Locked In with Ian Bick - Pro Baseball Player Builds Drug Empire | Pete Polis

Episode Date: July 27, 2025

Pete Polis went from playing for the Yankees to building a drug empire out of a furniture store. Growing up in Long Island with a father in the NYPD, Pete was on the right track — drafted to play for the Blue Jays, White Sox, and Yankees. But after walking away from baseball, his life took a shocking turn. He became a pastor, took a job at a furniture store, and secretly built an intricate drug operation — eventually working with a cartel. When the feds caught up, Pete was sentenced to 4 years in federal prison. In this interview, Pete reveals how he hid his double life, what really goes on inside the drug game, and how prison led him to start over. Now sober and running a recovery house, this is the wild redemption story you don’t want to miss. #TrueCrimePodcast #FederalPrisonStory #BaseballToPrison #DrugTrafficking #RedemptionStory #PrisonInterview #RecoveryJourney #LockedInPodcast Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Get 50% off the Magic Mind offer here: https://www.magicmind.com/IANB50. #magicmind #mentalwealth #mentalperformance Presented by Tyson 2.0 & Wooooo Energy: https://tyson20.com/ https://woooooenergy.com/ Buy Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop Timestamps: 00:00:00 From Baseball Player to Dr*g Trafficker 00:06:07 Baseball Journey and Achievements 00:12:40 Law and Ethics: A Father's Influence 00:19:24 Early Baseball Career and Setbacks 00:26:00 Journey in Independent Baseball 00:32:24 Starting a Food Bank: Overcoming Challenges 00:39:09 Teaching Inmates Telemarketing Skills 00:46:29 Journey into Illegal Activities 00:53:24 Overcoming Fear and Seeking Protection 00:59:52 Uncovering a Flawless Smuggling Operation 01:05:44 Midnight Move: Avoiding Unwanted Attention 01:12:34 Escaping Federal Pursuit 01:19:23 Legal Struggles and Plea Bargains: Navigating Sentencing Options 01:25:58 Unexpected Arrest Encounter 01:32:18 From Dealer to Recovery Home Entrepreneur 01:38:34 Overcoming Addiction Through Faith and Transformation Powered by: Just Media House : https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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San Antonio is currently trading at 22% to win it all, meaning a $100 trade pays out 455 if they take the title. On Kalshi, you're trading against other people in a live market, no house, no odds makers. And as the odds move, you can buy in or out any time throughout the post season. For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code hoops to get $10 when you trade $10. KLSHI, Kalshi, trade on anything. I needed to find a way to handle the amount of customers that I had. So I started telling them to meet me in the store. I knew a couple of key things, discounted items, and layaways are the two things that

needed to be approved by managers. So I know I should just come in there, just say you want to put this on layaway. Say a living room set. I don't know you didn't mean pills if you say. Bedroom set and leave me coke. And I just started categorizing different vignettes. Pete Polis grew up on Long Island, the son of an NYPD detective with dreams of making it big in baseball.

He did just that playing for the Blue Jays, White Sox, and Yankees before walking away from the game. After a stint as a pastor, he took a job at a furniture store and secretly built an intricate drug operation out of the back, eventually working with a cartel. It all came crashing down when he got caught and was sentenced to four years in federal prison. Today, Pete's sober and running a recovery house, and this is the unbelievable story of how a pro-ball player turned drug trafficker, found redemption. Pete, welcome to Lockton, man. Thanks so much for coming today. Thanks for having me, you have an incredible story. I think you're our second ever baseball type story on the podcast, and the first one was to Danny Collins when I was telling you about. Everyone loved it. And you just have a very interesting story. I think the audience is really going to love it.

I appreciate it. I went through a lot. I can tell you that. Yeah, but at least you're positive about it now. you know, it would be one thing to go through a lot and not learn from it and be miserable, miserable, but you went through a lot and you're positive about it and, you know, you're, you're offbeat. You're not down in the dumps. It takes just as much energy to be positive, it does negative. Yeah, absolutely. Before we get rolling, I want to tell you about Magic Mind.

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Yeah, big shout out to Magic Mind for a sponsor in today's episode with these. So Pete, where are you from? Where'd you grow up? New York. I grew up on Mount Vernon, but I grew up on Long Island, New York. And what was your upbringing like? I can't say it was normal, but I had grew up, son of a detective, my dad was a cop and in the city and very focused on baseball my whole life. We had one little thing we did as a father-son. We used to go into the bigger clubs around the area and dumps to dive.

Believe it or not, we used to go in there and get the bottles. And I'm not joking you. And to this day, my dad's 86, he still collects bottles. I don't, it's just, it is what it is. But we used to collect them every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. What kind of detective was it? In New York City, he was walking the beat, walking the street, stuff like that. But he did that for 17 years.

And then he got into an accident and had both his hips, you know, broken and replaced in his knees. And, you know, just gave it up and went into private security. But that's the opposite of what I did, obviously. He played baseball when he was younger. I know he got the potential to get drafted when he was 16. but at those times you need a parental signature, like consent to do that. And his mother didn't want him to play.

So she said, you know, get a real job, go become a cop. So, I mean, better watch the words that have spoken over you because it did come true. I mean, it was good for him. But me, I just did that. I focused on baseball. I know we went to different clubs and stuff like that. And I know one day while we were collecting bottles,

I had a gentleman come out, nice three-piece suit, and kindly ask me what the hell I was doing in his dumpster. You know, I'm obviously collecting bottles, but it wasn't his dumps. I say, hey, it's not your dumpster. And he said, hey, come out here. Put his arm around me. I know my dad freaked out. He thought he was some kind of pedified, but he wasn't.

And just offered me a job just to be outside of his club each night, each day after school, and I was just going to sweep the cigarette butts. He owned a club on Long Island. And so I started doing that for about three, four, five, six months. And then after school, I'd go there and I would just help stock the bars before it opened up. And did that for many years. So a nice bunch of guys, they winded up funding me as far as my baseball teams are concerned.

They sponsored all my little league teams when I played. Involved with that. So just baseball and that, really. but baseball wound up paying for my education. You know, I ended up getting a... I still got a home run record in high school. Believe it not. Last time I checked, they sent me the jersey

and it was supposed to retire the number. But still to this day, it holds about... They wanted to be getting a five-year-full scholarship to New York Tech. Was your mom in the picture? Yeah, my mom was in the picture. Just a supportive mom, went to every single game, yelled at me and scolded me, you know? I say her, out of what we're...

She passed away last September, so she's not able to see this, but she was able to see a rebound. I went down a little bit of a dark path for a while that she wasn't very happy of. But yeah, she was there every game. What'd she do for work growing up? I think she worked, I see, I think. I know for a while she was just a stay-at-home mom, but she, you know, she raised three kids, and I was a handful. So she was driving me all over the place. But she winds up working for this high school that I played for in the office administrative work.

and whatnot, attendance. How do you compare an age to your siblings? Two years' difference between my oldest and four years for the first. Girls or boys? Both girls. I was the only boy. So you were the only sports guy? I was, well, my middle sister played a little bit softball and stuff like that,

but as far as, you know, getting involved with it on a professional level, yeah, yeah, and I was the youngest. So because you were the only boy, did that mean you and your dad were closer? automatically gravitate towards your dad and vice versa. I think everyone gravitates that. Yeah. It was a rough, and I say he's still alive. He'll probably see this. It was a rough upbringing because of the expectations that were laid upon me.

You have to be the best. For baseball. Oh, yeah. Do you think he pushed you that hard because he didn't get to fulfill his dreams of baseball? 100%. I just think, I say that. The vicariously through me. But 100%.

When you get to where you almost want to be, and you don't get there, and then you have a son that has more ability in you, you want to see that. But do you enjoy it? Were you happy doing that? I enjoyed it for a while. I enjoyed it for a while,

but it got to the point where it was exhausting as far as getting on the level and being, so you have to perform, sometimes just to get the affirmation from a parent, you know? It's just, it is tough. And I'll say that. I've always said that.

