatever. Everybody, I give them a minute, you know, they're watching TV, give them a minute to get up, go to their room. So it's one dude. He's standing there because he wants to watch TV.

Starting point is 00:18:45 And I'm like, yo, it's count time, bro, go to your room. He was like, just count on that side. I'll be right here. When you come, I'll go to my room. You know, and I'm like, but that's not how it works. When I have to count time, you go to your room. It's simple. Like, you've been here.

Starting point is 00:19:00 You know how this works. Oh, man, you're with the bullshit. You just want to start some shit with me. I'm like, bro, give me two minutes. I'm literally trying to talk cool with him. Like, yo, give me two minutes. Let me count, and I'm out your way, and you can go back doing whatever you was doing. but the count in the prison is like the most important thing.

Starting point is 00:19:19 You know what I mean? He don't want to, he don't want to listen. He's just like, whatever, whatever. So I'm like, yo,

Starting point is 00:19:24 bro, I know you know how I am. I know you heard about me. I never had no running with you. So let's not make this a big deal. Just go to your room. Let me count. I'm out your way.

Starting point is 00:19:36 Oh, fuck that shit. If you didn't have that badge on, you wouldn't be talking like that. So I take the badge off and I throw it down the hallway. I was like, I ain't got the badge on. And I'm talking.

Starting point is 00:19:45 telling you, oh, if you ain't had that shirt on, you wouldn't be talking like that. So the correction officer search, they got a zipper. Like, it's a button, then a zipper, then a button. So I unbuttoned, I unzip the shit, pull my shirt off. I ain't got nothing but a wife beat her under it. Throw the shirt down the hallway. The girl's standing there, she's like, Rodriguez, what are you doing? I'm like, yo, no, fuck that.

Starting point is 00:20:06 He want to fight. So we're going to fight. It's just me and him in there. Like, nobody else is there. They're in their rooms. So I'm like, fuck it. I got a good shot. Like, we could get it on before.

Starting point is 00:20:15 you call the code and if anybody comes out then it is what it is so i take the shirt i throw the shirt he looks at me all but you got the pants so i said bro you want me to get down to my underwear to fight you man like what are we doing now i'm gonna handcuff you i'm gonna take you to the hole and we ain't even gonna have this conversation no more you know what i'm saying but a couple of guys that i you know i was kind of cool with they come out the room they're like yo roarie's chill man we got them, we got them. I'm like, yo, get your boy. Because I'm going to, I'm going to do them dirty. You know, I'm doing them dirty. They end up getting them, you know, taking them to the room and shit. I counted. I walked off. It was no incident then. Yeah, from an inmate's perspective, that's a number one rule.

Starting point is 00:20:55 You don't mess up count time, no matter how good or sweet the CEO is. Exactly. Because they don't play. And that's the most important part of my job at the time. I got to make sure everybody's accounted for. You know what I'm saying? And it was like 1130 at night. You know, so I'm like, bro, come on, man. So he ended up, you know, and nothing happened out of that, thank God. But, yeah, it was, it was shit like that. I was just, I don't know, I felt like I was different. I didn't feel like the rest of the CEOs.

Starting point is 00:21:24 Like, I knew a CEO, he was a black dude, and he would call all the inmates boy. And I'm like, like, you know, I'm in George. I'm middle of fucking in the weeds. I'm like, damn. Like, isn't that a word that they used towards people that they felt like, wasn't shit. And he would literally come here, boy. And he was a black dude.

Starting point is 00:21:46 Like, I'm like, damn, where did you grow up at? You know, he was, he was, he was, he was held. He used to warp dude's asses. I know so many dirty correctional officers in Georgia that used to put the beats on people, man. It was crazy. And like I said, one time I did, I ain't in the front. Two times.

Starting point is 00:22:09 I say two times. I did, I did like jump on somebody with like five or six dudes. I did. He wasn't in handcuffs, though. I had dudes like the Surte team. When I went to the maximum security prison, the third team, which is the black squad. I don't know what they call them in the feds or what they call them in other prisons, but it's the guys in the black uniforms that come in and do sell extractions and, you know,

Starting point is 00:22:32 what is this? Certified emergency response team. That's what they're called. So there's a certain. It was 12 of them at the prison I was at. the one I was a sergeant at working at. There was dudes on there that their hands was like this much bigger than mine. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:22:48 So I'm like, there's no way we got to jump on somebody in handcuffs. It's not going to have. Like, there's too many of us and we're all big as out, you know? So it was one situation. It was a mental health section of the prison too, whatever, keep the mental health inmates. And one dude threw some, he like cooked some chemicals in his cell. Like, you know, cell clean out. the ladies whoever the officers come through they give you your chemicals to clean your cell

Starting point is 00:23:12 he took the chemicals and boiled them so when the lady was coming by giving out ice he threw the chemicals in her face and it literally like i i never seen nothing like that like her face it was like you touch her and it'll just slide right off like the movies that shit had me i was like oh shit so you know i was a sergeant at the time they called me i get down there i call the 13 because he wasn't trying to come out to cell. So I'm like, yo, y'all got to get him out to sell, you know, get them out, whatever. You know, every time you do a cell extraction, you got to bring them to the hospital floor. So they could get checked out, make sure everything's good.

Starting point is 00:23:50 In this case, it went left. When they got there and they seen her face, she's sitting there older lady. She had to be like in her 40s. At the time, I'm in my 20s. So to me, I'm like, this is an old lady. You know what I'm saying? Her face is like melted all on the side. I'm like, God, damn.

Starting point is 00:24:08 So we're trying to talk to the guy to get him out. He won't come out. So I told, sir, I'm like, yo, y'all know what it is. Suit up. Go in there and get him out. In Georgia, they had shock shields where the electricity runs through the shield. They press it against your body, hit you with the electricity. They had the shock shields.

Starting point is 00:24:23 So they come through, bust the cell open, get them, handcuff them. And before I could even, like, I'm standing outside the cell, watching the cell extraction because I got to hold the camera. While the camera's going and all that. And before I could even, like, stop the camera because he's in handcuffs now, so we're good. Before I could even stop the camera, one of the cert dudes with hands, oh, my God,

Starting point is 00:24:47 twice the size is mine. Got the dude by the throat on the toilet in the cell. So you know the toilet's here, the bed's here. It's right there. He got him on the, on the toilet, choking the shit out of him. It was a, he was like a light-skinned black dude. When I, like, dropped the camera,

Starting point is 00:25:07 and grab the cert, dude, and I'm trying to pull him. He was bigger than me. I'm trying to pull him off of him. I'm like, let him go. Let him go. You're going to kill him. By the time he let him go, there was his handprint hickies on this dude's neck. It was like a big, two big ass hickies, but they were shaped just like hands around this dude's neck.

Starting point is 00:25:27 I'm like, how the hell are we going to explain this? How do you explain that? You know what I'm saying? But everybody works together. You take them to the hospital floor, the nurse is like, oh, my God. look, you got to write it like this, you got to say this, you got to say that. The, you know, lieutenants and everybody, you got to say this, you got to say this, you got to say this. I'm saying they're like, how can this be explained?

Starting point is 00:25:48 You got handprints around this dude's neck. There's no explanation for that. But they swept that shit under the wrong. Why would that guy do that to that woman? That, yo, I never understood it. Like some of the things that people did, I never understood. Like it was one time somebody threw piss on me. I come in, I was a sergeant, I'm coming, I'm doing my rounds.

Starting point is 00:26:13 The girl, I walk into the unit, the girl's, um, she's handing out ice. So naturally the flaps are going to be open because she's giving out ice. So I see, it's like the fourth cell down. He got his flap on, there's a cup on the flat. So I'm looking, I'm like, okay, I see her giving out ice. So I'm not, oh, she's giving out ice. So I come and I'm signing the sheets. I get right close to his cell.

Starting point is 00:26:34 And I see him peek out, grab this cup. and just throw it. The piss hit me right in my face, came down all over me. I'm like, I'm going to beat this shit out this dude. So I run up to the central station, and I take my shirt off, I throw it in a bag. And I was like, yo, when I go back down there, I'm not going to call it on the radio.

Starting point is 00:26:56 Because I don't want nobody to know that I want you to open this guy's cell. Because, you know what, you could only call to open cells at certain times because it was a lockdown prison. You know what I'm saying? 23 and 1. So if I'm calling to open the cell at 10, 11 o'clock at night, they're going to be like, why the fuck is, what's he doing down there?

Starting point is 00:27:14 And then my supervisor is going to call me like, yo, you good? Like, what's going on? Why are you opening the cell? So I was like, I'm just going to go down there. I'm going to wave to you and open cell number, whatever, 13, 14. She was like, all right. You know, I was a sergeant. She ain't going to tell me no.

Starting point is 00:27:28 So I went down there. As I was coming towards the cell, one of the cert dudes come in the back door. And he's walking down. He's like, yo, Saars, what's up? I say, I'm going to beat this dude. dude's ass. He was like, what happened? Where's your shirt? He started laughing because he knew. I'm like, yo, he threw piss on me. I'm gonna beat his ass. Like, I don't give a fuck. So he was like, fuck it. Let's do it. But I told him, I said, let me go in first. Like,

Starting point is 00:27:51 let me get my rocks off because he threw piss on me, not you. So he was like, all right, go ahead. So I waved, she opened the cell. I ran in there. And me and this dude started like hand-to-hand, blow for blow. I literally thought I was about to get my ass who up because he would and fall. And I'm talking about we blow for blow. Boom, boom, face shots, nothing but face shots. Connecting. Now, you hear it smacking. And for like, I don't, you know, when you fight and it might seem like five minutes, but it'd be like a minute, a minute and a half. I started getting tired. I was like, oh, he's about to whip my ass. So I just, you know, reached down, scooped him up, slammed him on the bed. And then the cert dude came in and grabbed him. We handcuffed him.

Starting point is 00:28:32 Took him to the hospital floor. But as we walk and I was like, yo, why did you throw piss me. I don't even know you. Like, we never had no interaction. Why'd you throw piss on me? He was like, you were the first one to come in the room. So it makes, you know what I'm saying? It makes no sense why some people do what they do. I'll never understand why inmates throw pee or poop on guards. It just, it's stupid. It's ridiculous. And it's going to get you beat up. Let's be clear. Well, if they're with you. You know what I'm saying? So if you're willing to lay hands on inmates, are you also willing to get them contraband if they ask for it? No, that's one thing. I didn't do.

Starting point is 00:29:10 I didn't do that. To me, my contraband to them was like, yo, let me get an extra tray or let me get an extra pack out. You know what I'm saying? I'm not supposed to do it, but I'm like,

Starting point is 00:29:19 go ahead, man, grab it. You know what I'm saying? Never did I bring nothing to them. But when I became an inmate, I was catching them like crazy. Did anyone ever ask you to smuggle in contraband as a? Yeah, yeah. And how would you react to them when they did?

Starting point is 00:29:35 I'll just be like, yo, you know I'm not doing that. You know, hit me with the numbers, but you know, I'm from the street. So when you hit me with the numbers, I'm just like, bro, I already know. I know how much it's going to get, how much you're going to get, blah, blah, blah. But I'm not doing that. Because like I said, at that point in time, even though I was, you know, doing fucked up shit in prison as a correction officer, I still didn't want to end up in prison.

Starting point is 00:29:58 You know what I'm saying? But wouldn't be it up inmates, uh, and laying you in prison? The way it was shown to me, we were always covered. You know what I'm saying? Everybody had each other's back. Even the IA dudes when they would come in, they didn't even work in a prison, but they would tell you what to say.

