Locked In with Ian Bick - Inmate Unveils Master Plan: How He Orchestrated the Ultimate $250,000 Scam | Charlie Hartman

Episode Date: June 11, 2024

Discover the intricate details and audacious moves of a mastermind as he reveals the secrets behind his jaw-dropping quarter-million-dollar con. From the initial spark of inspiration to the meticulous execution, this gripping tale uncovers the lengths one man went to pull off the ultimate scam. Big thanks to CHEECH & CHONG for sponsoring this episode. Go to trycruisechews.com/lockedin for 30% off. Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Connect with Charlie Hartman: https://www.tiktok.com/@imcharliehartman?_t=8n5y1phlTm2&_r=1 https://youtube.com/@imcharliehartman?si=yO8jJvWw27Porran https://www.instagram.com/imcharliehartman?igsh=d3E4NjgyMmkwNWh2&utm_source=qr Powered by: Just Media House : https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Buy Merch: https://lockedinbrand.com Use code lockedin at checkout to get 20% off your order Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Growing Up in a Small Farm Town 00:05:04 - Scamming Companies for Merchandise 00:10:05 - The "Warranty" Scam 00:14:51 - Getting Involved in Drug and Check Scams 00:20:10 - Burglary and Arrested 00:25:21 - Survival in County Jail 00:30:19 - The Hustle in the Kitchen 00:35:15 - Trapped in Florida's Probation System 00:40:25 - An Unfortunate Turn of Events 00:45:45 - Released to the Wrong Holding Area 00:50:30 - Plot 00:55:52 - Dangerous Prison Life 01:00:57 - Life in Prison and Making a Plan for the Future 01:06:04 - Starting Over and Finding Success 01:11:21 - Starting Over and Finding Redemption 01:16:28 - The Importance of Sharing Your Story 01:21:37 - Farewell and Good Luck on Your Social Media Journey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Like, I'm doing all these mail order scams. And I'm just, like, calling these companies up and doing, like, reverse address searches and doing all this stuff. I'm, like, 16, 17 years old. I probably make a quarter of a million dollars of merchandise. Welcome back to the Lockton with the NBIC podcast. On today's episode, I have Charlie Hartman on the show for an entertaining and comical episode. You guys are going to love Charlie's upbeat personality. And we're also going to find out how exactly he got to.

the nickname Inmate Cheeseburger. I want to give a big thanks to our sponsor for today's episode, Cheech and Chong's Cruise Chewes. They've been supporting Lockton for a few episodes now, and I encourage you guys to go to trycruisechews.com slash locked in for 30% off your order. That's go to trycruisechews.com slash locked in for 30% off. They have a great product, and I really would suggest you. you guys give it a shot. I personally use them, and I think you guys would like using them, too.

Now, without further ado, let's jump into my episode with Charlie Hartman. Charlie, welcome to Locked in, man. Thanks, bro. I know it's been like a crazy, like, then getting our schedules together, and I appreciate you being cool about that and everything. And, I mean, it's really cool to come on a platform like this because, yeah, I really feel like no matter, like, all of us have been to prison and jail have a storyteller, right? And no matter like where you've been, I think it's kind of your duty to come off platforms like this to kind of show you where you've been and where you can go and everything. Yeah, exactly. And you just gave a great analogy before when we were talking about the Bible and prison.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. You know, yeah, one of my jobs in the prison was the work up front, right? And like any time the chapel and we're like, oh, we're running out of Bible. It's like, oh, give me 15 minutes. I run up right to the front. And there be like boxes of the Bible. As soon as they walk out the gate, they just like leave the Bible. behind. Yeah. It's crazy, right? Yeah. Now, you came to us today from Philly. Did you grow up there? No, no. I'm not. I was this accent, man. I'm a southern kid, man. I grew up in a little small farm town, we're in New York, Virginia. A lot of people may know, don't know about it. I grew up outside of that. I grew up on a farm. My mom had me when she was like super young. She was like 18. My dad was a little older, and my dad ended up going to prison when I was like six.

Oh, wow, for what? So my dad's an idiot. Because he was working in a moving company. Him and my uncle were moving houses. Well, they would get the list like a week or two before the, you know, do it, right? You know, do the moves and stuff because people already moved out of the house, right? They were going doing burglaries to the houses. So, you know, as even slow as cops in that town may be at that time, without the Internet and everything like this is the 80s,

it didn't take them long to start figuring out. all these houses are being ran by the same thing. So they set up a sting operation. He rolls up to steal and the cops just arresting. He gets like, I think he got like six years. Wow. So like, so one of my first memories as a kid is going to visit him in prison. Wow.

And that was where him and your mom together when he got arrested? Yeah. And then my mom like, you know, tried to do the, you know, ride with him and stay with him for a while. And she eventually was just like, I can't do this. And, you know, he's doing his time. We moved back in with my grandfather, and he raises me. My mom's just, like, too young. She's just out partying, doing her thing.

And, I mean, now to this day, I mean, her are best friends. But, you know, then she's just not old enough to have a kid. Yeah. Yeah. And basically, he raised me pretty much from seven years old until 12 until he passed away. and he uh when i was nine he was developed with throat cancer so i had to you know no one's around like take care of him and i'm like at nine years old and 10 years old helping him on the farm and taking care of him and so so i kind of grew up you know dirt poor hungry you know

trying to learn everything i can and he taught me a lot and then my mom you know bounced in and out of relationships and stuff and then she ends up getting divorced from my dad my dad ends up not really being a part of my life. So probably, you know, they always say, oh, you know, you're back to your roots and stuff. So I really have a role model growing up after my grandfather died because my mom got married and divorced,

you know, two different times after that. And then when I was 16, my mom gets married and divorced and literally gets married on the day. She gets married, she gets divorced the day later from the previous marriage. So it's like my mom was in and out of relationships and she comes to me at 16, the guy's like, I don't want to be a dad to a kid. And she's like, well, look, you're 16.

Here's the house. Here's the keys. Here's the car. You live here. I'm going to go live with him. I'll still pay your bills. You do you just go to school. And I'm like, okay, I'm not, you know, not thinking nothing of this, right?

This is not really a smart thing, though, right? You're leaving a 16-year-old kid and a house, a car. So I'm partying every night with my friends, throwing house parties, throwing, you know, we're going to get kegs, and we're just having to hang out. So I'm like, I start working at 16, and I'm like, I'm hustling and trying to make money. I'm just like, you know, because it's like now, but I got no responsibilities because I got no parents around me. Well, I decide I want to do, I don't want to do high school anymore, do the first year. I want to get out of high school.

I find these correspondent schools. You've probably seen them back in a day. I mean, I know you're a little younger than me, but like where you can do your high school diploma through like the mail back. then. Maybe. Maybe I've heard of it. I saw it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, like, I end up doing it. It's for people who are usually, like, like, international students and stuff and people that are internationally traveling. And so at 16, I start taking this during my summer year of meeting 16, my, my, would be going in my ninth grade year of high school. So literally between June, July, August, and September, I finished enough courses where it certifies me to graduate high school. So, like, and stuff I didn't know, I just paid someone to basically do for me because it was all test over the phone back in the day.

Like, you literally called the test in and, like, entered your answers in on, like, a little keypad on her phone. So I'm 16, got my certificate from, I'm graduated high school. I'm going to go get a job. I wish I knew about this hack. Yeah, right? This life hack, folks, right? Well, it doesn't work that way at first. The school board, this is a legit thing.

Y'all could look up and Roanoke County schools actually changed the law because of me. Because I actually graduated enough time. They're like, no, no, no, no, no. This is supposed to be spread out over four years, you know, over three to four years. I'm like, no, I'm done. Here's mystificate. I'm done. And they're like, no, you're not.

And, like, we literally had to go to the school board and they, like, like, bandies, like, for, like, a law. That's crazy. Right. So, like, so I got out of it and I started working at a hotel. And I'm like working at a hotel and working at Holiday Inn. And I'm like doing banquet setups and stuff like that. So I'm like, you know, my mom's doing her thing. I got my own house at 16.

I'm like living a normal life, right? And I meet this guy and his name is Larry. And he was just a natural hustler. He worked at the hotel. He knew about scams, how to, he was like ripping people's credit cards off. He's, you know, and he's on all this stuff. And he's like, show him out of stuff. I'm like, yeah, dude, we don't get trouble for the shit.

Who cares? And I'm like, man, I was like, so I'm like following his lead. And so from like 16 to like early 20s, I'm like just doing these scams. I can't get in trouble for it. And he knows it because I'm like, I'm a minor still, right? I'm graduated. But if we get busted, I'll just take the heat because I'm a minor, right? What's the worst going to happen to me?