It's just tough. If you do great, you have a supportive, you know, parent. If you don't, you look upon, you know. How would you describe your personality in high school? I was always loud. I'm not going to say class clown. You know, I did graduate. I know in college I wanted to get like 3.26 GPA.

So I was smart. But I was very erratic. Thoughts all over the place, you know. I couldn't stick with one thing. I started a project and I have to finish. Baseball is the one thing that I stayed with and focused on and did. Later on in life, I realized I'm all over the place. But, yeah, I couldn't sit still.

Hard to sit still in school. Do you feel like you missed out on a lot of your childhood because of baseball? No, I don't think I missed that a lot. I had a good childhood. I think, I mean, there was many decisions that I made that would have altered later on in life. I know for a fact. I mean, I was, I think, in 1988, I was invited to Junior Olympics. If you do good with the Junior Olympics, you get invited to the Big Olympics.

And I had a great series, and I was invited. I don't know if it was in, it was out of the country. I know that. And I was invited to represent the East. And I said no, because I missed my home. It was a dumb decision, but it was a decision I stuck by. You know, I don't regret it because everything of my life would have altered with that. Because I think, I believe anybody who goes to the major Olympics can write their ticket.

You know, from then on out, they can write their ticket to any professional baseball team they want. What were some morals your dad instilled in you as a kid? If you're going to do it, give you everything you got. And I mean everything. Like, we would wake up. from the time we woke up in the morning, if he was off work to the time, the sun went down. It was baseball.

It was baseball, baseball, baseball. And I don't regret that because it taught me, you know, it taught me how to handle everything else from then on. You know, anything I start, I know I can succeed. They say, if you can make it, New York, you can make it anywhere. But it's the truth.

It really is. If you can make it in professional sports, I don't know the percentages exactly, but I know less than 1%. ever get drafted. We're not talking big leads. We're just talking about getting drafted, 8 billion people.

Less than a percent get drafted. So that means you have to be in the upper echelon of people to be drafted. So you have to, that takes a lot of discipline, a lot of hard work, hours and hours of hard work. What do you teach you about following the law and the law in general?

Well, to follow the law, I mean, I didn't, I mean, I was a little bit of a rebel, you know, growing up as far as like when I was in high school,

I know I snuck to the bleachers and went to drink and he caught me a bunch of times and warned me, but I knew my relationship with him. He could warn me all I wanted, but as long as I played, I know I'd have the race. So I did that, but he always taught me just followed a lot.

Even when I was with that family that I worked for at the club, I mean, it's common sense to know they're organized crime, but I wasn't involved in that, but I was around. There was a little gopher kid. I ran card games, you know, gay people drinks, go into a sandwich, deliver mail, just stuff like that.

But followed a law. And he was that way. He actually had a mob boss one day that fell and hurt himself. And he helped him to the hospital. And the guy came back and he owned a furniture store, I guess. And he said, he'd take whatever you want here and he didn't do it because it was wrong. So he followed the law 100%. Would he share stories from the job, like kind of like the, you know, the more tragic aspects of the job?

Oh, 100%. With being, yes. Yeah. We used to have this time where he would bring back, if he was studying a case and he would lay out pictures of the crime scene. And he'd ask, hey, what do you think happened here? You know, there was times that you see people's legs going through a telephone pole because of an accident. It's like, what do you think happened here? What do you think this person, this homicide, what do you think, how long do you think they were dead for compared to the bloating and the discoloration?

I mean, it was fun to me. It was probably gross to a lot of people, but, I mean, it was time with my dad, which is what I wanted, aside from baseball, because that was, he coached me, too. By the way, I didn't think I added that in every team up until high school he coached. So I got it at home and on the field. When he's telling you aspects about the job, are you thinking in your mind, yeah, I'm never going to get into trouble and this is going to keep me on the straight and arrow and I'm just, you know, everything's going to work out well in life? No, I mean, I got in trouble, but I just knew how to handle myself if I got in trouble. I mean, I did learn out from him. But in trouble to the point where you would end up in prison?

The one time I got close, I got caught stealing. Gosh, I don't know if it was Nintendo at the time. It was Atari or something like that. But I went to Toys R Us And I wound up Going down an aisle And sticking a bunch of There was a racetrack set

Well I cleared out racetrack set I put a bunch of video games In the box And wanted to go pay For the race track With all the games in there And I got caught And I almost pissed my pants

To be honest with you But they knew him So they called him And he came over to me And that scared me straight For a little bit You know That was the one time

That I got in trouble With the law up until when I got in trouble later on in life. Tell us about college, going to play baseball in college. College is cool. I mean, I came on and had a real good college career. I don't think I played my first year because I had someone playing before me, and he was graduating.

So I started really playing the end of my freshman year and sophomore junior. We played Division A, so we played against Texas Longhorns University of Miami. We traveled. I think I was a, I'm not sure you can look it up, but I think it was close to 300 average during baseball. And in 91, I wanted up, my junior year I got drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. And no one I got drafted, I wasn't going to take it. Because there's a 40-something round.

And, I mean, it's not great, but it's not bad either. So I said, I'm just going to play my. senior year. And I think the guy's name was Neil Sumner. The scout at that time was at my house and my high school coach

was with me along with my college and he put down a local newspaper that said the college went bankrupt and dropped the baseball team. So I didn't have a baseball team to go back to my senior year. So they made some phone calls

and they found UNLV and Texas Longhorns in University of Miami then we're going to pick up my scholarship, but I would have to red shirt a year because I believe, like, Charles Johnson Jr. and Jason Veritech were playing. I'm not going to outdo those guys.

I've got to be the big leagues. So I'd have to red shirt a year and hopefully have a good year one pass. I decided I didn't want to do that. I just took the money they gave me and signed with the Blue Jays and headed off to spring training with Blue Jays. What was the starting offer for that?

gosh I don't it was a multi-type offer I think it was only a few thousand dollars to sign but it also included a per diem to eat housing was paid for townhouses were paid for

in spring training and in Canada um it was it was kind of like I don't know what that would cost all that's the other but I didn't pay for anything I got cash and

and was paid to play play. That's all I thought about was, hey, something I played my whole entire life, now they're paying me to play, which is kind of a cool thought. And this was the actual pro team? Like a team, I know some of these teams have like minor league teams under them? No, those are minor league teams. Yeah. So you don't, you don't, when you get drafted, you don't go to big leagues. You start out at single A, then you go double A, triple A. A. A lot of people make the jump from double A to the bigs. A lot of the AAA are people in the big leagues. They get hurt or rehabbing. they go down to AAA, but a lot of people from single A and double A jump to the big so they have a good enough year. But I mean, I seemed to find trouble, and I did. I had a few different really good opportunities when I was with the Blue Jays, and I kind of

found a little trouble. I got into a fight in one year in a bar in medicine had Alberta. And it was over something stupid, Ian. It was just, you know, I was so vain and thought. I thought I was better than everybody. I think I had a girl come to me and try to give me a rose and say that, you know, that she liked me playing. She was with a boyfriend.

And I was dumb enough to take it and flick it in her face. And I didn't want to be devouted. I mean, with every right, the boyfriend punched me. I mean, I should have got punched. Because it took a lot of guts for her to come up and do that. And I just, you know, crapped on it. So I got into a big fight. A couple of my buddies came in there.

And I didn't know it was the hockey team. It was a hockey team that we fought. It was a pretty big fight. And we broke a couple guys' jaws, and they couldn't play. They were in a championship game that year, and they couldn't play because they couldn't put the chin straps on. So the next day, we shut up to the stadium. And some guy had my baseball card.

It's like, hey, can you sign your baseball card? And I picked a baseball card once to sign it. And it was a bounce. I think it's called a Mountie, which is a cop in Canada. And they arrested me. for assault and two other guys, and I went to jail in Canada, and then the vice president of Blue Jays flew out there

and, you know, bailed me out, and I was supposed to go to instructional baseball that year, which, once again, if you don't know, the instructional baseball means you're having a great year. You go to instructional, and you usually go to Big League spring training camp to see if you can break with them. But that never happened because I got sent home.