Starting point is 00:30:16 Like, yo, when I turn this camera on, say this, and that's it. Don't say nothing else. Very corrupt system. Very corrupt. Georgia, oh, man, it's got to be, I mean, that's the only place I've been. That's the only place I worked.

Starting point is 00:30:27 That's the only place I was in prison at. But it's very corrupt. What would you say was the most corrupt thing you witnessed as an officer? Damn. I can't say I witnessed. witnessed it because I didn't actually see it, but just knowing that they dropped the dude on his neck, broke his neck and killed them.

Starting point is 00:30:47 But you know, as officers, you hear it, like, yo, they beat the shit out of buddy. They dropped him on his neck, broke his neck, and he died. And you sit there like, damn, you know what I'm saying? So you hear the stories, but I wasn't actually a part of that type of shit that they were doing. You know, like I said, me personally, I would literally take you to the hole and tell you, Like, we're going to fight. So just fight.

Starting point is 00:31:12 You know what I'm saying? But to actually see somebody actually do that to somebody, I never seen that. But I heard it. You know, as correctional officer, you all get together after work, go to the, we meet at each other's house, drinking, and they go to talking about it. Like, yo, you see how we did? What's his name? And, you know, we slammed him on his neck. His fucking neck broke.

Starting point is 00:31:30 We were scared as hell. We tried to throw him on the gurney. We running him to the hospital floor, but he was already dead. There was nothing we could do. You know, you hear the story. reason. I just look like, God, damn. You know what I'm saying? It could have happened to me. I could have did that. Like when I picked Buddy up and slammed him on the bed. You know, the beds are steel beds. He could have hit something and ended up dying, but thank God he didn't. All right. Let me flex this

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Starting point is 00:33:39 Your girl or your man is going to thank you. How do you feel now knowing that you participated in this corruption back then? It didn't really hit me until I went to prison. Because then I'm like, damn. At first, when I went to prison, I'm like, okay, maybe they're going to treat me a little different because they know I was a correction officer. But they didn't. They didn't.

Starting point is 00:34:01 They treated me the way they treat every other inmate. Like if I was a piece of shit, a career criminal. who just was all into the bullshit. That's exactly how they treated me. And I was like, damn. That's when it hit me. Like, this shit is, this shit is not, it's not what it was. And it's not what it should be.

Starting point is 00:34:18 How did you go from correctional officer to an inmate yourself? So, situation, I was a sergeant. I had made, I was on attack squad, which is a squad in Georgia, the tactical squad is a squad that gets together in masses like 100, 200 people, and we raid prisons, shake down prisons, looking for contraband. So anyways, I'm on the tag squad. I'm a sergeant, and there was a guy that was on the tag squad with me. He was a sergeant, too.

Starting point is 00:34:50 And he was like, you know, he kept asking me to come to his neighborhood, to his town, to go party with him. He knows everybody, blah, blah, blah. At first, I was like, you know, I always was like, nah, nah, nah, because, you know, they tell you when you hit Georgia, like when I hit Georgia, I was in the military. and they would tell you, yo, don't go to this town because they don't like you in these towns. Like, you know, they still live by them back in the day type shit.

Starting point is 00:35:15 So they're like, don't go here because you'll have some problems. So I kind of stayed away from shit like that. And he lived in one of them towns where they were like, you're going to have problems if you go there. You know what I'm saying? Just by you being who you are and how you act and you're not from here. So, you know, they'll treat you different. So I was like, all right, anyways, he keeps asking me,

Starting point is 00:35:35 oh, come to my neighborhood, kind of. my neighborhood, whatever, whatever. Eventually, I'm like, I bet. I'm going to come. I was like, but you got to come pick me up. I'm not driving. So he was like, all right, comes picks me up. He takes me to his house.

Starting point is 00:35:49 We have a couple of drinks. Then he ends up like, yo, we're going to go to my friend's bar. My friend owns the bar. We'll be good. You know, we ain't got to really pay for nothing. We could drink for free type shit. So I'm like, I bet, let's go. We go.

Starting point is 00:36:02 We get in the bar. This girl that I used to mess with, She was a correction officer. I didn't know she was coming, but she ends up showing up. So when she shows up, the guy, two of the guys he introduced me to, they see me and her talking, you know, only because I know her. So they come up to me.

Starting point is 00:36:20 One of the guys comes up to me, he's like, yo, is that your girl? And I'm like, nah, that's just a friend of mine. So he was like, do you mind if I talk to her? I was like, no, you know, talk to her. She's not going to talk to you because I'm here. And me and her, you know, we mess around, so I don't think she'll talk to you. But go ahead. So anyways, he goes, he starts talking to her.

Starting point is 00:36:38 I go outside to smoke a cigarette. I come back in, like the time it takes to smoke a cigarette. When I come back in, she's passed out on the table, literally, in the middle of the bar, like, slumped over sleep. So I'm looking. I'm like, damn. And in my head, I'm like, damn, she probably started drinking before she got here. So maybe she's a little pop. So I'm going to keep my eye on her.

Starting point is 00:37:00 The dude that took me to the bar. He comes up to me. He's like, yo, I got to leave. I got to take my wife home because she's tripping. She's bugging out. She's bugging out. She's drunk. So I was like, God, I'll go with you.

Starting point is 00:37:12 He was like, nah. So I'm like, all right. He leaves. I'm sitting there. I go to the bar. Well, I go to the table. I drink my drinks. Mind you, I wasn't paying attention to my drinks.

Starting point is 00:37:27 I was talking to him and I left my drinks at the table next to her. But she's passed out. So I go and I drink my drinks. I had two crowning. coax double fist and i had um a corona so i drink that go outside and as i'm standing out there i start getting real lightheaded so i light a cigarette i'm smoking a cigarette next thing you know the two guys the bouncer and the guy he introduced me to comes walking out with the girl but she's slump like they're carrying her out and i look and i'm like where y'all going oh we're going to take her

Starting point is 00:37:59 home. I'm like, what? Nah. If she was awake and, you know, willing, like, hell yeah, yeah, I'm leaving with them. Cool. But she was, they were literally carrying her. She was sleep. I'm like, nah, y'all not taking her home. I was like, for once, I got her keys. How are you going to take her home? They were like, oh, well, give us the keys. We're going to take her home. Everything's all right. She knows us. I'm like, I ain't that drunk. I just know you just came up to me and asked me if you could talk to her. So I'm like, nah, if y'all leaving, then I'm leaving. And you could take to my boy's house because they were his friends you know what I'm saying so they was like I jump in a car I jump in the passenger seat give him the keys he starts the car we take off

Starting point is 00:38:38 he crashes into another vehicle the vehicle shoots off the road somebody ejects from the vehicle smacks the tree dies instantly I don't know none of this when we crash the car flips a few times rolls on his on his hood whatever so when I come to from the accident I look around and I don't see nobody in the car. So I climb out the car and I'm sitting at the back of the car. And I'm just, I don't know where I'm at. I mean, like literally in the middle of the weeds, there's no lights on this highway, nothing. So I'm just sitting there. State troopers come. I guess I kind of want to say like I was, I was drunk because I was drinking, but I think I hit my head of something because I don't really remember everything exactly. But when the state trooper comes and the ambulance come, I see them

Starting point is 00:39:26 putting somebody on a stretcher. So I look and it's the girl. I'm like, oh shit. So I walk over to the stretch and I'm like, yo, you're all right? She was like, yeah, Rob, I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good.

Starting point is 00:39:39 I'm standing here. You're in the stretcher. So the state trooper comes up and he grabs me by the arm. Now, mind you, I'm drunk. I'm used to defense mode because I'm a correctional officer. So he grabbed me and I snatched away. And I was like, yo, don't fucking touch me. he grabs me again and I like spin my arm grab his wrist twist it back and straight arm him and when

Starting point is 00:40:04 I straight armed him he trips and hits the ground so that he hops up grabs me you know oh I'm charging you with everything blah blah blah blah blah blah and I get charged with everything got charged with um DUI homicide by vehicle two counts of serious injury by vehicle and reckless driving those were the charges that they gave me. I wake up the next day, literally in a jail cell. And I'm thinking in my head, like, oh, they playing with me. Because we used to do that, you know, the correction officer, we used to, like, obviously you're going to remember, but we used to lock each other in cells and shit

Starting point is 00:40:41 to, you know, get a kick out of it, whatever. So I wake up and I'm thinking, like, these motherfuckers lock me in this damn cell. So I go to, it's like, in Georgia, they got like a little buzzer on the wall in the county jail where you could hit the buzzer and they come on the speaker and be like, what you want. So I hit the buzzer and they come over and I'm like, yo, what am I doing here? And the lady, she's like, are you serious? I was like, yeah, why the fuck am I in the cell? And she was like, oh, man, I can't tell you. You got to wait until the investigators come. So I was like, okay, the guy that I was with that night, he knew everybody in the area.

Starting point is 00:41:17 So he comes, he brings my baby mother down there. They're not supposed, I'm not supposed to see nobody until the investigator comes. but because he knows them, they let him and my baby mom come in and see me. So I look and I'm like, what happened? She was like, you don't know what happened? I was like, you killed somebody. I was like, what? She was like, yeah, you kill somebody.

Starting point is 00:41:40 And I literally, I looked at right in her face and I was like, you know what? You might as well forget about us and everything. She was like, what you mean? I said, they're going to lock me up for life of this. And then, you know, she was just like, are you serious? I see her, they're going to lock me up for life. I was like, I'm in Georgia.

Starting point is 00:41:56 I'm in the middle of the trees. I'm not getting out of this. There's no way. I'm not that cool with these people. You know what I'm saying? So that's what they ended up doing. They ended up charging me with all them charges. I went to trial.

Starting point is 00:42:10 Well, I went to court on and off for three years. I was out on bond. They let me bond out, which is weird, but they let me bond out. And I was cool with that. Bonded out. Was I on the street for about three years. And then they finally came to me and was like, look, we're going to go to trial. If you lose the trial, you're going to do 37 years.

Starting point is 00:42:30 I could try to get you a plea. If we get you a plea, you're better off taking a plea. So I'm just sitting there like, damn, this is crazy. So I'm like, all right, well, what's the plea? There was like 15, do 14. I'm like, how the fuck is that a plea? I never heard of that type of split sentence in my life. 15 do 14 years

Starting point is 00:42:52 So I was like is that the best you could do? It was like that's the best we could do If not we're going to trial You're going to do 37 what you want to do I said man give me the 15 So they gave me 15 15 serve 14 What was that first conversation

Starting point is 00:43:05 With the investigators like But when he comes in It was a state trooper He comes in and he's like He pulls me out We go into the little interview room And he's like So do you remember what happened

Starting point is 00:43:15 And I was like I remember bits and pieces But I can't tell you for sure He was like who was driving I was like, I don't know his name. I knew his name, but I'm not going to tell you that. Like, I really feel like, I don't know why it might sound stupid. Some people might be like, yo, you're dumb as hell.

Starting point is 00:43:33 But I just live by that cold. I don't get paid to do your job. You get paid to figure out what happened and who was what and where. So I'm not going to tell you. I'm not going to help you figure it out. You know, I knew I wasn't driving, so I was like, there's no way I could get convicted. I know I wasn't driving. So I'm like, I don't know his name.

Starting point is 00:43:52 I just met him that night. And it was just like, what they introduced me to is this is my boy. And he was like, what he looked like? I was like, I don't remember. You know, I didn't give him shit. But he's telling me, he said, yo, at the end of the day, since you don't know nothing, then you're the one who's going to go down for this. Are you willing to do that?

Starting point is 00:44:08 I was like, there's nothing I could tell you. Like, if that's what we're doing, then let's go. We're going to trial. You know, and I'm like, I know I'm a win. I wasn't driving. It didn't work out like that. So he never got. charged?