I'm going to get locked up for five minutes. They're going to let me go, right? Well, needlessly say, you know, I learned a lot of scams from him. I learned how to do reverse packaging on packages. Like, you know, I had like brand new stereos, TVs in my house. Like, I'm doing all these mail order scams. Like, you know, I'm just like calling these companies up and doing like reverse address searches and doing all this stuff. I'm like 16, 17 years old doing all that stuff.

Well, what ends up happening is in early 2000, all this goes on. I probably make a quarter of a million dollars of merchandise. Just scamming companies left and right. Well, finally get busted. I'm 20 some years old. been in trouble day in my life. Cops figured out, figured out something went right. I go to UPS to pick up a package.

Cops are there, arrest me, right? Well, they want to know who the front guy is. They want to know who the guy is. I'm like, well, I'm the guy. All right, stop. Come on, we'll make it easy for you. Just tell us, tell us, you know. Like, no, dude, like, I'm the guy.

I have nobody to tell him. They thought I was trying to be, like, hard and stuff. I'm like, no, man, there's nobody to tell on here. This is it. Are these feds or a local place? Local. This is all local. Okay. Local.

Well, I started explaining to them how I did it. And they're just like mind blown away. Like, so he's like, look, we're going to let you go. So we've got to figure this out. And so they let me go on my reconnaissance. They told me you're going to get charged. We just don't know what you're going to get charged with. So like two weeks later, they bring me back up to UPS.

So I show the UPS people and the FedEx people who are there how I was doing all this. Yeah, so break it down. exactly from beginning to end. So I would call the companies up and I would be like, hey, I sent you down a microphone. And what I would do is they'd be, oh, okay, I send it in for repair. I need to get a new one because everything has a warranty, right? Well, what happens is you get a warranty on them and these people send stuff in repair. Well, I would call in.

I would give them the address. I would call UPS, FedEx, Airborne Express, Tom, D.HL, and say, hey, I had a pass. package delivered on this date, can you look up the tracking number? At that time, they could do a reverse address search on them. And they would, they did that. And when they did that, they'd pop up a tracking number. I would take the tracking number. Oh, cool, can you give me the tracking number?

Oh, that's the package. Write the tracking number down. Call back like five minutes later and give them the tracking number and say, hey, can you send me a proof of delivery, like just a little proof of delivery showing it was delivered? Take that. Now present to the company, that was my package. and Bada Bing, Bada Boom, stereo equipment, TVs, VCRs.

I mean, anything electronic I could get. And I was like the guy who could get something. Literally, there was times where people would call me and be like, hey, man, can you get a camera? Can you get a TV? Can you get, yeah, yeah, give me two weeks. And this is before Amazon really. This is for Amazon. This is all back in the, like, I was like, because this dude, Larry showed me the game and everything.

He ended up catching some Fed time and doing some crazy stuff on his own. Would this work now? No, you're describing now? No, 100%. Please don't try to send anybody at all. But now, like, if you even try to do anything like that now, they would actually, they don't, like, you call in the UPS or anything like that nowadays, they're just like, no, they're hip to the whole game. So how does the money get, like, how do you physically get money from that? Well, you take the money.

Now you've got, you know, stereo equipment, speakers. You got a $5,000 microphone, right? You have a really expensive camera there, right? What is that? Like, what, you know, $3,500? Yeah. So if I came to you and was like, hey, man, I got a brand new in a box, you're $1,500, $1,800, what are you going to do? Give you the cash, and that's how you got.

I'm going to get. I was the guy. I was the hookup guy. So the victims are, you have two victims. You have the company and then you have the people that you took the address from. Well, they're not really a victim because they, you know, they basically, you know, their package yet delivered. And nothing really happens to them. The victim is the company.

But what happens is in turn, the company ends up getting losses and losses and losses. And what happens, what got me busted on it was I ended up basically because I had done so many of these. What happened was there were so many claims on UPS because they would claim it as a loss package and they would file it as a – it's like nowadays. Like when you lose something with Amazon, right, you file a claim and they send it into UPS. Well, that's what would have happened then. And they got so many claims coming in. they're like, wait a minute, something's not adding up here. So UPS reported it to the police?

UPS reported it to the local police. How do they trace it to you? Well, what happened was the detective, he's actually passed away now. He actually became friends before he died. It was actually critical. He basically sit there and he was like seeing it with all these stereo companies. So he just started randomly calling these stereo companies. And he actually called one I had just called like a week earlier.

And they're like, yeah, well, yeah, we just shifted. put him an amplifier. And that's how they put it together. And I walked in and I walked in and I was just completely done for. They completely had no concept. You might have to twist it in. I'll twist it on. Yeah.

I think once you put it in like you twist it. Got it. There you go. So I had no concept that I'm going to get busted. and I walked in and there they are. How old were you when that happened? Early 20s. Okay.

So I'm like, I'm not even, I mean, and I remember I've had this run for like a couple of years doing this stuff. So I'm like, man, you know, I don't know I'm getting in trouble. So they are, give me, like, probation or something, like something light, you know, like. So I'm like, all right, you know, slap on the wrist. I got away with it. Well, you know, I end up by moving in with some friends and stuff. And I was like, I got to get a job now and stuff. And now I'm just like, I get a job at a security guard just because I'm like, I'm lazy.

I'm lazy. I'm bored. And then I end up doing like some sales job or something. And I end up, I end up starting pills. And this is where it's starting dark. I start taking pills. I started taking oxies and Xanax. And I start doing Coke.

And I start, it goes from, you know, oh, I just smoked weed to now I'm doing everything. And what was the trigger, though, to ask a lead to the pills? I think the trigger was, man, just trying to hang out. Just trying to be that guy. Just trying to always be in with the end crowd and stuff. And I don't, like, I never had like a drug problem until I realized I had a drug problem. And next thing I know, I'm just in it, man. And when you're in it like that and you're just like taking pills and you're doing stuff,

now it's like, well, yeah, well, you're hanging out with, Now, I also got to get your spot, too. So now I've got to take care of my habit and your habit because I want to be the cool guy in the room and I always have the stuff, right? Yeah. So I go back doing the scams, everything, right? And then I start figuring out, like, payroll check scams. So I always, for years, I would always work harder on how to scam and how to make money quit versus actually putting the grind and the hustle to, like, real something. And it got real.

And let's take a quick pause from this episode to talk about our sponsor for today's show. We're sponsored by Cheech and Chong. Yeah, that's right. I'm talking about the Cheech and Chong and they're 100% legal THC Gummies, Cruise Chews. If you're not familiar with Cheech and Chong, well, here's a rundown. 20 years ago, the DEA broke down his door and Tommy Chong went to prison for selling glass bongs. Now, he and his longtime partner, Cheech, are the... the biggest names in legal THC edibles.

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They're three milligrams of THC each, and they're 30 gummies in a jar. And it gets better, they taste great too. So if you're looking for something to help mellow you out, head to trycruisechews.com slash locked in and get an extra 30% off their already low prices. That's trycruisechews.com slash locked in. We will have a direct link in the bio of this episode. Now let's get back into my episode with Charlie Hartman. I sort of learned how to do payroll checks.

I was like, oh, this is even easier because this is before there was watermarks on checks. You could just get the routing number or the account number. And what you would do is you would go to these cash-a-check places. And they'll cash your check for you on a Friday and evening. Well, you go to these stores, if you go after like five o'clock, they can't call and verify. And if it's a small amount, they're not really going to sweat it. because they're charging you like $20 or $25 cash check, right? They just want the cash, and they're going to turn it into their bank anyway.

Well, I end up hooking this guy, and he shows me a trick, and he's like, man, put some super glue right here on your fingertips, right here, so it throws off the print a little bit. Go in, just get to routing number, count number, and there are a lot of places back then, no ID needed. You go in, you go to these little hood shop shops, walk in, you put your little print right there. Next thing you know, you cash a check for $300.

$400. No big deal. Well, I'm doing this. And then I end up getting like, you know, I end up going out, I open up check in accounts everywhere. And I'm cutting checks back and forth. Like I'm sitting there writing a check to one account to cover the other account. And it looks like there's money in this account.

They verify it. But it's really a fake check. And then I take money from there and I'm writing it. It's kiting checks, what they used to call it. And I did that for months. And I'm just like stacking up all these. charges. Like,

like, like, this is while you're on probation. Probation. Like, I'm just, like,

I know it's coming. Like, you know, so I'd dip and leave. I leave Virginia. I'm like, I'm like, I literally was like,

yeah, man, like, I got to get out of here. Like, because, because it's going to be over with. Because, because they,

my probation officer already violated me. They were looking for me. Like, all right, so I'm going to go down to Florida. Worst place in the earth to go. I have a friend who's in sales, who's doing pills too.