If you didn't get into trouble, do you think you would have been good enough to get to the next level? I believe defensively. I mean, I was a good hitter my whole entire life. They don't focus upon that when you get drafted, at least back then. They didn't focus upon hitting

as much as being able to control the game, throw, being able to call the good game study, being able to direct everybody, you know, being a captain of the other team. So I was still about 240, 250 hitter in professional baseball, but my defensive was good. I threw out 70 plus percent of the runners as far as defensive-wise didn't make any errors called the good game.

So I believe I could have. I might not have been a superstar, but I could have at least had a chance to break with them. But every time they came up, I would somehow sap. Own it all. Pay off your home, travel for life, drive a Ferrari. In celebration of the world premiere of the Monopoly Big Board Buckslot Machine by Aristocrat Gaming, Yamava Resort and Casino at San Manuel is giving one person a $1.6 million dream package. biggest prize in Yamava's history.

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Why do you think you're acting out? It doesn't seem like your dad taught you that or would tolerate that as a kid growing up playing baseball. I thought about a lot. I don't know. Because I'm not a bad person heart you know I'm not maybe because I maybe because some of the attention I got from my dad or I wanted for my dad only came if I did good performance based so I don't know why there's a bunch of reasons I went over my head I just can't figure out why you know maybe God didn't want me to

do that so my free will he allowed me to I don't know I don't have the answer to that I wish I did How'd your dad react when you got cut? He was upset, but I winds up getting right back on a team. I mean, it wasn't long before, you know, I didn't get cut that time. I got sent home and suspended, and then I got invited back to next year to the same exact ball club, same exact place. But when I showed up, people in Canada, they don't forget. I know they had a couple of people in the parking lot with a sign that said kill Polis

and they said during the game I was on deck circle there was a little red dot and I don't think it was a gun I think someone was messing with me but they saw that and I was like dude you just can't be here so then I got fired because I just couldn't play in Canada anymore why would they bring you back after

having that behavior well they invest in you so I mean they invest a lot I mean there's a lot that goes into training that goes into bringing people up, you know, housing them, paying for them, feeding them, you know, you get a lot of good, a lot of good things, coaching, stuff like that. So they do invest. And people do mess up.

Look at some of the big leagues now. They get in trouble. You must have known it it was going to be an uphill battle, though, going back after a year. I don't know if I did, to be honest. I don't know. I just thought forgive and forget, you know. They like baseball, but they like hockey better than baseball. I know that because it just didn't work.

So I did get let go, sent back. And I was living in Florida at the time. I didn't want to go back to New York, so I stayed there. And I think I was a waiter for Texas Roadhouse, something like that, I think in the old season. But I did wind up getting my agent got me a tryout with the White Sox in 94. And I wound up making the White Sox squad. and I think I played about six months

for them. Jordan was there. Michael Jordan was there and it was chaotic. Every new station in the world was there. It was, I don't think they've ever had a spring training game in Sarasota, Florida sell out, but every single game was sold out. It was crazy.

And you can hit a home run and they would give the golf claps, but if he even connected with the ball, standing ovation. It was crazy. But it was chaos. So I did that, but didn't bring up.

with the club, the double a club I wanted to. So I wanted up letting go from there. And then I wanted to be getting picked up by the Yankees, 95. I was telling you in the office, it was just kind of like a fluke thing. I was just practicing at Sarasota High School, just throwing the ball around and had a pretty good arm. So there was a scout there picking up his son from high school and saw me throwing on the field and approached me on the field.

and asked me if I can, you know, do this throw it on second base and he had a little stopwatching it. He was clocking that right around 1.7, 1.72, which is a really good time. And so they wanted it up asking me to play with the Yankees. So I wanted him going to the guy's house that day, signed with the Yankees. And I was in 1995 showed up to the spring training. I remember Derek Jeter was just drafted then. So we're playing with him, Wade Boggs.

Jimmy Leicester, Jimmy Key, all those guys, and had a pretty good spring training, and then a baseball strike happened, so we didn't go. There was no season. They stopped. Some people crossed the line, they call them scabs or whatnot,

and, you know, I asked them what they thought I should do, and they said, you know, stay back. So, I mean, was it the right decision? I don't know, but I was able to play with those guys, the big leaguers, for months. And that is a good experience. You know, Wade Boggs is my stretching partner and stuff like that. And I got to watch him hit and work and work with this trainer.

And then, you know, it strike happened. And if you cross the line later on, they invited someone, but everyone that didn't, they cut. You know, so we got cut and went over to Washington to play with. I think at that time, I might have been Colorado Rockies, but it was called the Tri-City. Tri-City Possi, it's where I live now in Tri-Cities, independent professional baseball. They still pay you. But it's independence. And they wanted up getting affiliated later on,

but it was something to fill in and stay loose while I was in between teams. What was the name of the manager of the Yankees at that time? I read his book a couple months ago. Oh, gosh, I don't even know. He has a book. I'm familiar with all the names of the players in that time period.

I forgot. But it was a good, it was an interesting. Is Pinella? No. I don't know. It was an interesting book. I got to look it up after. It was a good book.

It's funny that you're talking about it now, and you were on the team doing that at that time period? They had, was it Greg Nettel's brother? Was the coach of the independent baseball team that played for? Also, it was kind of fun. You guys would meet Jose Canseco. He was playing down there at one of those leagues, San Antonio with Taanos.

But it was fun. It was, you know, I think they didn't pay that much, made three, four grand a month, something like that. But once again, you're playing, you're playing a professional in baseball and you're having a good time. And I ended up staying with that team for about three years until I had my first son.

And I just kind of lost interest in baseball. About that time, I just didn't want to leave them. You know, I just, if something changes when you have a kid, you know, you just don't want to leave them, you kind of grow up time, and I look back. And it just didn't seem like I'm just going to make it from there because there's a big battle going back, and I don't know what.

That was in 1995, so it was 20,000. You know, that's considered not old, but old to get started again. So I wanted to play until I was like 28 and I was just done. Do you think it was never really your passion to begin with? It was a passion because, I mean, if you give everything to something, it's a passion. Not unless it's forced, though. For a while. I mean, in the beginning, I loved, I knew it was good.

I liked the attention. I mean, maybe that's why. Maybe all the things that did wrong was for attention. I know that's why I got into trouble I like the attention Yeah it's just I never I never really thought about why I did the things I did

Until later on But I still haven't gotten a definitive answer yet But yeah you just know It was It was fun in the beginning But Once you have to Fight

For affirmation And then I realize I can get things by manipulating people If I played And you're good I can get certain things And I think you're playing for the wrong reason at that time, even though I had talent.

I was playing for the wrong reasons. I don't want to play to make somebody happy. I want to play because I want to play. I guess once I had the opportunity to walk away and have nobody around me to say not to do that, I just walked away. So what happens when you walk away? I walked away and I don't know exactly.

I think I didn't work for a while there. You know, I just kind of lingered around, and I think I got, I think I walked into enterprise rent a car or selling cars or something like that, to be honest with you. I, I know every job I had, I excelled in, you know, maybe with the work ethic my dad put in me to say that. I mean, but I know I gave my all, I know at one point in time I worked for enterprise run a car,

made it to manage a real quick. I think my two-year anniversary, I walked away. I just, I got to talk with the manager. I think I was playing some kind of music in my office and she didn't like it, so she broke the CD and I walked out on her. I just, I felt untouchable, I don't know. I can just quit and do something

and I know I'll find something else. Did you feel like you were better than that? I mean, you go from playing some level of professional baseball to working at Enterprise in your mind. What are you thinking? That's a real good question. I think, maybe I did. Maybe I thought I was above everyone, you know?

I should get treated a certain way because that was at a professional level and they weren't. Maybe it was that. Did you have money saved up? You said he didn't work for a little while. No. I spent a lot.

You know, I partied a lot when I was playing. You know, you don't get paid that much, and I was not good with my money, so no. I know with Enterprise, I made decent money, but still didn't save up. I went to selling cars. I know with cars, I made some money that I had some saved up. So I sold cars for a very short time of my life, but I know at one point in time, I'd make an 18 grand a month selling cars. I mean, it's easier to sell cars.