Starting point is 00:44:20 Nope. Wow, you really took the bullet for him. I did. Could you have turned him in? Did you have enough information? I knew his name. I knew exactly what he looked like. I've never heard of someone being a passenger getting charged with a manslaughter and a DUI.

Starting point is 00:44:33 Yeah. But they pegged you because you were already out of the car. Because I was there and I didn't tell him who was driving. Because when they pulled up, they were like, who was driving? Because I wasn't even in the car. You're already outside. So you can't charge me. I wasn't even in the car.

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Starting point is 00:45:49 off your home travel for life drive a Ferrari in celebration of the world premiere of the monopoly big board buck slot machine by aristocrat gaming yamava resort and casino at san manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package the biggest prize in yama vaas history club sorano members can earn daily instant prizes and secure a spot in the finale may 29 don't pass go and own it all only at yamava celebrating its 40th anniversary you in details at yamava dot com must be 2120 please gamble responsibly monopoly is a trademark of hasbro hasbro is not a sponsor of this promotion like there's no way i'm gonna get charged with this what happened to the female correctional officer she didn't snitch either no she um there's a video i you know i got in my transcripts and

Starting point is 00:46:27 everything i got a video where she mentioned the guy's name like she was in the video and they're like yo you know was Rodriguez driving blah blah blah she's like no no you don't need to be asking him nothing he wasn't driving you need to ask this guy and she said his name in the video and they would the guy was like no we're not worried about him him. We're worried about Rodriguez. So what do your lawyer say about this? See, the funny thing about it is I didn't know any of this until I went to prison. I was in probably, I want to say two years already, and I run into a lawyer who was in prison

Starting point is 00:47:04 with me, who was a real lawyer on the street. And he's like, yo, you know, you seem like a cool guy, you know, what, what happened? Why are you here, you know? So I'm like, well, you know, I got an accident, whatever, whatever. He was like, man, you should request to get your transfer. And, you know, I was green. I didn't know what that was. I'm not going to lie.

Starting point is 00:47:21 So I'm like, what was that? And he's like, oh, you get your transcripts. It tells you everything about your case, blah, blah, blah. So I'm like, okay, I do it. And he's like, let me go through it. And let me see if I could find something that'll help you get out of here for free. He didn't charge me. He didn't even want nothing from me.

Starting point is 00:47:36 He was just, we were bunkmates. So he was just like, I just want to look out for you. You're a cool dude. So I was like, all right. He looks through it. There's a stack like this talking about, nothing but cocaine in my transcripts and I'm like what the fuck are they talking about cocaine for I don't do drugs so he was like well somebody didn't he's looking through it kind of find out

Starting point is 00:47:59 the driver of the other vehicle that we hit was high on cocaine so I'm like so I'm drunk okay they're high on cocaine why am I the only person in prison you know what I'm saying like who's to determine whose fault it was You know, I'm on, I'm drunk as hell. She's on cocaine. It was a female. I'm like, so who's the term in that? So now I'm like, now I want to fight my shit.

Starting point is 00:48:27 So then he starts looking through all the pictures and everything and the way the seat and the car was set up. He was like, there's no way you drove that car and walked away without, without even a steering wheel mark nothing. He was like, there's no way. Look at the seat was literally like L shape sitting straight up because the guy that was driving was shorter than me. So he was like up on the wheel. So I'm like, okay, that's another point. So anyways, he just goes through my whole thing. So I start putting appeals in to the habeas corpus, get to the highest court to the federal court.

Starting point is 00:49:02 I spit my case. The judge literally is in my transcript. The judge looks at me. I never heard of this before in my life. The judge looks at me. And he's like, Mr. Rodriguez, you proven that you weren't the driver. but because you accepted responsibility and accepted the plea, I'm going to let you finish your prison sentence.

Starting point is 00:49:24 Never heard of that in my life. That's exactly what that judge told me. And I was like, damn, ain't this a bitch? So I guess because I said, you know, I took the plea and I admitted, you know, guilt or whatever, he let me finish the rest of my sentence. What was that first conversation with your job like after you got released on bail? Oh, man. I went in to see the warden at the time, and the warden looks in me.

Starting point is 00:49:50 He's like, yo, Saj, I don't know what to tell you. He was like, look, you know, you're always got a job here, but you got to beat this case. If you beat this case, come on back. He was like, but if you don't, you know, he was like, right now I can't keep you on because you're facing these charges. So he was like, you know, but if you beat it, come on back. You come back. You got your position, whatever, whatever.

Starting point is 00:50:11 And it was just like, even when I went to prison, So, you know, when I first go hit the county jail, the county jail was sweet. I'm not going to lie. It was sweet. I was like, damn. But because they knew at the county jail that I was a correctional officer, the sergeant comes up to me one day. They had me in PC. They locked me down in PC, you know, because they knew I was a correction officer.

Starting point is 00:50:37 I had to talk to them about that later on. But they come to me, he's like, yo, would you want to work outside? And I'm like, what you mean? Doing what? He was like, yo, I put you on outside detail working at the sheriff's office. You just clean up, you know, clean the bathrooms, wash the cars, whatever, whatever. He was like, I already talked to the sheriff. He's cool with it.

Starting point is 00:50:56 We know you were a correctional officer, blah, blah, blah. He don't mind. So I'm like, all right, bet. I go out there, working out there. Oh, my God. It was an old school that they were like the police station and the sheriff's department was because their actual building was getting remodeled or whatever. So we're in an old school in Jessup, Georgia.

Starting point is 00:51:19 And where they had me, nobody could see me. Nobody came to check on me. Nobody monitored me nothing. I did whatever the fuck I wanted. So at first, I was just sending my money to the jail, you know, going to the store, making store a call. So the sheriff comes to me, he's like, yo, he's like, don't send your money to the jail, man.

Starting point is 00:51:40 He was like, have your people bring your money here, cash. And whatever you want, just take one of the unmarked cars and go to the store and get what you want. I was like, what? He was like, yeah, he was like, you want McDonald's, whatever, just go to the store. He said, matter of fact, I'm going to buy you a grill. I'm going to put a little fridge in there, TV. He's like, if you want, go to Walmart, buy some meat, you know, grill out. Like, I was free, but I was, you know, in the county jail.

Starting point is 00:52:08 That's how my county jail state was. I did that for four months. He didn't want me to leave. sheriff. He was like, I don't even want, I don't even want you to go to prison. I wish I could keep your old sentence. And I was like, shit, I wish you good too. But it didn't work out like that. Tell us about day one as a correctional officer that's found themselves in prison. What was that conversation like with inmates, everything? Well, nobody knew I was a correctional officer. The inmates didn't. Like the officers did. So finally, like, as my time in the county jail was going,

Starting point is 00:52:38 I was like, yo, I told the sheriff, I said, man, they got me in the box. Like, they got me in the hole. I don't want to be in the hole, man. He was all about this for your protection. I said, I understand that, but I'm not scared. I don't care. Like, can you put me in population, man? Like, I'm in a room. I come, I'm out here free all day, but when I go back, I'm locked in a fucking room sitting there by myself looking like a retard. Like, I don't want to live like that. So they ended up putting me in population. I get in population and I just became cool with dudes. Like, I didn't tell people, obviously. Like, yeah, I used to be a CEO, da-da-da-da-da. You know what I saying but one of the guys that got real cool with he ended up finding out like I said they all know

Starting point is 00:53:19 each other in that in that area all the sheriff deputies know the inmates they all grew up together so as somebody ended up telling them like oh you know that used to be a correctional officer you chilling with him blah blah blah be careful type shit so he ended up coming up to me he was like yo I heard you was a correctional officer I was like yeah I was like why what's up now I'm thinking like we're about to fight it's about to go down but he was like man I'm not worried about that shit. You cool as hell with me. And that was my first experience with that.

Starting point is 00:53:47 It was never, honestly, the scariest part was when I went to prison. But the county jail, that was sweet. There was no issues at all. I really didn't have issues in prison, but it was scary. Like my first walking into reception, it's a prison in Georgia called Jackson State Prison. That's the reception prison. Everybody goes there before you get sent to the prison you're going to do your time at.

Starting point is 00:54:11 walking in there as an inmate was scary as shit because they all pull into the parking lot they get you out the van they take your shackles off and everything and they give you your property and they say wait here until somebody comes and calls you so everybody is just walking around the parking lot all types of inmates just walking around the parking lot don't matter your charge they don't put you in a certain section like oh you got these charges you're over here you No, everybody is just walking around his parking lot until they come out and holly your name and then you go, you know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:54:45 So that was kind of scary. I'm like, damn, I just stood next to the van with my back to the van. Like, I don't want to run into somebody that's going to recognize me, you know, because I don't got nothing on me but my hands. You know what I'm saying? And if one says something, you already know.

Starting point is 00:55:01 And, no, that dude there used to be, you know what I'm saying? And it's going to go down. So that part was scary. I'm not even going to lie. I was just standing there, just watching everybody looking around like, damn, who's going to recognize me? Who's going to say something? Even the officers, like, a lot of the officers didn't give a shit.

Starting point is 00:55:17 They would come up, oh, shit. Rodriguez, what you doing? You know what I'm saying? I'm just like, yo, shut the fuck up, bro. So, yeah, that was scary. And that was the first time, like, I felt like, that's when it started hitting me, like, damn, this is what they felt like. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:55:34 I'm surprised they left you in Georgia prisons because you knew the system. You knew the staff. You know, I feel like you could have used that to your advantage. I did. Oh, I did. Hell yeah, I did. And I used it to my advantage by, I wouldn't tell people that I was a CEO.

Starting point is 00:55:52 But I know your job. I know everything you got to do. So that's how I would get the females to bring me shit in. Give us an example of how you used the system. The first time, like, I don't, I forgot. I think I was at Augusta State Medical Prison. That's where I was at. Augusta State Medical Prison.

Starting point is 00:56:16 And at this time, I was still under the radar. But I had became a Latin King when I was at Hayes State Prison. That was the first prison I hit besides Jackson. You know, I hit Hayes and I met this dude. He was from the Bronx. We knew the same people. We knew the same neighborhoods. He didn't know I was a correctional officer, though.

Starting point is 00:56:38 but we ended up locking in because I'm like, yo, I got you back. Like, we're from New York. We're not from here, so I got you. Whatever happens, it's me and you. And he's seen that. And he was a high-ranking, and he was like, yo, I want you to be my number two.

Starting point is 00:56:52 Because he was like, I don't trust these dudes down here. You know what I'm saying? Like, we're from up top. We're different. So he was like, I want you to be my number two. I ended up becoming his number two. Don't they do some due diligence or anything? All he did, his due diligence was,

Starting point is 00:57:07 you got my back, I got your back. We walk to the yard together. We go to the child together. People say something. I see how you react. There was no jumping in for me. I didn't get jumped in.

Starting point is 00:57:18 I didn't have to pay nothing. I didn't have to pay no dues, none of that. It was just like, yo, you got my back. I got yours. He made some phone calls, and they stamped me as his number two. So when he ended up getting transferred, he was like, yo, you got the throne now. It's all yours.

Starting point is 00:57:36 And then my name just, started ringing bells from like, yo, that's the head of the Latin Kings. That's the head of the Latin Kings. And it was sweet after that. They never found out you're a correctional officer? Not once. This interview here is going to let them know.

Starting point is 00:57:51 But wouldn't the corrupt guards just say, hey, yo, you know the guy you're fucking with as a cop? Nobody did that. Dude, that's crazy. Nobody. And I was fortunate. I'm not, because they were to kill me.

Starting point is 00:58:02 Let's not get it confused. Them boys in Georgia give it up. They give it up. I've seen some of the craziest stabbings. Oh, my God. I've seen some crazy shit in there. As an inmate. As an inmate and as an officer.