So now, I'm knocking doors doing, and I'm on pills, wanted in Virginia for probation violation. Next thing I'm popping pills and just hanging out with him. I mean, I'm knocking on doors and we're selling door to door, right? We're doing alarms and stuff. I'm like, oh, can I eat your bathroom? I'm doing a job. I'm going people through messing cabinets and stuff with people's houses and stuff.

I mean, it's terrible shit. And, well, I end up 05. Remember, at this time, I've never really done nothing but overnighters. I've never been in trouble. So, like, I'm traveling with him doing sales, right? So I'm, like, hitting all over Florida. We're doing, we're doing, I started doing payroll checks. Why, while I'm doing this job, because his company's paying for my travel, right?

So guess what? I have a place to stay or in a city for a small amount of time. Then we're gone. I'm like, I can just start doing checks too. So I started at the point where I'm not even working for him. And he's born. I'm just hanging out at the hotel going out cash and payroll checks and just, I'm just racking up charges. And I finally ended up getting 05.

I go out with him one day and we're knocking doors. And I'm just at that point really bad. Like I couldn't get the checks to work anymore. Like, you know, stores had already kind of gotten a little bit buzz. So I was like, I knew it. So I was like looking for pills and I'm getting a burglary charge. breaking into someone's house? Yeah, breaking into someone's house.

You got caught doing it. Well, what happened was I had basically basically went into their bathroom, used her bathroom. You know, I was knocking the door. He ended up trying to, I found a bunch of pills, but I also found a bunch of heroin.

Like, oh, shit. I go out the door, and she's screaming, yelling, hollering, saying, I'm trying to, I'm robbing her, blah, blah, blah. I run off, you know, cops come, arrest me. Now they pull me up. Now I come up, I got warrants everywhere.

I got warrants in Virginia. I got warrants all in Florida for bad checks. I mean, I'm done. So I'm, and I mean, at the time, I'm on pills, I'm on heroin, I'm just, I'm not in good shape. I call my mom from jail. Mom's like, you're exactly where you need to be. Stay there.

Not getting you out. And you're going to stay there. And man, I was like, oh, all right. this is nothing. I'll go to jail for a couple days. You know what I mean? Now, I didn't realize how much trouble I'm in. I just got a burglary charged with a person in the house. It's a burglary with a battery. They're talking about that's a PBL. That's punishable by life in Florida. I'm like, it's starting getting real very quickly. And you're wanted. And I got warrants all through the counties of Florida and I got warrants in Virginia. So I'm like, I mean, I'm talking about

you ain't going home. Like, so I'm sitting there and my mom's like, I'm not helping. in you. You need to just, you need to grow up, you need to learn a lesson. Because she got in her shit together. I had. And I was like, all right. So again, at that point, very bitter towards her, but I'm like, whatever, you know, she'll come around. You know, I'll sit in here a couple months, whatever. So I play the public defender game. And anybody's written through the system, public defender game is not a game you want to play when you have real charges because you can really get stuck. Public defender comes and she says, I think I can get you 25 years.

25 years? Holy shit. I said, you're fired. I, like, I walked out. I got on the phone. I called my mama. I said, Mama, they're trying to give me 25 years. I'm sorry.

I will do whatever y'all need to do. I need to come home. I screwed up. So I'm, like, asking around. Now, I'm in the worst county jail in Florida. If anybody, I know you have a lot of dudes in the Florida system. Anybody comes through Lake County, they will tell you. They is the snitchiness jail in the country because you will – they hand out cards in Florida jail system, wanted cards.

I don't know if you've ever seen them or not. Or it says wanted on the front of it, right? And inside of it, it's like king, queen, date, you know, out of the cards. But it's open cold cases. And then they have an 800 number on there that can work from any jail or prison phone number. Wait, so they want inmates to see if they – And then they'll snitch and you get time off. Holy shit.

So I'm sitting there like, this is crazy. Like, like, I'm like, like, I'm like trying to like figure out how, how this works. So, so I get old pay lawyer. Mom gets him to pay logger. I'm like, all right. He's like, dude, you just need to sit. You need to just let everybody forget about you. Let's just stay in here like six months.

I'll see you in six months. He said, get a houseman job. And I'm like, I don't work with these people. I'm going to get a houseman job because every signature in that county jail, you get on a piece of paper, every two signatures equals a day off. I'll get that credited towards your sentence even if it's DOC. I said, all right, cool. I've always been a guy in who can go in a room no matter what the room is and relate to someone.

That's like kind of my superpower in life. I've always said. So I was like, man, let me go and let me get this houseman job. So I get a houseman job from an officer, right? I don't want to say the officer's name, obviously. Because there's a funny story in this. I got told you. Maybe I texted you about it.

But later on, he ends up getting busted for bringing contraband in, and I see him in prison a couple years later on the yard, which is side note. He gets me a job as a houseman. So now I'm working as a houseman, cleaning up, doing stuff. And he is like, I see that him and other inmates are moving stuff. So I start figuring out the game. Like, the game is move stuff from one pod to the other pod.

I mean, especially, like, dip. Like, you know, they're rolling up dip and stuff. They're paying $10, $15 for a deal. So I just go to, I'm like, hey, man, how much for a can of dip? Ah, I was like, $100? And he looked at me like, I'll have my mom air drop it to you. 30 seconds they'll be there. And there, I start bringing in that.

I get a cell phone in. and now I mean, now I'm the guy with connections in there. Three housemen, me and two other housemen are running two pots. And, I mean, this is county jail, so there's not like shot callers or anything. This is, I mean, this is everybody's laid back. But everybody's coming in off the streets and they want drugs. They want cigarettes and want stuff. And we're making it happen.

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Well, I'm trying to write out. Now, here, now my lawyer comes back to me. I'm like, look, man, keep pushing it back. Because I'm making money while I'm in here, and I'm just buying more time towards the sentence anyway. I don't want to go to prison. So, you know, wife, basically, he comes and he says, look, man, he said, you basically got a choice.

He said, the best I can get you is a three in ten. Three years in, ten years spent a sentence. That's the best I can get you. He's like, you've done almost a year in the county. He said, we'll get all that credit. you'll go do two years up the road, you'll be home, you know, no big deal. So I'm like, all right, cool. All right, let's do it.

So now keep in mind, I'm moving stuff in the pods with the officer and stuff. I'm doing my thing. I get sentenced. I go up the road. This is prison trip one. Go up the road. So, you know, everything's kind of kosher a little bit. I get to prison.

It is a different world. I walk in Cross City C.I. I mean, I'm like, I'm a white dude. And at that time, I'm way bigger than I am now. I was probably pushing 600 pounds then. Oh, shit. So I'm truly like triple size my size now, right? You wouldn't have fit in that shit?

No, no, bro. Even two years ago, I mean, in the last year and a half, I've lost almost 200 pounds now. That's awesome. Congrats. But, like, no, but then I'm just like, super big. And so I'm like, oh, man, this is not good. You know, I'm like looking around, like, and it's like predators everywhere. Like, I mean, this is the serious, this is a serious thing. They, they stuck me and they sent me to, I was supposed to go to a soft, easy camp. They did not

do that. They got me. Yeah, but who's going to fuck with a big guy like you? Man. And I've seen some bigger dudes than me wearing Illmanil makeup in about 15 minutes. So I was like, this is not good. And I was like, man, I'm just trying to, I'm just trying to get through this, right? So I'm sitting there and I get off the bus. I'm like quiet. I'm a quiet person.

Like I, like reserve. Like I, like I talked to a lot of old timers. They say, look, me, going there, don't buy canteen off rib, because that's what first thing you want to do is go to the store and see if you've got money on your card and buy a bunch of stuff. He said, just see your surroundings,

learn your environment, right? So I do that, right? And so they, so, So they give me a job. Everybody has to get a job in Florida. Like, you know, that's the thing. Everybody works in Florida and you work for free. You work for your good time, which is crazy, right?

I mean, because some of these guys are going outside the gate and working doing manual labor, and they're working for free. I mean, you're essentially working for, it's slavery. And basically, I go into the kitchen, and I had gotten a lot of cooking experience working in the county jail because I got an orderly job in the county jail for a little bit. So I had a dietary cooking experience. I go in, the lady was green likes me. She's like, okay, oh, you're a silent boy.

I like you, I'll put you in the kitchen. Like, okay, great. Sign me up. Sign me up. I'm like, it's good. I'm like, now I can eat for free. I'm hang out. And she said, don't want to eat all my food.