Everyone knew me. They knew I play baseball. I can sell cars to them. How many times can people keep buying cars? You know, you went out of customer sooner later. And I know Tri-Cities at that time was in the 200 and something-thousand-something population. So, they asked me to come back as a coach. I didn't want to.

I got a couple of officers to become a baseball coach at one of the high schools there. Like when I'm done with something, I'm done with it. You know, I don't want. I don't even watch baseball now. Every once in a while I might click on the home run competition, but ever as I get watching the Yankees, you know, when I'm done with something, I'm just done. I don't see the reason.

What did your dad say when you finally walk away from baseball? He got pissed. He got pissed. He still wants to this day, I promise you. I just got asked that two, three days ago. You know, if you would have stuck with it, like 40 years later, if you were stuck with it, you would have been big. I'm like, yeah, but. What does that accomplish?

What is the bigs? I mean, is it recognition? Is it money? There's no security in that. You can mess up one game or say the wrong thing, and you can be fired like that. So, yeah, I still hear that, but, you know, I just, I'm just done with it.

What happens after Enterprise? Well, after, I remember playing, when I was selling cars, I remember meeting a, I had a gentleman walk on the lot one time, and he looked I think I was chasing success to a certain degree obviously some everyone does but I saw a guy walk on the car lot one day dressed in a suit and tie a nice watch on talk to him asked him what he did for living he said he said he ran his own corporation

it's cool you know I said if you ever have a if you ever have a job opportunity I will quit on the spot because I'm pretty good at that and I'll work for you free until I figure out how to make money and okay I remember I don't know how long ago exactly but I remember seeing it bumping into him again and him saying there was a spot opened up and I went upstairs and quit and done I didn't check out where he worked and nothing like that so let's go so we went to church and I asked so what is it you know what are we doing he's like oh this is uh

so where I work I'm a pastor I was like he said you own a corporation he goes I do it's a 501c3. I was like, oh, what am I going to do? I don't know. He said you work for free

and figured it out. So, I mean, I was in a pickle because I was married at the time, kid and I don't have an income. So I remember at that time,

my, my current wife now worked for that church 20-something years ago. And I went to her and I knew they had a couple different ministries and they had a food bank they said was real small but I but I said man should be

bigger than that and he says I guess you know where to start so I had a stacian the other lady Tammy that was there had them help me put together a proposal because I was going to raise millions of dollars and just and go out there and build the food bank and try to earn a living and I did I got in front of a lot of big companies and one company I probably not even mentioned name but it's a very big sheet metal company a billion dollar company and I got in front of them with a with this proposal. And I called them and I said it was an investment opportunity. I remember going around and when I got to the point

but it was a food bank and nonprofit, the owner stopped me, CEO and he's like, what is this? And I said, I'm trying to raise money for a food bank. He's like, I'm not giving you money for a food bank. I was like, well, I don't need your money, you fat ass. And he's like, I said, get out of you. He goes, this is my place.

I was like, brick. So I mean, that's the shit. the walk of shame right there. So I started packing my stuff up. And the vice president at the time asked if he can clear the room. And it was me and my pastor and the financial manager and the church. And he's like, Pete, what are you doing? I said, I'm trying to raise money to build a food bank.

And he goes, that guy, it guy's a billion. No one talks to him that way. I said, well, I do. I said, I don't care. And he said, that took some set of balls to do that. And I said, yeah. He's like, what do you need to start this? and I said, $729,000 is for the food bank, the warehouse.

And he said, how about this? I'll go to the bank tomorrow and I'll get you the money. And he made up a structured loan, a payback. And he told the finances, is that doable? And she said, that's very doable. It's more than we're paying. It's less than we're paying now for nothing. So, I mean, I left there with the commitment for $700,000 something,000.

So I was like, can I get some pay, can I pay some money now? He's like, hold on. He says, you got earnest money. And I'm like, what? What is earnest money? I never bought a house before. So you got to put money. And it was a big ordeal.

I winded up, it was $62,000 for the earnest money. And I guess it was an old oil refinery business that, you know, refined oil so that had to do core samples to make sure it wasn't contaminated. And that cost $22,000. So I had to raise all this money. So I wound up selling tiles. I saw a tile company across the street, and I said, I have an idea. So I got a 12-by-12 tile and a 6-by-12 tile, and I was going to sell the big one for 1,000,

small one for 500. And my pastor, like, you know, if you think you could do it, do it. I did it. I wanted to raise all $62,000. Those tiles are still there to this day on the wall. I raised all the money, and at that time, 15,000 square feet. And it's funny because that wind up coming up with my indictment later on in life was that food bank I know to date it's probably fed, I think they said it fed

750,000 people with over 15 million pounds of food since the inception to today. It's impacted that community that much. And I mean, I didn't know the impact it was going to have. I was just trying to make some money at the time. I feel like I got kind of caboozled into the job thing because I didn't know at church at the time, but I was in full-time ministry now, you know, and I was able to get, I think, maybe a $2,000 salary from that, you know, so I felt halfway decent because I was raising, I mean, I was making some money then.

I think it's interesting to see, like, this aspect of your story shows that you do have a good heart within you, no matter what happens later on, you know? I think I always did. I think I put on this persona and try to act tougher than I was, you know. but I do. I don't like to see people suffer. I don't like to see people go without. So I've always had that.

But we'll just see what happens. I've been through a lot after that. And I know that went on for about eight years. I worked for the church and winded up becoming like an associate pastor. They went through this thing where the pastor had a few different pastors overseeing. And I was over a few different ministries. And, you know, I know we changed a lot of lives. I know we impacted a lot of,

and we went from like a 200-person church. I know it was over 1,000 people at one time. And I believe it was a movement in within the city. You know, we're feeding people. We're becoming a good impact. And things couldn't get better. In my eyes, things couldn't get better. What can go wrong?

And this time, I don't believe it was me that sabotaged it. My pastor, he just, he had hepatitis C. He was an ex-heroin user. that got clean and he had hepatitis C from that. Well, I know he tried to, you know, triple his life insurance policy and whatnot, but he needed a clean bill of health. And I guess the life insurance policy says

you have to be rid of hepatitis C for a certain amount of time to be deemed clean. And it's almost impossible back then to get rid of that. But, I mean, I did see a miracle because God completely healed that man of it. And once again, we thought it was a bad battle, but he overcame it.

And I know with the next day after he got that great news, he had like a little pain in his back, and it winds up being the rarest form of cancer that no one even knew what it was. And he just got over that chemo and got over all. He said, now I'm just going to either God's going to heal me, I'm going home. And, I mean, I never, it took him out in like literally 30 days or something like that, quick. He was, he just, it just ate.

him away and that screwed my mind up like no other. So I quit and ran. Like I quit that ministry I don't know how many days after his memorial. I quit and bolted to Arizona to go work in Arizona. Why Arizona? Because one of the pastors that was helping us had a church in Arizona and one of the guys offered me a job working in prison. It's kind of funny. Working in prison as a telemarking. market a manager. So I would go teach the inmates how to sell OSHA compliance safety meetings on a Vici dial.

They couldn't actually dial the phone. They could double click and all the phones were recorded so they could double click on something and it would call people who were interested in OSHA compliance who needed a safety meeting and I taught them how to sell. So I did that for about a year

and a half until I had a customer one time need on-site training. I don't know if I don't hold you all, but there was a Valdez oil spill that happened a while ago where millions of gallons of oil spilled in the ocean and they needed to clean up. Well, this guy needed on-site training people down there and we didn't do that. And I asked the owner, are we ever going to have on-site training? He said, nope. So I remember at lunchtime, I called up a buddy of mine and asked him to create a company for me, a safety company

that does on-site training and I wanted up booking an old client of theirs I made $39,000 in one weekend by sending material out there and the email receipt went to my work email and I got fired for competition clause

and I didn't see it at the time in my mind I just said you're never going to do on-site training so I was just going to start a company and provide it I didn't see anything wrong Maybe it is wrong. I mean, it is wrong, obviously, but I didn't see how that could be wrong.