Starting point is 00:58:16 So tell us the craziest thing you've witnessed as an inmate then. The craziest thing I ever seen. As an inmate, I've seen a dude get his whole head split. Like, it looked like mush for a soup, a 39-cent soup. Dude owes somebody a soup, and he didn't give it to him. So back then, I was at Hayes. They had the mop bucket with the metal ringer. You know, where you pull the wringer off of the mop bucket.

Starting point is 00:58:46 And he's standing there. He's arguing with the dude. They're next to the door. The females in the booth looking at him. I'm sitting on the bench watching like, oh, shit, they're about to get it on. Arguing about the suit, dude picks the ringer off the bucket and just starts beating this dude in the head with it. I'm talking about by the time he got done, it just looked like he killed him.

Starting point is 00:59:06 He was dead, but it looked like mush, like bread. Like, I don't even know, I don't even know how to explain what brain looks like when it's just mushy on the floor. That was, that was crazy. I was like, oh, my God. Right there, I was like, there's no way I'm making it 15 years in here. Like, somebody's going to figure it out. Somebody's going to get me. But I just never got, I never got found out.

Starting point is 00:59:29 That's so interesting that you actually became a Latin king in prison. Because, you know, where I'm from, you know, like my brother's in. all them, they became a neighborhood set, you know, and they would always be like, oh, you part of the team, you know, you family, da-da-da-da, and I would always tell them, nah, I'm not, fuck that, I'm not a part of nothing, not me. And I always stood on that. I never wanted to join a gang. I never wanted to be a part of nobody's shit.

Starting point is 00:59:54 I always wanted to be me. But in that position in prison where I ain't got nobody, I'm in Georgia, I don't know nobody. Hell yeah, you want me to be a king? Let's go. I'll be that because I'm going to make it through this shit now. Now, did you look the way you look now, like with the tattoos? No. When I first went to prison, I probably had like eight tattoos.

Starting point is 01:00:16 You know what I'm saying? And then, you know, as time goes, you know, I'm like, yo, there's a raw tattoo guy. Yo, come in, let me ta-da-da-da. Next thing, you know, I literally got covered, like, from my neck all the way to my toes. What was that feeling like being on the other end of being an inmate's being stripped out for that first time? Oh, man. Bot and cough, all of that. Oh, man.

Starting point is 01:00:39 When I hear, well, you know, in the county jail, you go through it. But it's not bad because it's one-on-one. They take you in the bathroom, officer, strip. He really ain't paying attention. He don't want to look. So it was cool. When I got to reception, that's when there's 30 of us standing in the room in a circle. And they're like, strip.

Starting point is 01:00:57 And I'm just standing like, huh? They strip, strip down to your boxers. That's what I thought I heard him say. So I stripped to my box. I'm the only motherfucker standing there in my boxers. And the dude looks at me, one of the C-O's, he comes up to me. He's like, you don't speak English? I was like, yeah, I speak English.

Starting point is 01:01:15 He was like, take your fucking boxes off then, stupid. That just felt like, wow. So this is what it feels like. You know what I'm saying? As a man, like you being talked to and treated like that. That's when my whole thought process about being a correctional officer just changed. right there on that on that day i was like you know what i'm gonna give them everything they they they want for me you know what i'm saying like i went back to like i'm going back to the street with it like i'm

Starting point is 01:01:46 gonna treat them the way i treated the inmates that's how i'm gonna treat the officers now like we're gonna be on that level and that's what i did like i was like no no respect at all for them i was very fortunate for them never to put their hands on me though and then when i became the the the head of the kings at the time, they were so scared of me. The officers, they were so scared to me because I never moved with less than 10 people. There was two reasons, though. One, because I didn't want to get killed in there. And two, because I'm going to show you what I can do to you now. You know what I'm saying? Like, now I felt like now I got the power again. But in this world, I'm not on your team now. You know what I'm saying? And that's how I moved. I always moved

Starting point is 01:02:34 with a squad of people. We all had razors. I showed them how to use the razor in the mouth. How do you use the razor in the mouth? Well, you know, they give you the little big razor, the little single razor. You just pop it off and set it on the side of your cheek right here, outside of your teeth, and your tongue does the work.

Starting point is 01:02:53 You know, you could just grab it with your tongue, spit it out. It's easy. You do cut yourself sometimes. Like when you first start learning, when I started learning in New York, it was the double-edged razor. and you just put it in your mouth and your tongue just does the work for you. Like when you grab it, it just falls on your tongue

Starting point is 01:03:10 and you just like, you're about to spit and the razor comes out and you grab that motherfucker and go to work. What was the most interesting thing you learned as an inmate that you didn't know as an officer? There's some very intelligent-ass people in prison, man. I've seen dudes make a microwave out of aluminum foil. Like, you know, the fan, the little,

Starting point is 01:03:32 you buy the little white fan, They cut the back of the cord from the fan, connected to aluminum foil, plug it in, and it heats up the aluminum foil. That was crazy. The water bugs, where you get two pieces of metal, get a piece of plastic, set the two pieces of metal on it, tie it up, get your fan, cut the cord,

Starting point is 01:03:53 connect the wires to the metal, drop it in the water, plug it in, and it boils the water, you cook your food. They're so damn intelligent. I didn't know you could like it. you could catch a spark from a pencil and a razor. You know how you take the pencil, you connect the razor to it,

Starting point is 01:04:10 plugging into the wall, you grab the other piece of some wire with the other razor, and you tap it against the lead of the pencil and it creates a spark. That was crazy as hell. I didn't know you could do that. I'm like, yo, you guys are fucking intelligent as hell.

Starting point is 01:04:26 You know, now I'm in here. I'm seeing it. So I'm like, damn. Because, you know, they stopped cigarettes and all that in Georgia in like 2010. 10. So I'm like, how the fuck are y'all even smoking? And that's when I started like catching on and shit. So back to what I was saying with the first officer I caught, it was a female. And I didn't really come out the dorm. Like my name was already known in the gangland. So nobody

Starting point is 01:04:52 bothered me. I was all to myself. So I come out the dorm one day because my man's just like, yo, come to the shower. Because once a month, they give you baked chicken in Georgia, just once a month. the whole quarter leg. So they're like, yo, come to the child, come to the child, get your chicken and bring it back. We're going to make a big meal. So I'm like, all right, fuck it, I'll go. I didn't go to the child hall. I ate out my box.

Starting point is 01:05:17 Reason being, like I said, I never wanted to be in a position where somebody would recognize me and I end up getting wet up. You know what I'm saying? So I'm like, no, I'm not a child hall person. You know, my mother used to send me money. You know, my brothers, my family took good care of me for the first couple years. of me being locked up. So I always ate out my box.

Starting point is 01:05:37 It was always soups and chips and sausages all that. Anyways, they're like, yo, come to the chihuah. So I'm like, all right, go to the chihuah. I get my chicken. But when I come out the dorm, this little female, she's standing there, she looks at me and she's like, oh, hell no. And I'm like, they never heard me talk or nothing

Starting point is 01:05:57 because I didn't talk to them or none of that. I was like, what happened? She was like, oh shit, say that again? Now we're in middle of Georgia in the country I'm like what happened She's like oh you're not from down here are you I was like now I'm from New York She was like I ain't never seen you come out the dorm

Starting point is 01:06:12 What's going on? I was like now I'm about to go get this chicken You know trying to like just have a general conversation Because now I know Since you're so interested in me Set aside from everybody else Now I know you see something that you might like So I'm gonna use that

Starting point is 01:06:28 And I was just I started talking to her And I'm like y'all be back let me go get this chicken. So I go get the chicken. I come back. She's like, why the hell are you going up there getting that shit? So I'm like, why are you going to bring me something to eat? She was like, what you want?

Starting point is 01:06:41 I was like, for real? She was like, yeah, what you want? I was like, yo, bring me a double cheeseburger. I don't care where it's from. Just bring me a double cheeseburger. But what she don't know that I know is once you bring me anything that you're not supposed to give me, that is state issued, I got you now. You belong to me.

Starting point is 01:07:00 and I'm going to eventually tell you this but not right now because I want you to keep bringing me shit so she brought me a whole meal from Burger King I think and she hit the button of the door you know she clicked the door she was like tell Rodriguez come here I come out there I'm like what's up she was like yo go to the thing like the little flap for the booth the little box that they slide shit out I go to it I open it up and I got Burger King so I just look at it I don't say nothing I just like all right walk off going to the

Starting point is 01:07:28 dorm eat my Burger King So that day before her shift change, she comes in to count and then she stops in my little area because we were in a dorm where it was like a bunch of bunk beds. It wasn't a cell house. And I always would have my shit curtained off. Like I would put the sheets up and shit. So she comes in. She walks like I had the little line from bed to bed to put the sheets.

Starting point is 01:07:51 She comes up under the line. I'm like, yo, what you doing? She was like, I know you got a phone. I was like, come on, man. Get out of there. I ain't got no phone. She was like, let me get your number. I was like, I ain't got no phone.

Starting point is 01:08:02 I don't know really yet what was going to happen. So I'm like, I ain't got no phone. She was like, man, I know you got a phone. Give me, give me your number. I'm going to hit you up when I get home. I was like, you for real? She was like, yeah. So I gave her my number.

Starting point is 01:08:16 Just like that. Later on, she was like, I'm going to hit you from a block call, so answer it. But at the same time, I'm like, damn, what if she got my number to go to the people? and they call me. So when she ended up calling, I didn't answer at first. I was telling my man, I was real tight with one of the top blood dudes in there.

Starting point is 01:08:40 Dude was over to Sex Money Murder Bloods, Georgia. He was one of the top dogs. And me and him got real close. So I'm sitting there telling him like, yo, twin, yo, I think that's her calling. He was like, man, be careful, bro. Because what if it's them boys that you know they're going to come running in here?

Starting point is 01:08:57 They're going to get all our shit. I'm like, damn. But she kept calling. I said, fuck it, I'm going to answer it. But if they come in, they come in. We just lose the phone. I answer it as her. We start talking.

Starting point is 01:09:08 We chopping it up. At first, you know, I'm hitting her with the thought of us actually dating and being together, you know, telling her everything a prison dude is going to tell a female. But then eventually, I'm like, yo, you know, we can make a lot of money in here. And she was like, what you mean? I was like, yo, check. I was like, I could buy a can a loose tobacco from Walmart for $30. I made nine packs of cigarettes out of that one can. I sell the cigarettes for $200 a pack in here.

Starting point is 01:09:41 So I'm like, do the math. Off of $30, I'm selling a can nine packs for $200 a pack. From $30 to $1,800. I'm like, you don't even make that in your check. And she looked at me. She was like, how do you know how much I make? Obviously, I didn't tell it, but I'm like, man, I know how much you make. You don't think we know how much I make it?

Starting point is 01:10:02 You probably bring home every two weeks, 15, maybe. Your rank ain't giving you money. You're not on the squad. You're not doing nothing. You're just a regular officer. I can make $1,800 in one day. And the more you bring me, the more I can make, we'll split it down the middle. I was like, it's tax-free.

Starting point is 01:10:23 You're going to get paid. I know your baby dad. You know, I just bring your shit up. I know your baby daddy don't take care. you because why would you be working here if you took care you? You know what I'm saying? So I just hit her with it. Next thing you know, she was like, well, how do I do it? I was like, yo, I'm going to have somebody bring it to you already wrapped up, you know, vacuum seal it, black tape it. All you got to do is put it on your stomach when you put your vest on, it'll be there and you're just walking the gate.