You know, I'm like, yeah. So I'm sitting there. I come in and, man, I look around and I look like I walked into a damn war zone. Like everybody's, I mean, everybody's cut, I mean, this is when they're like literally in the weight piles in Florida. where they would have real weights, you know what I mean? They didn't take the weights away. Everyone's smoking.

I mean, you're looking like a real prison. So I'm hooking up with a guy in the kitchen, and he's pretty cool with me. And he's just like, look, man, I can tell you right now, you're a white dude. You're going to either join a gang or you got to either pay for protection. You know what I mean? Or anything. I was like, well, look, I ain't paying for no protection. I was like, I ain't me, man.

And I ain't joining a damn gang. So I don't know what, what are the, you? what's choice being punched where's the seat, punch somebody? Like, I mean, I'm just going to do my time I'm trying to get out of here, man. And they see and I was really laid back. So people are just kind of like, you know,

all right, cool, man, you ain't bombing their way. So I see in a kitchen, they got an operation going. Because I know you did Fed time, right? Yeah. So I don't know how the kitchens were in fed, right? But like, people sneaking stuff out of the kitchen is like, it's always an operation. I worked in the bakery and snuck stuff out. It's the hustle, right?

Yeah. It's the grind. So, like, I come in. And they're like, look, man. He was like, we got a lot of stuff going on around here, man. Let me show you what's going on. I walked to the side room. I swear in, it looked like a damn operation. They had one guy making sandwiches, one guy wrapping up cookies.

I'm like, what is this for the compound? Come in on, like, for the bag mills? You know, this is for us to sell. What? Yeah, when we worked in the kitchen, we would just go straight in and just divide up what we're stealing for the day, and then you make the food for the compound. Yeah, it's like, I was like, you're already screwing up the, The compound is already getting screwed anyway, right?

Because they're already getting, like, half the foods and stuff. Now they're getting even a quarter of the meat and more beans, and it's like it is what it is, right? So the big one dude seemed to me, damn, big guy, come here. I'm like, so I eat how I get the name cheeseburger in prison. So they're making cheeseburgers and stuff. So I'm like eating a damn cheeseburger around. He's like, so he's like, he's wrapping them up and like a little like individual wrapping. And then they take a ceramic wrap and they wrap it up.

They say, come here. and they grab it and they wrap it around my waist, but put it underneath my belly. So I got like 10 cheeseburgers wrapped around my belly. And I'm like walking. I'm like, this is not going to work. This is not going to work, dude. And he's like, just trust me.

All they're going to do is they're going to pat you down like this, and you're going to be good. They said, we had a guy out here, a big cow, that's how we did it for years. I'm nervous, dude. This is like second day in the kitchen. I'm about to walk out of the – because I worked a breakfast shift with them, and we go straight out, and we go straight to the rec yard. So I walk up to the guard, and guard goes, like it. Go ahead.

I'm like walking through the next – now I've got to go through – because it's control movement. So I've got to go through center gate now. I'm at center gate. I'm like, these motherfuckers. See how bulging there will stop me. Walk right through, right to the gate. Boom, right into the rec yard. Go to the little bathroom area, sit down, unstrapping.

I got a wrap-a-chise. burgers. And that's, again, that's how I got cool with everybody in the kitchen. Didn't they give you a nickname? Yeah, cheeseburger. That was your nickname. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And that was it, man. And I was just like, I would hang out, man. And, like, two years clicked by. Like, I was... Inmate cheeseburger. Inmate cheeseburger, baby. And I was living to what, I mean, and then I'm hustling because I'm selling stuff. So I'm never having to dip money on my card. So I'm just like banking out money. So I started figuring it out. Like, all right, well, there's, I'm obviously.

It's just like county jail. Like, you know, all right. But I start moving way too fast because it's like... Got you into trouble and you're a white guy moving too fast. Way too fast, brother. Way too fast. So I got, you know, I got, you know, I got, you know, blood's on this side. And then, you know, you got, you know, Crips here.

You got G's here. And I got to be cool with one of the G's smoke dog. And he was like, look, man. Look, man. We're going to call it friend of folk. and F-O-F. We're going to take care of you, bro. Because you straight, you don't bother me,

but you got to slow down, bro. You got to slow down. You're moving. You're moving like you run the compound. You can't do this. I'm like, why? He's like, because you're going to get stabbed. And I'm like, what do you mean?

He's like, dude, they got a hit on you downstairs. And I'm like, what? They know you got a cell phone. They come for the cell phone. because they're like, you're making too much money, and someone ends up dropping a kite on me. And, you know, how that goes. I go to confinement.

And I'm like, man, this is crazy. I must have sucked 600 pounds in confinement? Two. Dude. Was there AC? No. Holy shit. Dude, I lose, I lose a bunch of weight while I'm there, obviously.

Yeah, I lost weight in confinement. Yeah, yeah. I'm like, you're just down, just like out, right? So I end up leaving from confinement. I end up leaving confinement the first time in prison, leaving confinement. So I'm leaving. I go home. Well, here's how the system doesn't work.

Keep in mind, I have warrants in Virginia, right? So I can never get a gate pass to go outside the gate because I can have a detainer. But detainer will – but they will not come get me, though. Why? Because it's too small. It's too far. It's connecting states. They said if I come to North.

North Carolina, Virginia, anywhere in that area, they'll come get me. But this far, they're not coming to get you. So I'm like, so I can't go outside the gate. So I can't do nothing. So I go to leave. I go to leave. I go to leave. And so I go up to my, you know, classification officer.

And I'm like, yeah, I want to go back to Virginia. You're like, you can't leave the state. You have probation. You're in Florida. You're not to transfer it. No one told me about that. I thought I could just transfer it immediately home. Well, I have warrants at home.

If I show up at home, I'm going to get violated for my probation now because I'm going to report to my probation. So I'm screwed. So I'm stuck in Florida. So I'm like, what am I going to do? So I had a friend that had a friend that lived in Tampa and I'm like, all right, I'm going to go hit him up. You know, I'll stay there and figure it out. Well, I realize very quickly, like, I can't leave Florida. I got 10 years probation.

I'm not going to make it. I'm going to violate. Florida's biggest return in prison is called the Reoffender Act. Have you heard about this? This is a complete – this is how the system doesn't work. Guy gets out of prison and stayed in Florida, and in three years that he's out, if he does any kind of crime or does anything, they can enhance the sentence up to 10 years. So if you catch it like, let's say you valid your probation or whatever, you can get, and you have 10 years, you can get 20 the judge wants to.

It's open-ended. So that 90% of people that are in Florida system right now are back on a reoffender act. They call it a simple case and they get jammed up for extra five to 10 years. Well, that's why probation parole is like a never-ending trap too. Yeah, exactly. So I knew. I was like, I'm screwed. So I was like, I had banked up a bunch of months.

I had money when I went away. I said, I'm going to run. They won't come get me in Virginia, so I'll go somewhere on the West Coast. Florida won't come get me. So I'm like, so I'm like, all right. So I talk to someone. I'm like, hey, if I'm planning on running, what's the best way to do this? He said, go report in so you'll least have 30 days. He said, go report in. I go tell the probation officer, I'm like, yeah, yeah, I'm going to go see home. I'm going to go home and I'm going to take care of this warrant situation. He said, okay, I'll give you 60 days. Call me in 60 days. That's all I needed, Ian.

I was like, I'm perfect. I'm outy. I'm perfect. I was in Florida four days. I got on a Greyhound, and I was West Coast. Knew nobody. Plan was going to go. I was going to get to Tijuana.

I was going to drop down, down South America. I was going to live somewhere non-expeditable. And I was like, I'll figure it out, dude. So you just didn't trust yourself enough to stay out of trouble? I knew. No way. There's no way at that time who I was, I could do 10 years probation and live that life, right? Like, I mean, now to this day, you're talking to Charlie today, yeah, I could do probation. Because probation can be done if you know how to do it. You know how, if you follow the rules, right? But I was like, man, I'm out. So I get across the border. I go to San Diego. I literally remember getting to San Diego. I literally remember getting to San Diego. Diego calling my probation officer being like, hey man, in Virginia up here with my parents, you know, having a good time. Appreciate it.

Just, you know, trying to get this thing. It may take me an extra, you know, 30 days. Is it cool if I stay? He's like, yeah, go ahead. It's a cool guy. But I just, but I'm literally knowing, like, I'm not going to survive with this guy. Because the guy told me the first time I met him, he's like, see this stack of files? These are my violations.

See that one folder over? That's my guy who's passed. I was like, I'm not going to be that guy over there. I'm going to be in that violation. I got to go. So I crossed the border. Keep in mind, I don't know any Spanish. I don't know.

I've got money. I'll figure it out. So I get across the border. And I'm like, I'm at Revolution. I don't know if you've been to Tijuana or not. Tijuana is like the party. I mean, it's a party, party everywhere. That place called Revolution.