But it was wrong, so I got fired. So once again, now I'm in Arizona with no job, and the vice president told me of that company, he said, go, he said, Pete, go to a furniture store. Anybody with a heartbeat. Furniture store. It's in Yuma, Arizona. So there's a lot of snowbirds that come there each year

and there's a marine base. So usually when snowbirds come in the wintertime, in the summertime Marines come. So it's constant flowing. They're always looking. The Marines are always looking to replace furniture that was broken in transport. And the snowbirds are always looking at furniture for their winter home. So I went into, there's only three furnace stores there, two owned by one person. I went in there and asked for a job and they told me to come back the next day.

And I did that for six days. until I just kept getting ignored. So I went in there like the sixth time, and I said, what in the hell does anybody have to do to get hired around here? And the general manager was there, and she said, well, how can I help you? I said, it's not how I can help me.

It's how I can help you. I've been here six times asking for a job. Nobody will even approach me. How about you hire me and I can teach these guys how to sell? And she goes, you got some set. And I said, maybe, but nobody approached me. I said, can I have a job? And she said, well, call back on Saturday by 11.

I'll have an answer. At 1101, I called her and I said, hey, you have no integrity. He told me you're going to call 11. It's 11. She says, oh, my God, just come in Sunday. So I got hired on Sunday. And within two weeks, I made it to a sales manager there because the owner was very aggressive. And he heard about me and then watched me sell.

I think March 13th I got hired on one I forgot what year it was exactly but I told them in the opening meeting I said you watch I said by the end of March I'll be the number one seller I'll never leave that spot and I'm like who's this guy

but sure enough I sold 53 grand in two weeks I was number one seller and then I stayed the number one sales manager for USAA knows dynamic duos can save the day like superheroes and sidekicks or auto and home insurance With USAA, you can bundle your auto and home and save up to 10%. Tap the banner to learn more and get a quote at usaa.com slash bundle.

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So you stayed in that position for a few years? Yeah, I stayed in that position and I negotiated my own contract. I got a certain percentage, like 7%. And then I got paid bonuses on every salesperson that had a certain mark undelivered. And then I had two stores. And so I was at that time, I was. was probably making between 12 and 15,000 a month. I mean, I was killing it.

And you almost think, I almost didn't like when things went good because it always, it always seems to go bad. And at that time, I did nothing. There was some trouble at home. One of my children got in trouble. And I needed to come back home just because they were doing the old, in Washington this time and then to Arizona and they were flying back and forth

and it's not good with kids. You know, that's not a healthy environment. So I winded up flying back to Washington. I looked up one of the franchises there that had to do with that furniture store, emailed them my resume and my numbers and said it would be in your best interest to hire me because they were somebody to go to your competitor.

And they hired me. It took about a $50, $60,000 pay cut because Yuma had three stores, two owned by one person. Washington had dozens of stores and it's competition. But I still had a decent living, you know. So I wind up renting a house online. I had two kids at that time. They both moved in with me.

And I started working for a furnace store there. And everything was okay until one day I heard, one of my son's friends came over, was in the garage talking, and I just overheard the conversation about how much opiates went for. And up to this point, I was a professional baseball player, pastor,

I didn't know any really thing about the drug trade. But I heard a dollar per milleram. I was like, what the heck? I'm like, man, people here trust me. I could probably get my hands on some of these. So when the guy got the phone, I said, hey, I heard your conversation. Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Paulson.

I said, no, no, no. Can I, can you get me that kind of money if I get those? Because I have people that have them. He's like, well, yeah. It's like, okay, I'll get back to you. So I started to just put the tentacles out there and just see what I can find. I found it real quick, really quick.

I found a, I asked around there was at that time a dirty doctor in that town, and I went to go see that person. And during the, during the physical part of it where they asked questions and they went to physical, to give you a physical,

the doctor at that time inappropriately touched me. Like, I know they didn't have purpose. And I was like, it's like that? That it can be. I was like, what do you mean? Can be?

And I didn't get the response I thought I was going to get. They said, I heard you can sing. What does that have to do with anything? And I said, listen, And I said time my husband is disabled, and I used to love singing. So if you go to sing karaoke with me, I'll bring a prescription pad. You get what you want?

I was like, done. So I started doing that. And I started getting, and I had things wrong with baseball. I got to an accident. I hurt my neck, so physically I can get away with it. But they winded up giving me at that time, I started out with. 150 oxy-20s 15 fentanyl patches

120 Xanax first appointment and you only can go up from there so immediately I started flipping that once you get into as you know once you get into that that trade you'll see everyone

you can recognize them like anything and it just took amount of time before people that were in my congregation and I'm not really proud about this I want to say this. But they asked me, are you really doing this? I'm like, yeah. They said, well, we have a connection here, the connection there.

So I just started dabbling in it, and I just said, he was going to do pills only. And then one of the guys I knew flipped me a bag of Coke one day, and I was like, what is this? And he's like, oh, it's stuff's pure. And I was like, but I'm not thinking with this. He's like, just give it away. He goes, just give it away. I don't care. All right.

So I gave it to one person. And 20 minutes later, they called back, I said, where did you get that? I said, oh, for a buddy of mine, how much more can you get? I'm like, I don't know why. This stuff is awesome. So I was like, hey, how much more can I get? As much as you want. So, I mean, just like literally overnight, things started popping.

And but I had a full-time job. And I was like, all right, how am I going to do this? So I just so that I can, on lunchtime, I had an hour of lunch, I can meet people during lunch and deal with them. and then on Thursdays I would send a few people off to different colleges and with a couple ounces and they would go there, stay from Thursday to Sunday and then come home with the proceeds and things were going good, but business continued to grow and clients continue to grow.

And you were in this so you know it just gets out of control before you really know it. So I needed to find a way to handle the amount of customers that I had and so I started telling them to meet me in the store. So I knew a couple of key things, discounted items, and layaways are the two things that needed to be approved by managers. So I know, I said just come in there, you say you want to put this on layaway. If you put, say, a living room set, I don't know you mean pills, if you say,

bedroom set, and I mean coke. And I just started categorizing different vignettes, they say, a living room venue. and yet bathroom or minute, whatever. So I started doing that, and then I was like, all right, this is going to work, but I have to pre-stage stuff. So I had to start going in the mornings, and I had to start putting different pills, whatever I had, I had to pre-stage them around the showroom floor underneath ottomans and dresses and discontinued vases.

It was getting out of control. So I got two of my salespeople that I knew. and said, hey, this is what's going on. I know you use, so I'll give you free stuff if you can help me handle these customers. I'll just tell you what to do. So it went from two to almost every salesperson there, but one girl were working for me.

The warehouse people would deliver the bigger stuff up in Ottomans and up in recliners and right to the store, right to the people's houses. They'd sign for it. They'd give them the money, and they'd come back. I mean, it was flawless. I did that for a long time. I know one day my warehouse driver

stopped at coals and smoked some of the product and ODed and fell out of the truck and the cops went to him, got with him and then came to me and asked me if I knew anything about that. And I said, no, I have a strict drug policy that would U.A. people. So I told my, you know, I take care of it. But that kind of got, that was one. things the cops started looking into. I didn't like that.

So we just kept going on and it just kept getting bigger and bigger. And that doctor can only give me so much stuff. So I know one day I had a conversation, one of the girls in the room had a conversation on Skype. You remember Skype back in the day? Well, they were, I was with my guys with the whiteboard, sending people to University of Washington, Eastern. and the girl was talking to a family member in Tijuana, and she had a baby with a guy from one of the cartel families, and he asked her, what is this guy doing in the back row?

Who is that guy? She goes, so-and-so's boyfriend, or she's hanging out with him, and he's a co-dealer. He's like, hey, can I meet him? And I found that afterwards. But a few days later, I got a phone call from these guys that said, hey, I'm so-and-so's cousin. We want to come in the area. Can we ask you for favor?