Starting point is 01:10:51 That's it. They're not going to think nothing. She was like, you sure? I'm like, yeah, just try it. Just try one can. Because one can comes in. It's literally this big. So I'm like, that ain't shit. She brought me the can. And right there in my head, I'm like, I got you now. You belong to me now. So every time I want something, you're going to bring it to me. And at first, she was like, oh, my God, I was so scared. I was so nervous. But I liked the rush. And that was it. I can't believe that you flipped a correctional officer. Easy. Easy. I used to, every prison I went to after Augusta, I flipped officers.

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Starting point is 01:12:50 Our best lineup is here at Lowe's. VALU-F.27. While supplies last, selection varies by location. See associate at Lowe's.com for detail. I flipped nurses. I had a nurse. I flipped a nurse without even knowing I was flipping her. Did you ever sleep with the officers? Yeah.

Starting point is 01:13:06 Yeah, we used to go to the barbershop. I used to literally, I'd be sitting in a barbers chair and just drop my pants to my knees right here. Just in case, you know, somebody come, I could just snatch them up. So I would just pull my pants down to here. And I'd be like, yo, just hop on and just ride out. Once I get my shots or whatever, we're out.

Starting point is 01:13:24 So, yeah, hell, yeah. I had one so deep. We made a lot of money, though. She was bringing me phones. She was bringing me cigarettes. She was bringing me Jordan sneakers. I'm like, how the fuck are you getting these sneakers in here? But she was on the tax squad.

Starting point is 01:13:38 So she had a little bit more leeway. Literally, a pair of Jordans, Jordan slippers, had polo draws, polo socks. I was, man. I don't have the Facebook no more because when I was locked up, the warden actually found my Facebook. So he reported it and they shut it down. But if I would have show you the pictures, like I got pictures in my phone and me being in prison, me being in population, standing with a bunch of guys that are, you know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 01:14:05 And I keep them just because, just to show people like, yo, I was there. I was in population. That's not protective custody. Yeah, I ran that shit. You know what I'm saying? Just to, and I mean, since I started talking about my story, that's the reason I keep them. So you can't come and be like, oh, you wasn't that. You wasn't this.

Starting point is 01:14:26 You lying. you bullshit. Nah, look, that shit right there show you. I was in prison. I was there. I'm throwing up the crowns. I got dudes kneeling beneath me holding up the yellow and gold flag with the crown on it. Like, yeah, I got them pictures.

Starting point is 01:14:43 That's proof. You know what I'm saying? I got people. How easy is it for a correctional officer to get a phone in to prison? When I started doing it, this is how I did it. Now, I don't think they could do it no more. like this, but this is how I did it. So I'm talking to the girl,

Starting point is 01:15:01 to the tax squad girl that I bagged. And I'm like, yo, listen, I know when you come in the gate, they don't make you put your drink through the machine. When you come through the metal detectors, you put your bag through the machine, and then you put your drink on the side. You walk through, then you grab your drink,

Starting point is 01:15:20 but you don't come through the metal detector, you know what I'm saying? It's like you walk through, you grab a drink and keep walking. I'm like, I know they don't make you put your drink in there. So this is what I want you to do. Go to 7-Eleven, get you the big gold cups. And I was like, I'm going to buy the little, at the time, it was the $30 Walmart phones. The little touchscreen joints, like the 3G ones when they first came out, they were like $30 at Walmart. So I'm like, I'm going to buy like three or four phones.

Starting point is 01:15:47 Wrap them up, put them in your cup and put ice on top of them because they're going to be wrapped. And I was like, and just come in and put your drink and walk through. She was like, you think it'll work? I said, I promise you it's going to work. They don't make your cups go through the metal detector or the little monitor where they look to see what's in your bag. They don't do that. At that time, they weren't. So I'm like, just put it there and bring it in.

Starting point is 01:16:10 Next day, she comes in. She goes to the booth. In the back of the Central Station is the barbershop and then it's the spot where we get ice for the dorms. She clicks the door. I come out. She's like, yo, go get ice. I go to the ice machine, open it up, phones sitting right there. I had like four or five phones in a stack sitting in the ice.

Starting point is 01:16:33 I grabbed them, walked in the dorm. Boom, connected them through Verizon, the prepaid joint, $30 a month, and I would sell the phones. I'm buying the phones for $30 a pop. I'm selling them for $400. That's it. $400. Yeah, at that time. We were buying phones for like $1,500, $2,000.

Starting point is 01:16:49 Eventually it got to that. But this when I first started, this was in like $2,000, when the phones in Georgia first started getting into the system. This was probably like 2000 and, I want to say like 12. Like that's when we had the flip phones coming in. And then when the touchscreens came out, that's when I was getting a little.

Starting point is 01:17:09 But I was selling for like 400 or 500 a pop. And to me, I'm like, shit, I'm living. I'm buying a $30 phone and selling it. But eventually it got to 1500,000. You know what I'm saying? Like when the real touch screens, iPhones, I'm selling an iPhone for like three. bands because it's an iPhone.

Starting point is 01:17:28 You know what I'm saying? But the little cheap jump-offs at that time, the 3G, touchscreens, then it went 4G, they were going for like 500 a pop. Now, when one of these officers brings you in all this contraband, where do you store it personally? So what we did, I always got cool with maintenance. All right?

Starting point is 01:17:46 At one point, like, there was times we would like, you know, the blocks in the wall, the cinder blocks, we would dig them out, pull them out, stuff the phones in the cinder block, push them back in the wall, and then get like toothpaste and toilet paper, make it look like cement,

Starting point is 01:18:06 and then put it around the thing. So it looked like the wall is the wall. And that's where we were stashing in the walls. Or there was like an AC vent at a time, at one prison I was at that sat right above my bed. So I had an inmate, I had one of the maintenance dudes take the come bring me a tool that he made that'll take the screws off of the vent so I could

Starting point is 01:18:30 pull the vent out and then put all my shit in there so I did that then it was another time I had a maintenance guy he made me a like a little because you know they'd be using the star screws it's not like a regular screw you need like that star joint so I had to make me a tool in maintenance that could take those off and I would take the back of the toilets off because it was like three toilets right next to each other and on top of it was a metal like casing that you could pull off just in case something happens to the toilets. So I would get the tool, take it off, put all my shit in the net bag, tie it to a pipe, drop it down in the wall, put the thing back on, tighten it back and just hide the, hide the tool. So all these cell phones in there are not one person goes to search you

Starting point is 01:19:16 and to find out you're a guard? No. That's crazy. Never happened. Because you've got to be all over the news for your case, right? I don't know if I was all over the news. You've got to remember, this is a little country-ass town. What year did it happen? 2000, the actual accident happened in 2006. I didn't go to prison until 2009. So they weren't really publishing much of that.

Starting point is 01:19:37 Exactly. As much as they do now. If it was today's age, you'd be on World Star. I'd be everywhere. Exactly. And that's why I laughed because I'm like, damn. Because at first I really didn't want to tell my story. I'm not going to lie.

Starting point is 01:19:49 I was like, you know what? I'm not about to do that, man. It's a lot of people who's going to see this and be like, damn, how the hell to eat? You know what I mean? But at the end of the day, I'm like, you know what? It is what it is. I feel like my story needs to be told.

Starting point is 01:20:05 How did your mom react to going to prison this whole situation? Oh, man. She was, my mother was mad. Because, you know, we're from New York. So once they convicted me, my mother, you know, my mother's an old Italian lady. And she was just like, she's racist and shit. sometimes.

Starting point is 01:20:22 Because she was like, oh, them white motherfuckers down there. They're all racist. They just looked at you because it is your last name. You know, she was upset. But, yeah, I was just like, mine is what it is, man. She was cool with it, though. She held me down. My mother held me down.

Starting point is 01:20:38 What about your child? You had a baby? Yeah, I got two kids, actually. But one before prison or both before prison? Both before prison. I don't have none after. My kids are grown. Like, my son's 28.

Starting point is 01:20:49 My daughter's 22. They weren't growing when you went in, though, for that long. No, they were kids. They were kids. And, like, my son, I remember one year, I had, my son lives in, he lives in Jersey. So I flew my son to my mother's house for Christmas. He was like, I think at the time, 10 or 11 years old, I'm in prison. So when I fly him up there, I call my mother.

Starting point is 01:21:10 At the time, I'm making money now. I'm sending people money from prison. Like, my brother, if you could talk to my brother, he'll tell you, like, yo, he cleared at least $250,000 through my cash app. Easy. Cash up existed back then? Yeah. This was, no, this was in like 2000 and, I want to say,

Starting point is 01:21:32 2018 or 19. Oh, okay. Yeah, it was like 2018 or 19. Because it was like my last couple years in prison. I finally made it to a minimum medium. I went to six maximum securities. Finally made it to minimum medium, and I caught a nurse at that pace.

Starting point is 01:21:49 Didn't even expect to catch her, but I called her. Yeah, tell us this nurse story. So, mind you, my name was big at the time. You know what I'm saying? They called me Almighty. That was my name. So I'm finally going to this minimum medium. And I don't know what's going on.

Starting point is 01:22:09 I get to the minimum medium and I had a migraine. I used to get real bad migraines. I think it was because of my blood pressure at the time. I was 278 pounds solid. And I had a real bad migraine. So when I get to the prison, they always single transfer me. They never transfer me with nobody. They always transfer me by myself because of the gang status.

Starting point is 01:22:32 Like I made the top 200 list of the governor's worst inmates in Georgia. Yeah, it's crazy. You know, so they was real scared of me moving. You know what I mean? So anyways, they moved me to the minimum medium finally. I got three years left in prison. Well, I had like five years left, but they finally decided. to move me. So we get to the minimum

Starting point is 01:22:52 meeting. When I get there, I got a real bad migraine. I'm white. I'm sweating. I don't got my medication. So when we get there, we go to the hospital floor. And she's like, I can't give you nothing right now. We got to wait to find out what you take, blah, blah, blah. So she hooks me up to this machine that checks your heart rate. And I guess I had a regular heartbeat.

Starting point is 01:23:13 So she decides to send me to an outside hospital. First time ever, I went to an outside hospital. And I loved it. I ain't going to lie. They fed me good as hell. But so I get to the outside hospital. I come back, you know, you got to go to your, like, you come back to medical so they could do whatever, like check on you, make sure you're good or whatever. So I go back to medical and she's standing there and she's looking at me.

Starting point is 01:23:35 It's the white girl. She's looking at me. I see her looking. So I'm like, yo, you are all right? She was like, I can't believe that you are you. I'm like, what do you mean? And I swear I took a screenshot of the Texas what she told me. me at the time because I had I had to do it so I could take the screenshot and show people like yeah

Starting point is 01:23:55 look but anyways she was like when you got transferred here everybody here was scared she was like the warden was scared the deputy wardens were scared the serp team was scared the captains they all were talking about this guy almighty's coming here he's coming here we got to watch this we got to be careful with this she was like everybody was on edge this is the story she was telling me and I'm sitting there looking at her like why and she was like I ain't gonna lie to you when they told me it was a Mexican dude she was like I expected some little ass guy to come walking in that everybody scared up for no fucking reason and then she's like then I see you this big as Mexican dude with all these tattoos and you just looked at you looked at your weakest

Starting point is 01:24:40 and she was like I didn't understand why they were so scared and I guess that attracted her to me So at first, like I wasn't trying to catch her because I'm like, I finally made it to minimum medium. I just want to coast the rest of my time at this minimum medium and go home. Like I made it. And when I got there, I didn't tell nobody who I was, you know, but we got phones. I found out, you know, a couple days later, they already knew who I was. The inmates. Like, I didn't tell when they were coming up to me, oh, what's good?