I mean, it's just a big nightclub, parties. It's, you know, everything. But what a lot of people do is they live in Tijuana, but they work in San Diego. A lot of Americans do because of the rent. You're paying 50% of what you would pay even less than that to live in Tijuana. And just across the border every day. Every day you go to the border at 4 or 5 a.m., it's just packed with people with work permits and worth that. Well, I was never planning on going back.

America anyway. I was like, I got enough money here, dude. I'll survive. I'll figure it out. out. Well, I end up renting a room from like a lady who had like an apartment complex. It's like $175 a month. Here's like 400 bucks. I'm good for two months. I'll figure it out. I just end up paying for a couple of months with her. I'm there. Meet a couple Americans. And it didn't take on to figure out they got warrants too. They're hiding out. They got some way more serious stuff than I got going on.

But they're like, yeah, we can get you a fake out day. I'm like, what? We're. So we get a fake ID. Go down this little Photoshop place. Literally sit down, guy snaps a picture. I mean, this is early 2000s for computer systems or what they are now, you know. And basically, and it's like 2000, like mid, like early 2000, like 2009. And I'm like, man, I'm like, I got a fake ID. Now I'm going back and forth across the border.

Back to San Diego. I'm working like day labor when I want to, because they don't, them kind of places don't check you out or anything. So I do the thing there. And like, I'm just going back and forth. And eventually my, eventually I start noticing like, you know, I start noticing like, I'm hanging out, you know, Tijuana like,

I start noticing the cops are like watching me a lot more. And because they're all patrol, and they'd been a bunch of kidnappings already. And what they'll do is they'll, they'll kidnap you. and that's it. Like, you'll pay a ransom to get out. They'll turn you over to the cartel. You mean, there's a lot.

I didn't realize what I got myself into being there. And I was like, man, I got to get out of here because this is not smart. I've got a fake ID now. I'll just go with somewhere in the States. I don't know why I'm even in Mexico. I'm an idiot. So I get across the border and I'm working like a little sales job. And I'm doing this for a while.

Like I hook up with a traveling sales job. easy. I was like, I got a fake ID. I'm golden. Man, I'm doing my thing. Okay, keep mine. I'm not really doing anything bad at this point, like criminally wise. I'm just trying to stay out of trouble because I don't want to get in trouble because I don't want to get cops caught on me. Because I give them a fake ID. Yes, it's worked a few times, but it's also came across in a vet, not available, which basically what it means is they can't find a database. Like, it's not available. And I've been stopped before and they've let me go

and they've been like, oh, it must be the system, blah, blah, you know, I've gotten probably three or four times I got breaks,

you call it. Well, one day I'm working, I'm not going to door, I knock on a door, and cops like, what are you selling? Yeah, yeah,

you got a permit? Like, I ain't a permit to sell. Oh, yeah, I was like, we don't need permits. We're, you know,

we're in this program, but he's like, yeah, you have your ID? I'm like, well, how do you need my ID for her? Whips his little badge out. And he's like, all right, you're, you're, you're, all right, this is, let me see your ID. So he gives my ID.

He calls, he calls, he calls the little thing out. It comes up inavailable. Something about just the way I was acting to him, whatever, he's like, something that ain't right. So he's like, so, what's up, man, is this really you? Is this, you know, fake? Because this shit looks fake. and I'm like, man, it's, no, no, it's me. He's like, come on.

And he calls in for a uniform. Uniform, uniform comes. They run my name. And they're going to take me on, we're going to run your prints. And I knew I'm done, because the prints run, I'm done. It's going to come up. They say, you might as well tell us who you are. Let's say, Charles Hart.

Give him my name. I start to run in my name. Boom, positive 50. Boom, warrant. Warrant. Now I got warrants. Remember, so I got still. Warren's in Virginia, never, never, never took care of. Now I got a violation from Florida.

I'm like, oh, he's like, oh, he's a violation. We got one from Virginia. Oh, they call Virginia first, right? Oh, we're not coming to get you. All right. And the guy's like, yeah, Florida probably won't come to get you either. Shit me, Ian. Oh, they're coming. What? I'm only on the West Coast. What are you talking about? They're coming. Yeah, dude, they're coming to get there. I sit in jail like 90 days. All of a sudden, I'm in jail 90 days.

Waiting, get it. The 90 day, they don't come get me. They have to let me go. That was like the deal, like the whole thing. Well, they come literally on the last, I mean, the last minute on the minute to pick me. You got terrible luck. I do. As a criminal, I was the worst criminal on earth.

I really was. Like, bad luck. But actually, good luck in a lot of ways, too. but he uh so end up going man and i what what the crazy part of the whole thing was right and the whole scenario is is they come and get me they're they're being super cool with me they're like oh yeah you got a probation violation you know i know i'm about ready to get stuck i'm about to go do 10 years i'm done like i know i'm getting 10 years like it's i mean because i signed a con when you sign a sentence it's like signing a contract like like i'm done like i know i'm

getting a minimum of 10 years i may get more because i ran now so i'm like so i'm like all right i already my mindset i'm doing so they're like i'm like how are you going like have you plane like i'm trying to figure this out so they take me right up to we're going right to the airport we're flying commercial so i'm like like this is a real thing like i'm so we get to the airport and they're like look we're going to cuff you you know so they i mean they're the airport, they know what the deal is. Like, they know who I am, what the deal is. They walk me up.

I mean, this is, can't keep in mind, this is after 9-11. So it's like, you think about security, we're, like, walking right through the airport, no questions I asked, get on a plane, I'm sitting there. And we're, like, boarded before anybody else does. I'm sitting there. Cops right there, one is the other side right here. Do they give you refreshments? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, because you don't realize, oh, yeah, order anything you want. But you're paying for it. it. You're paying for it at the end. So, so they're like, oh, we're flying to Cleveland.

I'm like, why are we going to Cleveland? He's like, when we do these trips, we try to do loops and we pick up other people. I say, so what's going to happen with Cleveland? Or like, or am I going to, want a hotel now or something? I'm like thinking you're going to handcuff me to a hotel bed or something? Like, no, no, we don't do stuff like that. No, you go to the Cleveland jail. And then we pick him up in the morning, we'll pick you up. We'll pick you both up. We'll take you to the airport and we'll fly from Cleveland down. to Orlando and we'll drive to Lake County. Okay.

Well, that morning comes, and I'm sitting there, and they're releasing, they take me downstairs for release, right? Well, they put me inside the release time. They, they're... All right, everyone. Welcome to Arcoe rewards orientation. I'm Hannah. Whoa.

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Like, I'm getting down the thing. I'm like, I'm about ready to get released. They're going to screw up. I want to be on the streets of Cleveland. I know nobody. I know this much. I'm running because I'll be like, you let me go. Like, I didn't know.

I'm going to stay here and be like, oh, I got to go do 10 years. Well, let's see how far this goes. And I get there and they get to the last people and they're like, I'm like, yeah, me, I got to go. And they're like, so I'm like, like, where's your, where's your, where's your, You can't find my release paperwork. Then they figure it out. They put me in the wrong spot. They hit me and put me over the guy that I'm going down to Florida with.

When we start talking, I'm like, ah, yes, I was this close. Terrible. And so we end up going there. I end up going back to Lake County. Now, I'm in Lake County. I know I got 10 years, right? Minimum of 10 years. A lawyer comes to me.

He says, the judge is super pissed. He said, you ran out on probation. You've conned across the country. You're gone for two years. you're done. He's talking like 20. He's talking about to hand to you, you're done.

He said, we just got to go in there and just eat it, take it on the chin. He said, I'll try to schedule out in a couple months, just go relax, go hang out. So my mindset at that point, man, Ian, now I'm in the snitching us jail in the world.

I'm watching all these dudes like telling each other. I'm like, and everyone's like trying to ask me about a case and stuff. I'm like, dude, dude, you can snitch on me and get some more time, go right ahead. I'm, I got 10 years ago, dude. I'm, you know, so there is a, there is actually a crazy thing that happens. So the guard that I told you about that was doing all the stuff with me the first time, he gets busted this

during his time frame, right? When about it, for I get to sentencing, he ends up getting caught with someone else, ends up, you know, ends up getting caught and everything and everyone like, oh, they start bringing me down there to the, they, they, they start bringing me down there to the, The thing, cops like, so tell us what you know about him. And I'm like, I haven't been here for years. They're like, well, we got your, you know, we got, you know, we got old slips with your parents' name. And I was like, I don't know. I don't know.