Sure. So they met me at the apartment I went down They had a truck full of meth And I was like Like 20 something pounds In a Ford Ranger I was like dude I don't do that

Ordeal in that that's bad He's like What you do with Coke He says there's no difference I said well to me it is And like well We have the axle Is frozen on this thing

It got on a Cho truck We need to get rid of some stuff I was like well Let me make a couple phone calls You know I'll help you out this time And that's it So I called a couple of surgeons

and doctors and surgeons and other things and I knew they used that stuff for medical purposes or whatever they used. It doesn't matter what they used it for. But they winded up picking up like four pounds, a few people. And that was it. Those people left, thank you, and went away. That was it.

They asked me if you ever need anything, let me know. Didn't, nothing. They walked away. Six months passes by, and the guy that saw me on the Skype gets arrested, going to Tijuana, with some weed and he goes to prison. And the guy that he was with asked me,

can you fill in a position for him? He just picks up cars in Arizona and brings him here. I said, I'm not bringing any drugs back. He goes, no, no, he's just three cars. He goes, there's a car in the middle. That's got the drugs, but there's a guy in the back. A guy in the front will just look out for cops guy in the back. That guy in the middle gets pulled over,

just distract the cop and make sure they do what you got to do. Like, all right, that'll be the front guy. Cool. And I remember one of the first times I went, I was scared. I was scared. I wound up, I ended up letting out air. Every rest stop, I let air out of my tire. I always kept saying, bro, something's wrong with this car.

We should probably go back. We'll go another day. And he's like, nope, no, we've got to just keep going. They filled it up. The third time, he's like, all right, we'll stay here. We're going to get you another car. I'm like, I said, I've got to be honest with you, bro. I said, I've been letting air out.

He said, I'm scared. I haven't did this before. I said, I'm really scared. He's like, we're doing it. We have to. I said, well, I'll do it. One condition. He said, why?

I say, have the guys come over here. I know it's going to sound really bad. Like, I said, I want to pray over the car. And they go, you got to pray over the car. God's not going to bless you. I said, bro, listen, I'm not asking him to bless me. I said, but he's my father in heaven. So he's not going to leave me.

So I at least want to protect. I need his blessing. He's like he's not going to bless him to make me feel good. So we did that. They thought I was crazy. And we did the first trip. And I'm not saying God got me through it at all because I know he didn't. He just kept me safe.

You know, he's got a calling everybody's life. And I know that. But we ended up doing that. And, you know, 60, 70, 80 times or something like that. over how many years. You're still running the furniture business while that's going on? I did.

I did. I had two days off a week, and I would be able to drive from here to Phoenix and back in, I don't know, it was 16 hours or 18 hours, and I was able to no sleep. I mean, you do that when you,

unfortunately, when you use a list of drugs or whatnot, you know, Coke or whatever. I wasn't into the opiates at the time. I wasn't in there. I know. At one point in time, that one girl that didn't work for me, she made a comment,

the company got bought out by another corporation. And she said one day, I think Pete sells drugs to the customers to one of the other managers there. And she's like, why would you say that? Because he always high-fives people coming out of the bathroom and he just, he knows every customer that comes in. And they said, well, we have everybody a UA. So they did question me about it.

They said, hey, one of the employees says that you sell drugs. I said, no. They said, can we go in your locker and look in your bag? I said, no, it's my personal stuff. Would you be open for UA? I said, sure. Took a UA, passed it. And, I mean, I had fake pee, obviously.

So I passed it, but she didn't. She was relentless, and they were relentless. And I came in one day on my day off to close a $10,000 deal. and they said when you're done, you're going to take another UA. I said, it just took one two days ago. And they said, well, we want to take another one. Like, it's my day off.

They said, if you don't take it and you leave, we're going to consider that your resignation. It says, it's my day off. So I left and they considered my resignation. And they said, hey, we're going to quit. I'm like, I didn't quit. They said, yes, you did. And putting it in his that.

So I literally got forced into quitting because they were going to watch me taking, there's no way I'm going to pass another UA. you know, back to back. So now I had a different problem. I had a lot of customers that were going into that store to see me and I wasn't working anymore.

So the customers, they know that you're selling drugs out of there. They come in. Certain customers. All right. So they would come in and they'd say I want whatever the piece of furniture

lined up with whatever that drug was, whatever that option. Well, they would say I need something on layway. And when I would go show them the different vignettes, they say different living room or bedroom or not, I would talk to them and find out what they needed.

Now, obviously, you have to charge more for that piece of furniture to make your profit on the drugs. So how would you run that through the system? A layway, you just put the money down each week until you save up enough money to buy it. But are they paying cash? Yeah. So everything's cash. So this system wouldn't have worked if it's credit card ran through the system where you couldn't take your piece?

Okay. No. Because otherwise the owners wouldn't or they wouldn't even give you that extra money to begin with. Okay. So this is a straight cash. It was straight cash. Yeah. Okay. And then if you, you can cancel up until your last payment to pick it up, you can cancel. And if they did cancel, I would charge 25% for the cancellation.

But usually when they canceled and got all that money back, because I did take $25, I had to take something and put it towards the furniture. Yeah, but so the owners know, and that's the actual cost of the furniture? That was the minimum amount was $25, each payment. They make at least $25 payment. You're charging more than the furniture's worth, right? Yeah, if I charge $300 because $275 was going towards the product, I put $25 towards the furniture, and I keep the $275, you know, and give them the rest. So they were making $25, the minimum payment.

But say like an ottoman was $300 bucks, and then you incorporate the price of the drugs, whatever that is, you add that on to the price of that. They couldn't put an ottoman on the way. It had to be a whole set. Okay. Yeah, it had to be a minimum amount. Okay, and then that would add up to a large amount. Yeah, like a bedroom set would be $3,000.

So they would put $25 a week down on that for a long time. They can come in so many times each time they needed something. Like I would have to approve the payments. If they couldn't make a payment, I can approve an extension. So they would make payments and just put $20. They give me what they needed, and I would just say, take 25 out of that and put it towards the furniture on that way. So is the cover of them continuously coming in that they're just coming in to make the payments?

Yeah. That's why no one noticed that these same customers are coming in week after week after week. Because they have to. Okay. That's the deal on that. They have to. Especially with the rent of centers too in there. That's all cash, pretty much.

They rent it. They rent the furniture and they have to come in to make payments. How would they physically get the drugs though? I know you said you guys were delivering, but doesn't the furniture not get delivered until Well, the person that was running the front desk has to give a receipt. They go into my office. That's where the cash register was. And they know what they put in.

They know what they would have. And they would put it in an envelope. Staples shut with the receipt and handed them over the counter. Because everything was seen on camera, except the office. And the drugs are in the envelope? The drugs are in my office at the time. And then they put it in the envelope to give it with the receipt. But if it was too big of a, if they needed a bulk of it, it had to be afterwards.

I couldn't do that. Anything would fit in an envelope. And then for bigger orders, that's when you guys would actually transport it and deliver it. Yeah. People would call a lot of times and I can go,

there's a smoke room, there's a smoke break place out back, or I can run to my car, or it's connected to a mattress area, which is in the middle of the bathroom, and I can always just run into the bathroom. It was for bigger clients, stuff like that. I had other people pushing for me on the outside

and they would meet, or they say, hey, so-and-so needs this. I said, all right, go take a lunch break real quick and go deliver that and come back and then I pay them. It was flawless. It was a flawless operation. How much money were you making a week? I know at one point in time, like one of the, it wasn't a crazy amount of money, but one of the best weeks I had was about $25, $26,000 in that one week. That's profit after expenses.

That's profit after expenses. Yeah. It's pretty good. But it went right back to investing in it. Because at that time, that was so, things have changed. Back in the day when I was buying, this is when fentanyl just started coming out. And those fentanyl pills, they were, you can, they were selling for 50 bucks, 75 bucks a piece. That's a lot.