Starting point is 01:25:09 You know, I'm like, yeah, I'm Rob. I didn't tell them, you know, I'm Almighty. I'm like, yo, I'm Rob. They're all, okay, what's up, Rob? you know, you're affiliate. I'm like, no, no, no, I don't got nothing to do with nobody. You know what I'm saying? Because I'm at the minimum medium.

Starting point is 01:25:20 I'm like, I don't want no problems. So I would have to go to medical because I found out I had high blood pressure. So every time I would go up there so they could check me, eventually I see her and I could tell. And I'm like, damn, I don't want to do it. But I do. You know, so I'm like, take a little piece of paper, write my number down. Go up to her and she's talking. I was like, yo, so how did you feel about that when you've seen me?

Starting point is 01:25:45 finding it. She was like, I was just like, oh my God, da-da-da. I was like, yeah. And I just put, like, the little nurse jacket. I slid my, the paper in her shirt. I see, hell, call me when you get a chance. And I walk away. I got leave. She ends up calling me. And the same shit, like, it was just in me by that time. I just started talking to her. And I'm like, yo, you know how much money we can make here? You got a little debt going on and something. What's going on with you? And she just started telling me, like, I got kids. I take care of my kids by myself. That-da-da-da-da-da-da. So I broke it down. So I broke it down. to her. It's like prison break.

Starting point is 01:26:17 Exactly. He's getting Michael Schofield's getting with the nurse. Exactly. Yo, it was, it was, it was so easy, man. Did you ever think about escaping prison with your connects? No. No. Even with that much time hanging over you?

Starting point is 01:26:29 No. I turned myself in. Like, the day I got my sentence that I accepted my time, I asked for a week to get my, you know, my affairs in order. The judge granted it to me, but then the family was like, no, that's messed up. We've been waiting all this time. blah, blah, blah, he's finally convicted. We just want him in jail.

Starting point is 01:26:47 So then he was like, all right, I'll give you one day. So I left the courtroom and went to a hotel, got some Burger King, and I just sat in a hotel, ate, till the next day I went, turned myself in. Did any correctional officers ever notice you over there? Oh, hell yeah. They remembered you. Hell yeah. Wardens too.

Starting point is 01:27:04 How is it possible? They didn't tell the invades. I don't get it. In any, the fed they would have been told everyone. I never understood that because I just knew. You got lucky. The first prison I hit was Making State Prison in Georgia. I walk in.

Starting point is 01:27:16 There's a warden there named Warden Head. He walks in, and I used to be on the tax squad, so I used to go to these prisons and shake him down. He walks in the dorm. They put me in PC and making. They did. So he walks in the dorm and he's doing inspection and he's looking in the windows and then he looks and he comes back and he looks and he looks at the dude and he's like open his cell.

Starting point is 01:27:41 So they open my cell and he walks in. He's like, Rodriguez, what the fuck are you doing here? And I'm like, what do you mean? This is where they sent me. He was like, oh, my God, you're not supposed to be here. I'm like, where am I supposed to be? He was like, they will kill you if they find you out that you're here. He was like half the guys because they shut down Georgia State Prison.

Starting point is 01:28:04 He's like, half the guys from GSP are here now. And I'm like, no. So he was like, I'm not letting you out. Like, you're not coming out of lockdown. So I was like, fuck. He was like, I'm going to transfer you. I was like, all right. He was like, they have a prison for you.

Starting point is 01:28:19 I don't know why they sent you here. So I'm like, shit, all right, whatever. Sit there. Two weeks go by. One guy recognized me. One guy, this is the only time I ever got recognized. But he didn't blow it up. It was a guy that was an inmate at Georgia State Prison when I was a sergeant.

Starting point is 01:28:37 I used to come and get him to, because he was on lockdown. I used to come get him, bring him to get his, insulin. He's the only one. I was out on the yard. In lockdown, they got the little dog cage. I call him dog cages. They put you in the cage. So I'm just in the cage pacing back and forth. His name was Rico. I'll say his name because he was cool as shit. I'm not going to like, big ass dude. He just looks at me. He's like, Sarge. And I looked at him. I was like, oh, shit. He was like, damn, I knew that was you, Sarge. He started telling the guys. you know, that's all.

Starting point is 01:29:09 He used to be a sergeant at Georgia State Prison. Hey, cool as hell. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Nothing ever happened from it, though. And that was the only time. Every time after that, it was like, yo, we were locked up at this prison before, right? And I ran with that.

Starting point is 01:29:23 Like, hell yeah. Oh, you know, and I could name all the officers. They were all under me. I can name the dorms, the units, everything. So I'm like, yeah, Officer Sucson and said, yeah, she used to come through all the time. They ate that shit up. They ate it up.

Starting point is 01:29:35 And you never encountered any inmates that you beat up before while you're I did but they didn't recognize me you look that different I don't think I did I guess maybe because you're out of uniform someone out of uniform does in your defense look a lot different I I guess that's what it was because I literally one day I'm at Haystay prison and I'm already a king now I'm already I was number two already but I'm standing we used to go to the yard and work out on the yard me and me and my man I'll just call him boogie I don't want to put his name out there but me and boogie used to go to the yard and we used to work out. So one day we coming off the yard and you know you got to,

Starting point is 01:30:11 like they had gates in between the buildings and you had to stop, wait for the officer to open the gate and walk through. So we coming off the yard, me and him, and we walking towards the dorm and we stopped in front of C building. And this dude comes out. And it was a dude that I put the beads on. Like this kid, this is the one I felt so bad. I really did.

Starting point is 01:30:35 I was a correction officer. I felt so bad. because I beat the shit out this dude real bad and um like I beat that shit like I beat him so bad his face was so swollen that he was crying and there was puddles of tears just sitting on his cheeks they wouldn't roll down that's how swollen his face was and at the time I was so in in a zone that I didn't even think to like look I was just beating him when I finally handcuffed them and took him to medical because you know you had a get him checked out.

Starting point is 01:31:08 As I'm walking with him, I'm still, I'm so mad because he threw an orange at me. While I'm running showers, he got mad because I didn't grab him first. So he threw an orange at me. And then he was like, every time you come by myself, I'm going to throw something at your ass. So I'm like, oh, you're doing it like that. I said, well, you don't know me. Now you're about to find out.

Starting point is 01:31:24 And it went to that. Took him to the barbershop and I beat the shit out of him. So I get him to the hospital floor. And again, I'm so in the zone that I'm not paying attention to his face. I'm just like, fuck this motherfucker, man. take him to the hospital floor. As soon as we walk in, the nurse is like, oh, my God. And that's when I, like, I guess I looked up at him.

Starting point is 01:31:43 And I was like, oh, shit. Like, his whole shit was just swollen, clothes. His eyes was like this. I seen the tears just sitting on his cheeks. I was like, damn. So she was like, sorry, what the fuck happened? I was like, this is the story I told him. I said, I was going for haircuts.

Starting point is 01:32:03 I'm giving him a haircut. And while he's sitting. in the chair, he started bucking. But, you know, in the lockdown units, you got to stay handcuffed even when you're getting your hair cut. So I'm like, he started bucking. So I had to put hands on him. When I grabbed him, he slipped out my hands.

Starting point is 01:32:18 And the barbers chair we had had the metal foot rail thing on the bottom. And I was like, his face just smacked right into the metal. That's probably why his shit swore up like that. And they ate that shit up. They was like, I, there was nothing broke on them, though. But when I finally looked at him, I was like, damn. When I was walking him back, I was like, yo, I'm sorry, bro. He was like, he's sorry, sorry, just so I said, no, I'm sorry, bro, for real.

Starting point is 01:32:42 Like, I was like, I definitely will understand if you throw something at me again, bro. Because the way I just did you was fucked up. Like, he didn't have handcuffs on, though. The handcuffs was off. He just, as soon as I popped him off, I just rocked him with the handcuffs in my hand. So when I hit him with the cuffs, it was over with. He just couldn't do nothing, but he, like, leaned back and I just kept rocking him. So, but yeah, I felt, that was one I felt so bad for that kid.

Starting point is 01:33:07 I was like, damn, man. But yeah, that, that was crazy as hell, man. Do you think prison was a humbling experience for you? Oh, hell, yeah. Yeah, it really changed me a lot. It didn't. Because, you know, like I told you, I was on the governor's top 200 list of the worst inmates. And I only made that not because of violence.

Starting point is 01:33:27 I had one write-up my whole time in prison. And it was because a girl caught me on the phone. that was my only write-up but every time something happened they would lock me down you know what I'm saying what I did was I created a powerhouse I like you I don't know if you know but like the East Coast Bloods they banged a five-point star right the Latin Kings got the five points of the crown the vice lords banged the five points so I'm like okay I got vice lords I got bloods I got kings. We all banged a five.

Starting point is 01:34:05 So why don't we all come together and just create a powerhouse against every other app, you know? And we could be a force, but don't take it the way, you know, you want to take it. You know what I'm saying? Because some people get that kind of power and they abuse it. And they end up, you know, taking advantage of people and all that. That wasn't why I did it. You know what I'm saying? I did it because I wanted people to know.

Starting point is 01:34:30 better. I wanted them to know different than what they usually know. You know what I'm saying? And that's what I did. I got all of them together and just created a whole squad, a whole team. You know what I'm saying? And I hung with, I hung with, mostly I hung with bloods. Like when I was locked up, it was all bloods, like sex money murder bloods. It was, um, what they call them dudes. You had S double M, you had Brims in there. You had bounty hunters in there. you had G-shine. I was cool with a bunch of G-shine bloods. But that was my squad.

Starting point is 01:35:07 Like, I created that, and it was just, it was unstoppable. And the bloods and the kings get along, no problems? Yeah, in Georgia. Now, I heard in New York, they kind of, like, linked up too because of the five. I don't know how true it is because I did my time in Georgia. But in Georgia, in Georgia, everybody's pretty cool with each other. It's not like other prisons. That's what I be trying to tell people, like,

Starting point is 01:35:28 I'd be hearing people talk about their stories about, oh, we got this phone, we got this TV, we got this. That was not my experience. Like, everybody got together until somebody did some dumb shit. You know, you always got one out of every crew who does some stupid shit. 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.

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Starting point is 01:36:58 Seeful terms at MintMobile.com. it and creates a problem. And because that's part of your team, you got to go for that. You know what I mean? And say, that goes back to that question you asked me before off camera

Starting point is 01:37:09 about do you believe every story that comes on the show and everyone can genuinely have a different prison experience. It goes by different state, by different prison, by everything. Definitely. It's so different.

Starting point is 01:37:19 It is. And that's what I was talking to a guy from New York and he was telling me about, yeah, they do that. You go to Rikers, this phone is these, these people, blah, blah. I'm like, yo,

Starting point is 01:37:30 It's not like that in Georgia. For one, everybody got phones, so they don't even worry about the wall phone no more. But the TV, where I was at, the TV was like majority. You know what I'm saying? Like, oh, we all want to watch this. Okay, we had two TVs in the dorm. We all want to watch this. All right, one TV was guaranteed sports all day long.

Starting point is 01:37:48 That's all we watch. But then dudes will come together. You know, we want to watch this. All right, fuck it. That's what we're watching. It was more chill. You know what I'm saying? Where I was at.