I'm not going to snitch on him because you don't tell him the police. Like, I don't know when you're in feds, you don't, you don't snitch on the cops. That's like that's the one, because they don't care if they're telling you to do it or not. But when you get back to the housing, you know, these people are all friends. Like, that's the worst thing that happens. Later on in prison, I learned at the long, only the second time. Well, so I end up, end up, ends up basically, I end up find out they all got busted, like three or four of them got busted for bringing pills, you know, cell phones, the whole deal.

They had this going on for a couple years. They finally, somebody got tired of them, just told on them, you know, ended their deal. Well, during this whole time frame, all this is happening. inside the same county jail. I'm literally sitting at a table and a guy comes to me and says, hey man, you know anybody can kill my wife?

I'm like, what? What are you doing? He's like, yeah, he's like, yeah, dude, my wife and her son, man, got me in his crazy charges. Yeah, bro, yeah, bro. And there's other guys in her like, yeah, I can do it?

Can you get me out? I'm like, dude, I'm getting away from all of y'all. I got, this is insane. Like, they are literally, and they end up, And, like, they end up telling on, the one guy ended up basically telling on the other guy and got time knocked off his sentence. I'm like, what did you think was going to happen? Oh, my God.

So I watch, I've literally watched cops, you know, get busted for doing crazy stuff. Then on top of it, I'm sitting there in, now I got a murder for hire right in front of me. And I'm like, what do you guys think you guys are? Like, how am I the smartest guy in the room here? Just keep my mouth shut. And so my lawyer is playing the wait game. He's like, we're just going to wait it out, try to cool the judge off, you know, and I'm like, right, cool. And so time goes by a little bit, and I'm sitting there, and next thing I know, he calls me for sentencing.

And I go up for sentencing. Now, keep my mind in. I know I'm getting 10. I know I'm getting 10. I'm cool with that. I don't want 20, but I'll take 10 at this point just to be done. and I'll get out, you know, you know, I'll still be young, I'll still have my life ahead of me, and I won't have no probation, no nothing.

I'll get the case in Virginia ranking current, because I already got paperwork in on on that, so I'm fair. I won't walk out in 10 years, I'll be, I'll have a fresh start. Well, I get downstairs, and my lawyer comes right to a little cage. It's like, a little cage thing's like, well, you go in there, shut the fuck up. Don't say a word. Yes, ma'am. no ma'am, thank you, ma'am.

All you say. I'm like, okay, walk into court. Go right in. And it's a different judge. He had my case moved. He got the move of my case to another judge. She goes on sentencing guidelines. Got in my memory, and I've never been in that much trouble.

So I only scored out to like four years in prison. She says, well, we'll go ahead and convert your probation from 10 years to four years, the Department of Corrections, with time served. Are you agree to this plea? I never signed something so fast. Like, I thought I broke the pen.

I literally had like indents of blood in my finger because I was like, whatever you need to sign. So I sign it. Different prosecutor, everything, that case is done. I go back. he says, yep, as he earned your money, appreciate you. And he's like, yep, he's like, he said, do not come back to Lake County.

Yep, you're right. So I'm, so I go, I go up there. And he's like, I had an outstanding charge in Putton County, which is like two or three counties over. So I knew I was going to have to go, I was going to get transferred there, which they were going to run it together anyway. So it wouldn't, it was fine. It was for like a bad check. So I'm sitting there, like waiting for them, come get me. Nothing.

I'm not moving, nothing's happening. I'm not going to prison yet. I'm like, it's confused. Next week goes a rose round. They bring me back, they tell me Hartman in court. Court. I'm right. I'm done.

I'm so confused. I'm walking across the bridge. And this is the middle of the afternoon. I'm by myself. And he's like, I don't know what you did, but Judge Hill is pissed. What do you mean? I walk in. I never seen someone.

so mad as a judge. He told me, he said, Mr. Hartman, where's your lawyer at? I haven't seen him since last week, sir. He's like, he said, yeah. He said, when I was on vacation, he had your case moved over to another judge. He said, I can't do anything about this. You get, you're getting a break today. You're catching a break. I was going to give you 25 years. And he said, consider that gift from God today. If I ever see you again, bring your toothbrush. He lugged you into court just to say that? Yes. Wow.

Yeah. And he demanded my lawyer to find my lawyer because he was going to ring my lawyer. And he said, but don't worry. He said, I'll get my justice. This is open court. I'm like how he gets my job.

It was where they sent me to. And so he told me, he was like, oh, dude, you're going to go. You're going to have an easy sentence this time. We're going to get you somewhere. We're going to get you one of the private camps. You know, already put you in there. You're going to be good.

You've got in custody. We're going to get the warrant in Virginia. So the detainer's office will get you on work. You'll be at work release within a year. Okay. Now, I ain't happening. So he, I get back. I got up going to Lake Butler.

I go to Putting County, take care of my charges of Putting County. They send me the Lake Butler. Go through reception. Now, if you Google, Lake Butler. Lake Butler is the worst place in Florida to go through. I don't know if you've ever had guys on here from Lake Butler or not. Man, they are hands-on. They are very hands-on. When you get off the bus, it doesn't matter if you're white or black. They are hands-on. They are in your face. They are getting aggressive very quickly. And they have a thing called permanent transfer. It's very unique. If they want to disappear you in the Florida system, it's called permanent transfer.

They will, there's a lot of, you know, urban myths and rumors about Lake Butler about guys and being dug up in graves and hills there and being put on permanent transfer. What they do is they literally put you in permanent transfer on your paperwork. So your family calls up, hey, where is it, where is my family member at? Oh, he's on permanent, he's on transfer. Well, he's on transfer. I can't tell you where he's at because it's a security issue. And they literally just put you on term of transfer for years.

or they'll throw you in confinement for six months, nine months in confinement and just under investigation, and they're marking you under permanent transfer. So you're just, you're screwed. So I know, like, just keep my mouth shut, just do my time. You know what I mean? I get that. And I'm sitting there. I'm in Lake Butler, just relax.

And I'm on the yard, and I'm like, okay, cool. I got four years ago to do. And that's when it. it hit me in. Well, one of the moments that I had the aha moment finally, the guy, the guy we were playing poker with in the dorm. And he was like, when are you getting out kid? And I was like, four years, man, nothing, you know, did I? He said, nah, you're doing a life sentence. You just don't know it. You're paying into an installments. I'm giving it to them and 20 at a time. You're getting them to them three here, five here, three here, four here.

And it hit me. Like, this is the real deal. Like, I'm giving these guys my life. Like, I got to change some shit. And I was like, I was like, I got to get through these four years, get out, and I got to get away from this. And I got to get, I got to figure out what I need to do in life. And that's what that's what that four years was built for. And that four years, I've seen a lot of craziness. I mean, I literally watched a guy literally, I mean, you talk about like, I mean, they,

They stuck me when they sent me. They sent me in the New River. And it says like there's like a Jit camp there and you got adults. And I mean, it's as serious as you can. Guys are running around with lawnmower blades, like the little push mowers and blades are this long. And it's just as real as can be. Like, I mean, there's people getting airlifted off there two, three, four times a day. Wow.

And I'm just like, like, the judge got me. He stuck, you know, it took to me. he put in my file very violent, very, you know, like he just, he just, he stuck it to me. And, and I remember being there, and, and I think the moment where it really hit me that was here is, the first time I watched somebody get stabbed. Like, it was the first time I kind of got by, right? I kind of got by. It's kind of a cakewalk, and it was honestly, like, a free hustle.

Like, it got real in here because, like, there was no, like, there was no. My buddy told me, he's like, there's no guarantee you're getting out of here in three years at that point. Just because you got an exit date, they don't mean nothing, man. People come in here with X-States and they get airlifted out of here, and they got, they got clothful bags the rest of their life getting stabbed up. I was like, this is, I was like, I realized now I'm been really in prison. And it started dawned on me, like, I got to change some stuff. I mean, I remember being on a pedal bike, and I'm watching these, you know, this guy comes up,

just takes a lawn more thing just sticks this guy right in the neck and just and just, I mean, he really walked right up to the, brought up to the, a wreck window and beat on the window. Girl was brand new. Screw your officer,

brand new. I just killed that dude over here. You might want to come getting. And I'm just like, I'm fucking, what am I doing? Like, like,

I got to get my life together. You got to be, what, early 30s now? Yeah, at that point, at that point, at that point, this is 2000, This is 2010.

You know what I mean? This is, you know, I'm, you know, 2010. Yeah, I'm over 30s. I'm like, man, this is like, I got, I got life ahead of me. There's dudes in here that got life sentences and they're getting guys getting 50, 60 years. I got to figure out. You got to stop fucking around. I got to find a real hustle.