I would buy them for 15, 20, 25 apiece, wholesale. That's a lot of money. Like, now I heard they're a quarter. but you're talking about a life sentence now if you get caught selling that stuff i mean we live and learn i i dodged a bullet you know and it was right in the very beginning when all this thought this is back in 2014 15 16 17 and 18 so the first five years way back in the day when when all this started to happen so i thank god that no one no one died under my watch you know um but it was it was risky but when when caught up and you don't, you don't, you don't think about that. We did some crazy, like in my

off, when I started working for that furniture place, I started, I didn't like hand deliveries because I was always, I was always told my dad, like, he didn't coach myness because it was back in the day, but he always said they always look for the hand deliveries because it catches you red-handed. So they always want, with control buys, always want to see the hand delivery, you know, telltale. But we would have, I'd have people delivering on bikes, I had the hide-a-keys, you know, the little hide-a-key, they had these hide-to-key sprinklers that look like a regular sprinkler. And I would put them in there and put them at a park where,

and we'd have coordinates, and we'd meet the people. And I was trustworthy. They didn't steal. So a lot of my clients really trusted me, and they had no problem giving me money, and then getting a phone call with the coordinates on where it was. It was crazy. The key magnets behind stop signs at apartment complexes,

up in that, you know, the parking garage is there, just stick in there. You never know. To license plates, people coming up on bikes, popping them right on the license plate, they'll pay me, I'll give you a call in a couple minutes,

and they go, where is it, it's on your license plate? Because someone else would do it. I mean, I try to get as creative as possible to not get caught, you know, hand-to-hand. I just try to make it, I don't know, I just got creative,

I didn't want, I didn't want to get busted like that. Back in the day, I think Uber. I don't know when we started, but I know Uber Eats just started a while. And I'd have two guys that were doing that part-time, and they'd come deliver. And it was in the Burger King bag. It's in the McDonald's bag.

Everything was there. If anybody sees it, I'm paying the delivery person money. It was just, I try to get as creative as part. I try to cover every single area to not get caught. How did you end up getting caught? I got at one point in time I got so big that

I got my head cracked open I got you know I got shot when I one of the guys did get arrested that was from a cartel family he got arrested and that was the point in time when I could have got out I tried to get out once before and switch

not because I'm trying to run away or because I owed money just because I guess reality hit one time and I was like I got people that are affiliated with this family, babysitting. And I know people got on me last time I said this on another podcast. They're like, you know, great father.

I mean, I'm not trying to say it was the best fault in the world. I'm just saying I did what I need to do at the time. I didn't know. These guys, I know they paint a bad picture, but honestly, these guys, I went to the weddings. I mean, these guys are friends, you know, and they come over and they watch. And I know when I left the furnace store, that apartment got so blown up. There was a, my neighbor below me was an attorney.

And he said to me one day, come downstairs and ask me, he goes, give me five bucks. I'm like, why? He's, give me five bucks. Like, yeah. He's like, all right, his claim, claim privilege. He goes, what are you doing? So, what do you mean? He goes, Pete, you got 75 people I came to busy you today.

I'm like, no. He goes, yeah, me and my wife are counting. What are you, like, you're going to get in trouble. I'm like, so I heed it to that And I was like, all right, maybe I should move So I had one of the guys that sold for me Put an apartment in his name And I was just going to pay the bills

And I switched apartments at a midnight run So no one could see me. I switched and didn't tell anybody And two, three days later, my son Gets on his bike to go down to Albertsons And I get a phone call from a phone Didn't recognize He said, I was like,

Dad, can you come downstairs? I'm like, whose phone is this? He's like, well, these guys in a wrap that picked me up and put me my bike in the back of the car. I mean, I'm not going to say they kidnapped them, but they picked him up

and said, take me to your dad. And they said, why are you moving? I'm like, because I'm getting freaking heat over here. I need to move. I said, the guy below me says, there's too many people coming. And I didn't owe money. And it wasn't vicious like they'd freaking

kidnapped him. But it was a subtle, hey, don't do that. They said, you know what too many things are. I met people in Phoenix, like certain exits, travels in. I mean, I knew where everything was. I would deliver.

I knew these people by name. So I do understand that being cautious. But he just got to the point where I started selling so much that I got threats from other people that were trying to sell in the area about the cost. Because when I, when that guy got arrested,

and I cleared my phone. I had a little Mexico number at the bottom one day. Back in the day, Metro PC, Metro PSC, something like that? PC, yeah. You put your email address in and it brings up all your contacts.

Why I saw an unknown number text it and there was a guy that was down in Mexico and he knew me and he's like, hey, what's going on? I said so-and-so got arrested. He goes, I know. He goes, what do you need? I'm like, I mean, if I would have never

picked up that phone and called, I could have literally walked away. but I just didn't. So he winds up giving it to me for $14. I was like, man, that is almost half of all of his pain. And he's like, if I lend them to you, it'll be a little bit more. I'm like, you know, front. I'm like, oh, cool.

I was in Phoenix the next two days I was down there. And this was the first time I really started dealing on my own. I had a partner always. And it was a little scary. I'll be honest. I had to go down. I was given jack in the box on exit 51 or something. I went in there and went to the bathroom.

The guy handed me a note with a phone number. I called a phone number. Went to a Burger King. And then it was go down, call this number, and when we hot box you, and I don't know to this day, I don't even know what that means. But it was in the phone as I was driving.

He goes, did you hear that? Make a left, park your car, go down its alley. And there was a car parked at the big. very end that flashed his lights and that's the first time that I started using fentanyl because when I got in that car the person made me they said when I got in the car I said you're a cop but I said no I am not said yes you are and he called the guy said this guy's a cop he says no he's been with us for years like he's not he's like smoked this I said I don't do that he goes you're gonna you're not getting your drugs you're not even a truck if you don't get if you don't smoke this

So I did it, liked it, obviously. I never have anybody tri-fetanol, but it is what it is. And I liked it, and I continued to do it after that. So now I'm picking up on my own. I'm getting it for half the price. I'm lowering the price in the streets, and I have competitor, people that are selling competitively, threatening me.

I get pulled over in a car by my body. my buddy says, come meet this guy. I wind up getting shot in my foot. I got my head cracked open. I mean, these are injuries that stay with me to this day. I still can't feel for my knee down after surgery, getting the bullet removed. And it sucks. But it was on my own doing that.

So when that happened, I started selling so much more because it was cheaper. So one day, this person that was with me said, you know, you're too smart to go to prison, Pete. I said, what the hell are you talking about? Did you tell on me? They said, no, but everyone knows you. Like, you have enemies. People are going to tell you. So I guess they told me in 2016, when I read my discovery, in 2016, they started an investigation on me.

That led two years. Why did you need to do the side work for the cartel, the picking up this and not when you had this successful business at the furniture store? Well, I was getting, when my guy got arrested, I didn't get the, you get the, the, the, the, the product anymore. But why are you the one physically having to pick all this up? Because I'm micro-managing stuff. I shouldn't. The NBA playoffs are here and now you can trade every game on Cali.

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For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code hoops to get $10 when you trade $10. KLSHI, Kalshi, trade on anything. Oh, yeah, I had to have, in my eyes, no one could do it better than me. So it wasn't a side business. This was just physically the pickups for you to get the product for the furniture store. This was for me. I thought I was paying people at the time a dollar a pill just to deliver. But after a while, people thought it's seeing, hey, well, I,

should be getting paid more for what these are my customers it's my product you're just delivering it and they would start doing side deals and it just got it just got very high people try to steal they try to you know pocket money they try to take customers on the i'm it's me you know i'm the control freak that i had to just do everything myself except hand deliver but i mean if i look back at it now i didn't think of at the time but i'm i'm bringing back 30 40 kilos stuff. Some of the stuff I'm not even going to sell, but I'm getting paid in product. I don't get paid in cash because I want the product. It was dumb of me to do because I've already got pulled over one time and got caught. I don't know what that is, but it's a life sentence. Yeah, you're

taking all the risk. Taking all the risk. It was dumb, but I wasn't thinking straight. I just had to be in control of everything. So at that point in time, I mean, I'm picking up now. I'm moving, I'm going back. I'm doing sometimes two runs in a week. That's a lot. That's a lot to drive the Phoenix and back twice in a week. You have no breaks. I'm not seeing my kids.