Starting point is 01:37:57 Every dorm I've been to, every prison I've been to, I can name more it was way different you know and then at at one point in time it came to where we started what they called i can't remember the exact name for each one but it was called the thing called unam united something under the machine that's what it was called unam and it was like basically we're all the heads of each crew of each gang would get together and talk about how we all can live in this in this situation you know what i'm saying we we created that because it was like us against the machine the the ceos you know what i'm saying so everybody had a mutual respect i don't know how it is now i'll be watching some some videos now and i'm like oh they're going crazy in there now but when i was

Starting point is 01:38:47 in there and i was a part of that that's what it was it was never beef like it was always yo if your man does something you got to take care of them if you don't take care of them then we're going to take care of them but you police your own. You know what I'm saying? And that's what we created. And it was peace. Like I had a few standoffs. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 01:39:06 I got in a big gang war on the yard, you know, got into some knife fights on the yard when that big gang war popped off. But it was always more of a respecting. It was never like, you know, naturally, you know, you always find somebody who does some dumb shit. And then it's like something might pop off right then and there. You know what I'm saying? But then a lot of times I was more political with mine.

Starting point is 01:39:31 You know what I'm saying? I taught my guys, yo, make sure your uniform is good. Make sure your shit is pressed. Make sure your bed is made. Make sure your cell or your area is clean. Because the less things that you give them to fuck what you about, your time's going to be easy. They come in and your bed's fucked up.

Starting point is 01:39:50 That's a reason for them to fuck with you. Your locker ain't straight. That's a reason for them to fuck with you. Your uniform look like shit. that's a reason for them to say something to you. You got your pants hanging off your ass, that's the reason for them to say something to you. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 01:40:03 So I ran it different, man. And them dudes, man, when I tell you, them dudes ate it up, they ate it up. They ate it up, man. It was one time I had a situation with this dude. He was a blood. But he did some dumb shit. So instead of staying blood, he went to the Muslims.

Starting point is 01:40:21 Because, you know, the Muslims in, I guess in the Quran, you can't deny, nobody from becoming a Muslim. If they want to become a Muslim, you know, you'd let them become a Muslim. You can't deny him. So they would take a lot of ex-gang members. You know what I'm saying? So they get this one guy, he was a blood.

Starting point is 01:40:40 He became Muslim. He did some dumb shit to the Muslim, so he tried to come back to the blood section. So the Muslims wanted him. But because he was blood, I was like, y'all not doing nothing to him. Like, I'll handle it. I'll take care of it. Whatever he did, let me know. I'll take care of it.

Starting point is 01:40:56 So just to show you the power I had over the bloods, not even just over the kings, I get like five blood dudes. I got a picture of all of them in my phone. We're all together in the prison, throwing up signs and shit. But anyways, I get five of them. I bring them to the yard in front of this kid

Starting point is 01:41:15 because he felt like he could do what he want. He felt like he didn't have to listen to authority. But, you know, in gangland, you got somebody over you at all times. You know what I'm saying? So I bring him to the yard and they're all bloods. He knows I'm not a blood. He knows I was a king, but I show him the power I have.

Starting point is 01:41:31 And I'm like, yo, you go stand in that corner. You go stand in that corner. You know, I sent them to each sections of the yard. And then I looked at him. And I was like, you see that? You know why they do that? He just looked at me. He was like, no, big bro, why?

Starting point is 01:41:45 I said, out of respect. If you don't got respect for yourself and what you're doing in here, nobody's going to respect you. And that's why you keep creating these damn problems that you have. Now I gotta put my face on you So the Muslims don't kill you Because you don't want to listen But look at your boys, look at your homies

Starting point is 01:42:05 They're not even they're not under me I'm not their big homie But look at them It's out of respect You know what I'm saying And that's what I used to try to instill in all of them Get money, look good Don't we ain't got to fight all the time

Starting point is 01:42:19 It's times for that I know And we'll do it when it's times But I just looked at it different because like you said it you know that shit humbled me that shit humbled me like crazy man i'm totally a different person than what i was on the street what i was as a correctional officer you know what i'm saying like my family and everybody they're like yo you're so different now what do you think's the biggest change the biggest change is like i think now when i was younger i didn't think when i was a correction officer i didn't think i didn't care it was always go go go go you know what i'm saying

Starting point is 01:42:51 And I think because of being in prison, I spent out of my, out of the 12 years I did in prison, I probably spent eight of them in lockdown. You know what I'm saying? 23 and 1. The only difference is my 23 and 1 wasn't like everybody else is 23 and 1.

Starting point is 01:43:07 You were living good. I was living great. I was living great. I would, I would, I would, the officers ain't shit. Let's be clear. Georgia officers ain't shit. None of them.

Starting point is 01:43:18 I would have dudes. Like if I had a problem with somebody, You know that behind the door gangster shit. When we go to the yard or to the shower, I'll tell the officer, yo, put me in his cell. He'd be like, what? Yeah, put me in his cell. I ain't going to kill him, but we're going to get some act right. We're going to get some straightening because he liked to be behind the door talking all that shit.

Starting point is 01:43:37 The officers would literally take me out myself, put me in his cell, knowing he's in the shower. He don't know him in his cell. And he comes from the shower and the door opens and here I am standing there. You know, you're in handcuffs, but I'll wait. You like, yo, take the handcuffs off of him. And it was rare that I actually had to fight, though. It was, they would just be so shocked and scared. Like, holy shit.

Starting point is 01:43:57 How the fuck did you get in myself? And the officer right there looking like, yo, take the handcuffs off. All right, close the door. Now it was just me and you. You can't talk behind that door now. And I wouldn't, it wouldn't, like I said, I grew in prison. I started learning like, you can't always be that go, go person. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 01:44:15 To me, I thought it, I ended up being more political. You know what I'm saying? So I would do that. And I would sit them on their bed and be like, now let's talk. I'm in your face now. Let's have this conversation different. We're not under the door. You know, you can't scream all that bullshit under the door.

Starting point is 01:44:29 Now I'm right here. So what do you got to say? You know, and it always ended up, you know, my bad. I'm just upset. You know, whatever, whatever. You know what I'm saying? Because a lot of people didn't happen like me. They didn't.

Starting point is 01:44:40 When I go to the shower, like, you know, when they come in to run showers, they're like, yo, you either go to the yard or you go to the shower. You got an hour on the yard or hour in the shower. What you want? Me? They'll come to me. Yo, Mighty, we're going to put you on the yard first. You stay out there as long as you want.

Starting point is 01:44:56 When you come in, then we'll put you in the shower. This is how they treated me. And I swear to you, if I could call the dudes in prison that was with me, they would be like, yo, big bro is not lying. That's how he had it. They might not be answering after this interview. Yeah, I mean, I think, you know what, though? I think they loved me.

Starting point is 01:45:17 I really do. I really felt like a lot of them guys just genuinely had love. for me. So even if they were to find out, I don't think they would be mad. Because I was doing the same shit they was doing anyway. You know what I'm saying? They might be like, damn, I can't believe this motherfucker was a correctional officer. We was chilling with him. We was, you know what I mean? But I always looked out for a lot of people, though. You know, like I said, I would, I would teach them how to keep people away from them, like the officers, keep them from fucking with them. And every person, like, when you come in, if you was under the five, they would bring you to

Starting point is 01:45:50 me and be like, yo, Mighty, this is such and such. Whoop, he's with this person, that person, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I'd be like, all right, look, here's a phone. You got to pay for it. But here it is right now. Now, go make some money. Use that phone to pay for that phone. You smoke.

Starting point is 01:46:06 Here's a pack of cigarettes. You know what I'm saying? You want to make money? Can you hustle? I'm going to see if you can hustle. Here's a bomb of cigarettes. It's yours. But if you come back here asking me for something to eat,

Starting point is 01:46:18 then I know you're not a hustler because nobody ever gave me anything in prison you know I talked my way into getting shit you know but that's what I would do for them guys anybody anybody who came around me if you was a part of my team I would look out for you even some of the crypt dudes that would come up to me

Starting point is 01:46:37 yo mighty I'm fucked up man help me out all right yo here boom here's something you know what I mean so I had mad respect in there I had mad love in there so you get out of prison after 12 years you had lost your career career and lost 12 years of your life. Where does someone even go at that point?

Starting point is 01:46:53 So I have a homeboy that owns a restaurant in Buffalo, New York. So when I get out, you know, my resume is beautiful, you know, military, correctional officer, you know, did security jobs my whole life type shit. So I'm like, my resume is good. How do I hide the fact that I was in prison to get a job? because, you know, they asked you what you did in how many years. So I'm like, damn, one thing a counselor in prison told me, they say, yo, when you go to fill out your application, the jobs that you held in prison, put them on the application.

Starting point is 01:47:30 But don't put Augusta State prison. Put ASP. You know what I'm saying? Break it down to just the letters of the prison. They're not going to look it up nine times out of ten. You know, you could put supervisors on there, put your supervisors. You had on it. So I thought of it like that.

Starting point is 01:47:49 And I was like, damn. So my first job getting out, I was home a month. And I started working at UPS, sorting packages. They hire anybody there. They don't get a fuck. As long as they got a body, they don't care of you a convicted felon, nothing. So these guys that come home, I can't get a job. My life is all fucked up.

Starting point is 01:48:05 Nobody wants to hire bullshit. Go to UPS. There's a lot of jobs you get hired as a felon, especially in today's world. Exactly. Because I got hired at UPS, started doing that. Then I started working at Dunkin' Donuts because I was just, I was working two jobs. I wanted all the money I can get, you know. Then I quit UPS.

Starting point is 01:48:23 My home boy owns a restaurant. And my brother worked there. My brother been working there for like 20 years. So my brother was like, yo, come in. Like I'll train you. You cook, whatever. Got in there, learned how to cook the way they cook and just blew up. Like, my boy calls me to this day.

Starting point is 01:48:39 And he's like, man, please come back. But I'm like, no, I love Florida. I don't like New York. I love Florida. So I just, I'm like, nah. But it was easy. It was easy getting back into the work. My biggest, my biggest problem when I came home and I still have it to this day,

Starting point is 01:48:56 my, I got PTSD. I'm not even going to lie to you. Like any noise, I'm up. I'm out to bed, you know. I own the people who I stay with. They got a gun license. So, you know, being a felon in Florida, I guess you're going to. have a gun in the house.

Starting point is 01:49:16 You can't carry it in brown, you know what I mean? But yeah, so I keep one in there. I still, to this day, hear a noise. I'm in the middle of nowhere. Like in Florida, I live in a spot. It's called Port St. Lucie. It's like in the section I live in, the people that I work with, they be like, oh, you live in a boozy area.

Starting point is 01:49:37 Because it's like a rich type neighborhood. So I still, I hear shit, I get up, I walk through my, apartment looking around looking in the corners looking in closets and shit like i don't know why i think the military had a lot to do with that too because when i came home from iraq i was on shit then like the PTSD but just any noise like when i was in prison i never slept under the blanket ever because you know they could come and grab the sides of the blanket slide under the bed they holding you down okay how big you are how strong you are you got two people holding that blanket under the bed and they lock arms you're not getting out that blanket i seen that i seen dudes get

Starting point is 01:50:17 fucked up with that blanket so i never slept with a blanket i always slept with a sheet but i kept the sheet cut in the middle you know so it would be wrapped on me but you don't know it's cut in the middle because how i got it on me so if you were to grab it and pull it it's just gonna rip open and i'm still going to get out the bed you know what i'm saying i slept with knives I'm not playing like one one time I had this dude in the in the lockdown unit it was a light that was probably about this long big light and we pop it open and it was I don't know why the hell they got this metal piece in there but it was a piece of metal straight across the light and we just hit it with the boot pop it off it was like this damn long and I would have them bend

Starting point is 01:51:00 the end to where it was like gripped up wrapped up wrap the sheet around it so your hands come in there you know you put the sheet around your wrist so they can't snatch it from you it was a damn sword we had a standoff one time with the GDs and they called me so I grabbed my sword and I run over there

Starting point is 01:51:18 and when I run over there I'm standing face to face with the dude and I pulled the damn shit out and that shit was as long as my arm I pulled it out he was like whoa whoa whoa wait I was like nah

Starting point is 01:51:28 it's not time for waiting what we doing he was like no wait bro and we ended up talking it out but yeah like I'll shit I've heard you want to use a blanket though for protection so you don't get cut up in the middle of the night. Shit, I didn't think like that.