I got to find something that ain't this. So I started putting together and I started putting together. Like, I'm just going to be good. Why in here? I'm not going to move fast. I'm not going to do it. My buddy ends up, my buddy ends up getting me a job, working with him up front.

And he ends up, he's hanging out with one of the correction officers. They end up hooking up. Well, now, there goes my downfall. Once again, I'm hanging out with people, right? So they're hooking up or hanging out. And now, I'm like, I'm the late, most laid back person in the world, like, when I was in prison. Like, if somebody, if I had something, I let somebody borrow something, I wouldn't store price. I'm like on two for one.

them and I like crazy stuff, right, man, because I have money. I don't need their stuff. Well, I end up, like, they're hooking up. So I'm, like, playing watch out for them. So I'm getting heat from officers because they know what's going on. You know what I mean? Because they all talk to each other. And they can't stand that kind of stuff.

Then, so I end up, I end up loaning this kid like a tuna, a $2 a $2. And he could not pay me because he'd barred from everybody else in the compound, right? So he figured I was the easiest collateral damage he could take out because I'm not gang-related or whatever. So he drops a kite. He comes up to me like one night. He's like, hey, man, can I get up? Can I bar another tuna? I swear, man, I got you.

You know, calmsary day. You've heard that a million times. You know, you're probably like me, man. You're like, here, man, take it. You're rather than give it to the dude just to get rid of him. Yeah. So I'm sitting here. He goes and he puts a stupid, he puts a little blade in my locker.

and goes and drops a kite in the religious box, I have a knife and I'm playing on stabbing someone. So this is the middle of, I'm like playing cards. I go back upstairs and I'm like, I go to bed. Middle of the night, officers come. Man, I'm sitting there. They have family out there. Where's a knife at?

Where's a knife at? I'm like, knife. Dude, I'm not a knife the whole time I'm here. What are you talking about? And like, can't y'all tell this thing? And they already got him in cuffs. They got him separated. I'm like, oh, shit.

He put, he turned on you. He's going to show. He did this and he did this. And he claddle damaged me because there's no recut. Like, he did that to a gang member. They're going to, no matter what, they're going to get him in the system. Me, I'm not a affiliate. So I take the heat.

Well, the officer is going through it. This dummy ends up poking herself with this thing. now it goes from a level one until now it's a level 10 she's screaming my face is that razor got anything oh yeah i'm like what razor do so they cuff me they take me out and i'm like and they walk in him one way to medical because before you go to find me you always go to medical and they start taking me around the long way around the building i know what's coming they're going to drop me and they're going to beat my ass they drop me spray me But I'm cuffed.

I'm cuffed. Now, I'm probably at this time maybe 400 pounds or so. I'm not as big of those first. I'm cuffed. I'm like like like this. And they're just like dropping elbows on me. And they're like trying to take the spray and put in my mouth. And I'm like, just get this over with.

Just beat my ass and get this over with. I don't cry. I don't yell. Don't scream. I don't do anything. They take me upstairs. And they end up going into this, you know, into this room and they let me shower out and everything and they put me in a cell by myself.

First thing I say to him, I'm like, like, we got any problems. I know I ain't going, no problems on me, man. Like, because I know what's going to come. They're going to gas me. They're going to gas me again. That's the reason to put me in a cell by themselves. So I'm waiting for it. I'm just waiting for it. And like, I guess they were smart enough to start putting the full puzzle together, like this guy in the debt or whatever. So the sergeant that beat my ass comes to me at the door. It's the glass. We good?

I mean, what am I going to say at that point? No, man, no. I want to write a report on you, sir. No, man, we're good. So the last two years of that sentence, I stuck it behind the door. I get sent because they got me a battery on officer charge because she got poked. So I end up going to have to go to FSP. So my last 18 months, two years or so, I'm behind the door at Federal Street Prison,

same place to have old sparky death row because of a kite. And but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Spending two years behind the door because I'm not around all the chaos because I got to clear my head and start putting together a plan when I get out. And I was like, okay, let's put the other plan. Let's figure this out. And I was like, all right, I'm going to max the sentence out. I'm walking out with no probation, no nothing.

What do I do? You know, the thing in Virginia gets cleared. So I option there, I go home. You know, option one, right? I was like, if I go home, I'm back around my friends and family, back around the same people. San Florida, same thing. I have to get a clean break.

So I'm like, where can I go? I'm going to have a little bit of money to start with. I was very blessed with a family that cared for me. Option two, I need somewhere that's going to be a 24-hour city that I can get around with no car. I'm going to be on a bus. It's somewhere that I can get a job. So, Ian, guess where I pick a Las Vegas. I'm like, 24-hour city, got buses.

It's warm. It's not cold because I'm getting out. My tattoo right here, one three, one three, 14, day I get out of prison. So I'm getting out in January, right? So I'm like, man, I got to go somewhere where it's warm. I'm like, I can't go somewhere. I don't want to go to 24-hour city so that guy can get around. I don't want to go to New York.

It's going to be too cold, Chicago. I was going to be freezing air. I don't want to go to L.A. I've been out in California before. you know what, I'll always like Vegas. I'll go to Vegas. There's got up there. They're going to be a place and get jobs out in Vegas, right?

So I literally get out. I mean, literally get out and I'm like on a bus to Vegas. And like the probation officer slash classification officer comes to me like two weeks beforehand. She's like, give us where you want to

where you're going. I'm like, oh, I'm going to Vegas. And she's like, maybe it was a little bit more than two weeks. I think it was like a month or so. And she's like, well, you've got to us an address. I was like, I don't have probation. She said, well, you'll have to give us an address that you're going to. So I ended up having to write a homeless shelter, let me have a place to come, D.O.C. Homers shelter. So I hadn't know where to go because they wouldn't take a motel address. I was going to just give them a motel address, and I was going to get a motel for a month.

So I ended up giving them the thing. It was a DOC Salvation Army program. They accepted me in. So I ended up actually going there And I stayed for Almost seven months in this program And it was a really good thing Because it transitioned me back in And it was a really good thing Because, you know, it actually gave me some discipline

It gave me some rules It gave me a little bit of regulations And I'm working like two to three jobs I can't really figure out what I'm going to do Because I was like, man I was like, I don't want to go back hustling I don't do scams I don't want to do another of this stuff.

I was like, man, I got to figure something I can do. And I'd always, I always had a knack for promoting and doing events and stuff. I'd done when I was younger and stuff. And so I started promoting, like, pro wrestling shows and sort of promoting events and stuff because I had some friends that were in it. And I just got into promotion. And, but I was like, I needed another job at Stable to help me while we get this off the ground. Well, I ended up hooking up with this guy named Nick, who was a,

work for direct TV. And, I mean, at that time, Ian, I don't think the most I legally ever made was maybe 20 grand, 30 grand a year. I mean, now, it illegally made a lot more, right? So I went in an interview with the guy, and he's like, he had a sales job. And I was like, my time this comes around, this is like summertime, you know, summertime. And it's hot in Vegas. It's 190 degrees. No one's out, no one for his sales team's out knocking doors.

I'll go knock doors right now I don't care and he's like man he's like I really appreciate the hustle I don't know if I can get you past my background check because you're got felons and I'm like

he gave me a shot and that's all it takes sometimes is somebody to give you one opportunity and that's what he did and he gave me an opportunity and that first year I made $150,000 that's awesome

and I fucking was killing it bro I'm out there knocking doors I mean, it's dead of summer. I mean, I'm closed and deal after deal doing door to door. And I'm like, okay. And then I started doing the promoting thing. And I was like, man, this is great. I got life back on track, right?

And so then I'm like, you know, I'm doing events, doing a couple events and stuff. They're going up. They offer really well. I'm doing the direct TV thing. And up meeting my wife. The craziest story ever is I go to Philadelphia for an event. I have to Uber from our hotel. And I'm like sitting there, like waiting for this event to be over with.

An Uber driver pulls up and meets a girl. And I started talking to her and she's taking back to my hotel. And I'm like, well, I'm here for another day. You want to go get a drink? And she's like, what are you? I can't. You're my Uber customer. I'm like, well, pretend you're not my.

I was like, are you going to get fire? Are you going to get fired? You're the Uber driver, right? And I met her, man, it was the perfect time, man. When they say, like, when you stop looking for someone. It comes, it comes. And she was my saving grace, man. Timing is everything.

She was it, man. She was a saving grace, man. She was the thing that got me back on, like, really tracked, like zeroed in. And, you know, I did the promoting for a couple years with DirecTV. And then COVID comes, shuts the world down. And I'm like, what am I going to do now? I'm like, now, I mean, now, I mean, I've lost my business I'm doing. I'm like back at zero again.