Starting point is 01:51:42 I was like, fuck that. Because if they grab the sides of the blanket and they slide under your bunk, you like this. You can't move. And then they jump on you and just start stabbing you. Nah. I guess if your bunk was against a wall, you'd be safe. Yeah. Because then they can only have one person.

Starting point is 01:51:58 But when I went to, like, even in the level five camps I was at, the only time I was in a cell house was when they would lock me down. They always put me in the dorm, the one building that is an open dorm. The only time I was in a cell was when I was in the hole. In Hayes, I was in a J building. It's four dorms, 60-something beds upstairs or 60-something beds in each dorm. Straight, side-by-side bunk beds. You got a little fucking cut where your locker boxes are at.

Starting point is 01:52:30 They moved me from Hayes. They put me in a prison called Longstay Prison. That was the police officer prison. ex-police officer, ex-correction officers, lawyers. I was there for maybe a year. But again, the shit was always in me. So they take me to the outside detail. I go outside detail at this prison.

Starting point is 01:52:48 Because in Georgia, 13 years or lower, like if you got 13 years or less, you could go outside the gate and work. All right? So they take me outside detail. When I'm outside, there's no cigarettes in the prison. This prison was literally the size of one dorm. There was four dorms in the whole prison.

Starting point is 01:53:05 That's it. Four rooms. Boom, boom, boom. Like 60-something people in these dorm. That was the whole prison. That was for the ex-police and all that. So I was in there with a dude who was in the military. Well, you know, ex-military.

Starting point is 01:53:17 He was black ops. He was a badass fucking white boy, man. I would take that kid anywhere with me. Anywhere. He was a badass dude. So anyways, me and him, we worked together. We were on the outside detail. And I'm like, damn, people would throw us cigarettes.

Starting point is 01:53:33 Like drive by, we worked in neighborhoods. They would throw packs of cigarettes. at us, shit like that. And I'm like, damn, how the hell we're going to get that shit in? Because I'm really not thinking about shoving nothing up my ass. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm like, that's not going. I'm not doing that.

Starting point is 01:53:48 So I'm talking to him. I'm like, how the hell are we going to get that shit in? He was like, man, I'll do that shit. I was like, for real? He was a hell yeah. I was like, fuck it, go ahead. So we'll take the cigarettes, take the whole pack, wrap it in. They would give us, like, packouts.

Starting point is 01:54:00 That's what they call them two sandwiches and an orange and a milk for lunch. He would take the sandwich. Wrap. Wrap the cigarettes up. Probably like that big. I'm not going to hold you. 20 cigarettes. He'll wrap them up as tight as he can. Shove him up his ass. We'll walk into prison. He'll go to the bathroom, do his thing. Come back to me. We'll break him down and we sold cigarettes. That's crazy. Yeah. And it got to a point where he was shoving like three, four, five packs in his ass. I'm like, Jesus, bro. Yeah. And we were just, that's how we would make money in there. Then I had somebody because the neighborhood that I worked in was where I was in the military at in that neighborhood. So I knew a lot of people around there.

Starting point is 01:54:41 They would bring me, like I had to bring me Coke one time. That shit didn't last long, though. I brought that shit in. I was bagging it up. Like, I'm on the mirror with it. I'm bagging up the little Coke into little 20s. Fucking, the police come in, you know, they hollered 12 in Georgia. They were like, 12, 12, so, you know, they're coming in the door.

Starting point is 01:54:58 I slide the shit under my locker box. He comes through, walking. out. I pulled it back out. I sold the whole, it was like a half an ounce, but I bagged it up in 20s. I sold the whole half an ounce that night. Next day, they came and kicked the door. The dog comes up because when I slid it under my locker box on the mirror, I guess some of it fell off the mirror. Dog comes barking at my box, sits down right in front of my shit. I was like, oh, shit. I know I didn't have nothing, though. It was all gone. So I wasn't worried, but the warden looked at me and she was like, what the fuck are you doing? What are you into?

Starting point is 01:55:30 And she knew I was a correctional officer. You know, she knew all the guys there, ex-police, all that. I was like, I'm not doing shit. I was like, I had a summer sausage in there that was like half open. Maybe that's what he smelled because she didn't find none. But then I had dudes there, you know, they're all police and shit. And they act like they still police officers. So they ended up telling her like, yeah, Rodriguez is bringing in cigarettes and he bringing coke.

Starting point is 01:55:53 And he's selling it to everybody and everybody's in here getting high and all that. I was like, flowing ad budget on metrics that look great. Till the CFO sees them, that's bullspend. And marketers are calling it out in Dashboard Confessions. I remember telling my boss, it'll be good for the brand when leads were slow. Yeah, it wasn't. Cut the bullspend. LinkedIn lets you target by company, job title, and more.

Starting point is 01:56:19 Advertise on LinkedIn. Spend $250 on your first campaign and get a $250 credit. Go to LinkedIn.com slash campaign, terms and conditions apply. Oh, shit. So she sent me back to prison, like back to level five, back to Max. I was like, ain't this a bitch. If you could change one thing that's happened, what would that be over the course of your life?

Starting point is 01:56:42 But you do one thing differently? I probably wouldn't, I wouldn't have drank as much. Like back then, when I caught my case and everything, I was a heavy drinker, real bad, like alcoholic, I'll say. And that made me make fucked up. decisions, you know, and that's what got me put in the position I was in to go to prison, you know? So yeah, I would, I would definitely try to have changed that much of me. Are you more cautious now? Oh, yeah, definitely. I, like, I don't go out. I don't go to clubs.

Starting point is 01:57:18 I don't go to bars. I don't go to none of that. Like, I'm home. I'm work. I'm home. I buy me something to drink. I sit at home, drink my little drink in my house, watch TV. Like, I'm so content with being in the house. A lot of people don't, they be like, like, why are you so chill? Like, you just don't care about being home. I'm like, do you know what I went through? Like, can you imagine being in your bathroom for 12 years? Like, come on.

Starting point is 01:57:44 Yes, I'm comfortable. I go in my fridge when I want, watch whatever I want, you know? I bought, like, a 90-inch TV because I was like, I just want my shit to be big as hell. And I just sit there. But, yeah, I think I would, I would have changed that. The drinking really put me in messed up-up-ass situations, even before I was in the military. Like, the first couple of times, well, not the first, the first time I actually pulled a gun and shot at somebody, I was in sixth grade. And I shot at the bus, like, in front of school.

Starting point is 01:58:13 Everybody was coming out of school, and I just upped it, had a 38 long nose, and I just let go all six shots at the bus. And then after that, it was just like, I was always just that person. I was always that type of guy that just didn't give a fuck. you know and then when i started drinking you add the alcohol to that attitude and it was it was a spiral you know i tried my best to stay out of prison but i ended up going to prison are you at peace with the decisions you've made in your life oh yeah yeah definitely i really i really did change man i really did and prison prison definitely helped me do that it did some people like it some people go back i don't ever want to see that again and like you

Starting point is 01:58:57 I said, I didn't live bad in there. I lived great. You know, it sounds fucked up, but I lived good. I had phones. My people were at home, damn, bro, you get a phone in there. How are you sending me money? My brother used to tell me all the time, yo, stop sending these people money, bro. You're in prison.

Starting point is 01:59:13 They should be sending you money. But I was just like, bro, I'm like, I'm making it so I don't care. Which was dumb as hell, because I promise you I was a millionaire in prison. With all the money between the time that I was making it, if I would have saved all of that money, I guarantee I was a millionaire. In a year and a half, I sent $250,000 through my brother's cash up. And he was like, yo, you got to slow down. Like, the feds are going to come after me. Because you damn, you know, it wasn't all in one shot, but throughout the two years, you know, $5,000 here, $10,000 here, $5,000 here, you know, like, shit like that. And he was just like,

Starting point is 01:59:49 bro, you're going to have these motherfuckers come, like put me in prison because, you know, and then cash app started doing that. They started fucking indicting people off cash app. So I'm like, yo, I've been home since December 2020. And I won't fuck with none of that cash app, none of that shit no more. Well, that's because they were doing like the cash app scams and stuff with the pandemic and everything like that. Yeah.

Starting point is 02:00:10 Yo, I knew dudes in there. I didn't do it. And I was at first, I was like, damn, I should have done that shit. I knew dudes getting $50,000 cash. Yeah, they were getting like 20K here, 20k there. Wild. Crazy. I still see people on social media that'll be like drop cash app.

Starting point is 02:00:26 Who's got this? Who's got this? That shit is crazy, man. Go make some hard-earned money. I knew guys in prison who literally one day be the brokest motherfucker on the yard. And then the next thing you know, they got the cigarettes, they got the phones. I'm like, how the fuck did he get that? It's so crazy.

Starting point is 02:00:46 It's crazy, man. And then when they would tell me like, yo, let me use your shit so I could get it. I'm like, no. I'm not doing life. When I go home, I got to have a job, bro. No, hell not. That's funny. Yeah, that was crazy.

Starting point is 02:01:01 Rob, I appreciate you coming on the show today. Oh, definitely, man. I think this is my first interview ever where it's been a banger from the beginning. Like, you just took off in the beginning. Yeah, yo, listen. All fire. I just, you know, I just want it to be known, man. I want that story.

Starting point is 02:01:17 No, I appreciate that, you know? And I always love, like, the episodes where someone watches kind of the flow of the show and they know they could just run with it. Hell yeah. And just make it happen. You definitely make somebody feel. feel real comfortable. I'll tell you that. I walked in and your boy was like, yo, you want something to drink? You want this? You didn't even have your drink. Exactly. That's been sitting there. Yeah. But I'm like, damn. Then I looked. I was like,

Starting point is 02:01:36 why the hell do you? I got two brushes. But it was just crazy. No, we got everything. It's very. I'll go to some people's like studios or podcasts. You don't even get offered in a water. Yeah. Like nothing bad. I'm like, wow, they, you pull out all the bells and whistles in here, man, for real. We want to make you really hospitable and get the guest. The biggest thing about my job is you get the guest comfortable and then they'll do the rest. Exactly. You know, you can show them the tour, you show them everything and then boom. Hell yeah.

Starting point is 02:02:01 And that's how it is. Yo, I really appreciate you having me for real, man. Yeah, I appreciate you, man. You crushed you, man. Literally 10 out of 10 interview. Oh, man, thank you, man. The people are going to love you. I hope so.

Starting point is 02:02:12 Because people get mad at me. They're like, ah, you spend too much time about the childhood stuff, but I think it's, like, important for the interview. Yeah. And it also gets a person warmed up. Exactly. But like, with your story, we didn't even spend that much on it because you just, you ran with it.

Starting point is 02:02:24 that's good, you know. If every guest could do that, then I wouldn't have to spend as much in the childhood. Yeah. Like, ideally, you want, like, a summary of the childhood like you did and then go into the story, but not everyone can do that. You kind of have to walk the person through. Yeah. But people could just skip over the childhood stuff. If they don't want it, you go, there's timestamps for a reason. You go to the spot where it gets to prison. You get to hear the prison stuff, you know? Exactly. Exactly. So, yeah, I appreciate you coming on in. And I wish you the best in future success. Thank you, man. You too. You too. You're doing great. Thank you, bro. It's coming together.

Starting point is 02:02:56 Yes, it is.

Locked In with Ian Bick - I Was a Corrupt Correctional Officer — Then I Went to Prison | Robert Rodriguez

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