Like, what do I do? I said, well, I'll go back to sales. I mean, it's an actual thing. You know what I mean? End up working for a sports handicapping company and doing really well there. And, you know, end up making, you know, 250,000 and just killing it, man, with sales. And I was like, this is the sales thing, man. And, like, I really found, like, there was a, there was a, there's a way once you get past all your bullshit and you start stop blaming people for it and you start saying, start owning your own shit.

And being like, hey, I'm just going to do this the right way. Yeah. And it becomes a real good thing. And, you know, I always was like, you know, there's a story. There's a crazy story you can share about yourself, right? Because everybody, like I said, for the very beginning of everybody, everybody, everybody's going on a journey. Mine's been a wacky journey. Like, well, I tell people I have my stories.

Like, dude, there's no way. I'm like, go paper check. It's there. Like, and, you know, it's a crazy thing that you can think about how you can just tell your story and how you can help change people's lives. And, like, I honestly never thought I'd do one of these shows. Like, I'd watch them for a couple years and people were like, oh, dude, you should go, dude, you got the crazy prison stories. And there's probably a million more stories I could tell you today about, like, dudes. I watched in prison and everything.

The two things prison taught me more than anything was how you can get along with anybody more than anything, right? Is that I honestly think if you would take some of these politicians that hate each other and their different beliefs, lock them at 12 by 12 with each other for 23 and 1, 23 hours a day locked in a room together where they got a shit, eat and sleep together. I promise you, they could figure. at San Manuel is California's number one entertainment destination for the biggest shows this summer. Catch vocal powerhouse Christina Aguilera July 21st. Rock out to Imagine Dragons July 23rd and enjoy the signature G-Funk sounds of Snoop Dog July 24th. Tickets are on sale now at Yamava Theater.com. Only at Yamava Resort and Casino, celebrating its 40th anniversary. You win? Must be 21 to enter.

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your miles go further across the South Pacific. Book now at Fiji Airways dot com or contact your local travel agent. Conditions apply. How to run our government. Yeah, they'll hash it out. They'll figure this shit out. While I was in prison, I mean, you tell me

a Southern dude is one of his best friends is going to be a Muslim dude. Like that's real. And they end up being your lifelong friends. Like I still talk to people. Yeah. My bunkie, my old monkey at Fort Dix, Bolo, text me all the time. You make good guys. Yeah, yeah,

exactly. And that's what happens, right? Like, you find there's a way, right? So I was like, man, I never want to tell my story. And I was like, no, I don't want to do it. I don't want to be on the things. They're stupid. They're dumb. You're going to get a bunch of haters on there. all you're going to talk shit and everything.

And then I met my dude Tyler, who you know, or rot, and, you know, he's got his production company. And, you know, just a great dude. And he was like, dude, you got a crazy story. Let's start putting you guys some real, some Facebook stuff. You know what I mean? Social media stuff. Put it out there.

You're going to go on Ian's show. Ian's a solid dude. Go on there. Tell your story. And, like, my whole thing is, like, when I want to say, are telling the story is, like, everybody deserves a redemption, right? Like, that's the deal, right? And it's a hustle to get the redemption.

It really is. Like, if people don't realize, it takes a while to get it. Like, sometimes your redemption story don't come the first time, second time, even the third time. Maybe it comes to fourth time. And sometimes it's not what you expect it to be. Not at all what I expect it to be. But what happens is life changed really for me in December.

Like this past December, life changed for me completely. My best friend that I knew growing up, I mean, we went through everything together. I mean, from kindergarten to mid-40s, you don't, you don't, I mean, how many people do you know that you've known since kindergarten? Do you talk to this today? Like, so me and this kid grew up trading wrestling figures, cards, you know, going on dates with each other, with, you know, with our dates, you know, everything, right? and what it happened was I got my shit together finally. And like, see, Ian, I won the game. Like, to me, life's like a video game, right?

Like, I won the game. Like, now I'm playing all these bonus rounds, right? I'm playing all these cool bonus rounds because where I got my win was, is, you know, a couple years ago, my mom and we were talking, she said, I can finally have peace that you're okay. That you finally got it. You got a great girl. You got a family. you've put it together. Like that's where I won the game, right?

And then my best friend who helped me win the game, Brad Overfelt, man, God rest of soul, man. He, when I got out of prison, he was the first person there every time to help me, you know, all the way across the board. Well, when COVID happened, a lot of people know this, COVID changed a lot of people, man. It sheltered people, it drove people into homes. Some people didn't come out of that ever. And he was one of them, and he got addicted to some really bad pills, some fentanyl and some bad stuff. And, man, I talked to him and, hey, man, you're good. Yeah, yeah, he's good, you're good.

And I'll be, hey, man, let me FaceTime you. He never wouldn't FaceTime because that's when you know. Something's up, yeah. Yeah, something's up. So one of our other best friends had basically had a heart attack in November. and he was in ICU for a couple weeks got out and I came down past Christmas to visit everybody visit family and stuff and I seen him and I was like man putting me aside like dude what's going on man oh man I'm good you ain't good you're not good dude dude let's go to your parents man let's go let's go

handle this you know what I mean you need to come you need to come to jersey with me you Did you get away from this? Yeah, you got a bedroom. Let's go. And to this day, Ian, I regret the decision I made that night because I let it go. And a week later, his mom called me that Saturday morning, told me they found him dead. Hmm. Like, I should have, like, I was like, dude, let me go grab your parents.

Let's grab your brother, Adam. Let's get this shit fix, man. And I was like, no, man. I can't do, you know, I don't want to ruin Christmas, man. I'm going to burn everything up. after Christmas, man, I'll come up your house. Dude, we'll get it squared away. All right, cool.

I let it go. That's another life lesson I learned that sometimes whatever's inside, be, if don't listen to it, go for it. And I should have just grabbed him, took him to his parents, or done whatever, right? And I mean, here or there, that's, you know, gone now. But the thing is, is a week later, they found him dead. The thing he told me, that night was he said the worst thing he could ever feel is being found be found dead alone

being being basically dying alone because he was always in a house by himself we talked about a wrestler that died that um the eddie grero he had a heart attack and he was you know found him found him dead a couple days later by you know other people right when they found him there was there was a fuck i can't think of the the shot um you call it the you can take the injection apipound Yeah, there was one right there beside him. Couldn't get to it. And just knowing, like, if you have somebody that you can reach out to and you can share a story that can help change someone or do something, you have a duty as a human being in the world to share your story to help them. Absolutely.

Yeah. Yeah, and then that's kind of the, that's been kind of the journey, man, just doing this, man. and now I think I'm going to try this whole creating content. Well, this is a good first step. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I got on the Bauder show, the boss there, you know. I mean. The what show?

Your show? Yeah, yeah, you know. But, no, man, I truly appreciate the opportunity to come on here, man, share my story. Of course, man. We always love a guest that's well prepared to share their story. I barely had to do any work. You did the whole thing. Nah, man.

Yeah, that's the thing. like, man, like I knew like an opportunity like this to come to share your story. It's not about to me like we talked about earlier, man, we can tell the funny ha ha story. Like the cheeseburger story, right? Everybody loves the cheeseburger story. Like I tell the cheeseburger story there about all the time. They love it, right? But then I'll talk about yeah, man, man.

Man, it's crazy though. And what if I would have wanted a different direction. You know what I mean? And, you know, that's that's where the value comes in for doing stuff like this because you have an opportunity to reach out to so many people. And I mean, yeah, I mean, and people can follow me. It's real simple. I am Charlie Hartman.

It's on Instagram, you know, Facebook, social media. Everything's the same. Yeah, we'll put the link in the bio to the episode. Yeah, please do. Yeah. And if I can ever, like, here's the thing. If anyone's ever, like, I know, like, you don't know everybody in the world. And you don't really know who's real and who's aren't.

You know what I mean? Like, you know, a lot of the social media, you get one image and something. somebody in the midst or not. Here's my thing. The whole thing on the whole redemption hustle was Braddett told me, you know, before he died, he said, you have a story to tell people to help change people. And that's kind of where the name came from because we kind of kind of fumbled it together back then. And I just never did the thing.

If I can ever reach out to someone, man, is struggling with any kind of addiction or whatever, even if you don't know me, I would rather someone pick up and deem me. me and just be like, hey, man, I'm going through some shit. I don't know you, but I feel like that's my way I can do to help because I did a lot of craziness and a lot of bad stuff for a long time to, and then now having the opportunity to come on a place like this to kind of help people. It's kind of a good thing. Yeah, life comes full circle. Absolutely. Well, Charlie, thank you so much, man. It was a pleasure talking to you. And thanks for driving up here today. Yeah, man, we wish you the best. And good luck on your social media.

journey. Thanks, Rowland. Appreciate you.