And it just got to the point where they said people are watching you. I heard your name. I did have a 911 dispatch person's son that I sold to. And he would hear his... He asked the person, hey, if you ever hear these names come up, let me know. So she did. And there's a couple of times I missed, I dodged the bullet because he said, Peter, you want to Circle K right now?

Yeah, why? Don't go there. He said, they're waiting for you. Who? The feds, I'm like, you're lying. He goes, I'm telling you. I'm like, the feds have nothing about me. They had two trap houses that I would go into and I would deal to.

They busted that trap house probably a half, a dozen times. Each time I got pulled out, they took my license, they ran it, and they're like, what is a person like you doing here? You have no record. I'm like, yeah, I know. I said, what are you doing?

And I tell you, Ian, I knew the day I was going to go down because I mocked God, and I know it's bad. I told that cop, and he said, what are you doing here? And I said, let me tell you something. I said, when Jesus walked this earth, He didn't run around with the kings and the queens.

He rang around with the people in the miry clay, showing them a better way. And he goes, so you're telling me you're at this trap house trying to show these guys here a better way to live. I go, exactly. He goes, okay, have a good day. He handed me a license back. I walked away and I felt that dagger.

And I was like, my buddy, I said, dude, I'm going to get in trouble. He goes, why? I go, I just mock God. I said, that hurt. And he's like, you're a, you see your trip. And I said, no. I said, I, and I said, and I said, and. And that cop at that time, he was the head of the cat team in Tri-Cities.

He made a personal vendetta to catch me. Like, when I mean personal vendetta, if I was a passenger in a car, he would pull that person over. He would take me out, search my stuff, even if I wasn't driving. And I remember one time my son got in trouble and he had to turn himself in. I went to the courthouse with him He didn't want to turn himself in yet I said fine We went to Best Buy Parkline

2 in the morning And I was just sitting there in the parking lot I said you need to make up your mind And I put the chair back And I kind of put my head I just closed my eyes And said let me know when you're ready I woke up to being surrounded

With the lights on And the cop Knocked at the window And I was like, what the fuck do you want? He's like Mr. Polis I finally found the way to arrest you I was like, let me hear it. He says back in, he says back in 2008,

I'm like, that's 10 years ago. He goes, you left to Arizona. I said, I know, here's my license. I had an Arizona license still. He said, thank you. You won't need that. And he tucked it away. And he goes, now, you're back here in Washington

and you're driving. I said, I know. He said, do you know your license expired? I said, yeah. he goes to Washington when it expires and you don't pay it it gets suspended I said okay and

he says so right now you're driving on a suspended license and the keys in the car so you're under arrest for driving on a suspended license I was like you've got to be kidding me nope so now I'm not a bet man but I bet you if I search him I'm going to find those pills

and that's literally how I got the indictment federally Because they didn't have enough on you before they were just looking. They had nothing on me. Nothing at all. How many pills are on the car? 10?

They went a little hide-a-pen. One of those, you've seen the hide-a-hurt, they have red bulls that you take apart in a little empty space. It was a pen that hit 10 pills. That was it. And they charged you federally for that? No, no, no, no. They arrested me with possession. They took that arrest and the time with the trap house.

as enough evidence with all the rumors going on to indict me federally to come after me again. They said they had four or five people that were arrested that turned on me and they heard different control that had two control buys on me. One was videotaped and one had audio on it. So they've taken all these things that I didn't know about and they're trying to get a federal indictment on me. Now, in Washington, it's a small, it's a small little place. So that place, that trap house got, you know, they got busted four or five times. Each time they arrested me, they just using each time that I would get arrested, not charged, I went to jail twice.

Once with the pills, once, gosh, I don't know what the other time I went for. I think we're at a a hotel or something, we got arrested with a bunch of people. But I got, um, O.R. Omere cognizus? Wait to get it dismissed or? No, just, no, because no, bell, I would go to court on that Monday and I had no, I had no record.

So they would just let me go. Okay. You know, and then I had, obviously I had appointment to, to show up. Oh, the other time I got arrested was a hit and run on an unattended property. Look it up on Facebook. It's true story. I took a U-Haul. And I was moving and I backed it into a fence

without knowing it. And I left. And the end of the day, I came back and parked it there. And a cop was waiting for me and said they had me on camera hitting that fence and it broke. And I was arrested for

hitting run an under understander property. Stupid. So what are they charging federally with? Federally that first when I got arrested, it was two counts of distribution. For both, for both times they said they got me on control by.

One was they had me on camera at Target and I was going into the bath and I guess they had me on it's called the Clean Sweep where they swept around and tapped into the cameras and they saw me walk into

into Target and the bi supposedly took place in the bathroom but I went to go get some cologne or something like that but they had that the other one was right outside Red Lobster

and I guess I hopped in a car I remember the day because I hopped in a car I went to Carl Jr. to meet somebody and I told them to meet me and I went to three other places before I stopped. And the person I got out with the pills and they had me on camera

but they didn't see me turn around. They saw the guy get into the car in the back seat with somebody and come out. On tape they said that the audio ran out before I said anything incriminating on camera. They didn't see me turn around

but they still use that as two controls by because they said they had my pills and I supposedly had the money and that they collected. So two counts of distribution. I fought that for I think the first thing they said with my base offense level,

I never could have been arrested before but supposedly what they had me for was supposed to be 292 months because each count is upwards of 20 years. When we went there, they did first offer, second offer, third offer. you know obviously you never talked

you can look at my my pace or whatever it is I know everyone says fentanyl and you got how much I said just check never talk just check but they had the one got

dismissed because the audio ran out and then I went there and they said it was down to one count and they offered me 87 months and I said no then the day I went to court the assistant prosecuting attorney said

we're going to offer you 60 months cap if you plead guilty to this and if not we have two people that will attest to you trafficking from Arizona back summons of how many dozens of times over the past two years

I asked my attorney can they actually how can they go back and look they said they can go back Digital prints. He says from here to there, there's only three routes from here to Phoenix. If you use your card or if your license plate

was seen at any one of those places, they can go back. And he goes, if that happens, you look at 10 years working down. Now it's five years working down. So I said, if I plead guilty, everybody else that's talking, will they get a break on it?

They said, nope. I said, all right, mom. You know, guilty. and so that's the day they pled for the that's when they brought up that warehouse and they said you fed like 750,000 people

with all the that thing you know and they said they give for all the works you did in community they did a six month downward whatever it's called departure departure yeah so what do you end up with I ended with 12 state 42 federal

but the federal and the state ran concurrently so 42 and I did every second of 42 Why did you do every second? Because I got in trouble again. You just can't stay out of trouble. I have stayed out of trouble for a few years now. That's crazy.

Yeah, I went to Sheridan, Oregon. And when I got there, there was some people here from, they have different cliques in there, you know that. So they had the 509 car, which is the Tri-City. Everyone from Tri-Cities was there. And they knew me, and they said, hey, you want to get back into, yeah, I mean, I might as well. So I got back into dealing those pills in prison.

So I was able to open up like a casino at night. And it's camp. So, I mean. They send you to a camp? Well, they sent me, yeah, I had no prior. I had no violence, no guns, nothing. So if you ever look, I don't know if you've been sharing it, but everybody knows Sheridan, the camp's right there on the other side of the public park.

So people would, they throw stuff in the dumpster. And then we'd have the pices. They would do runs because they're fast, you know. And we pay them $100 a run. so they would go anything through in the dumpster they'd go out there and get it I don't know how they got out there but they did it and they'd bring it back so we had cologne

and we had hair dye and we had everything that anybody filled out a list of what they wanted we'd buy them and then liquor was you know the peanut butter jars full was 60 bucks for the for you know vodka or whatever

but so I had two cell phones in there and I got one day I got caught with the cell phone the rep the white red rep had the phone looking at Facebook and he couldn't see something on there. He couldn't find it because he was pretty high with me. We just finished getting high. And I grabbed the phone from him and I said, it's right here. And as he did, I cop walked in and saw me. He was like, I could have given it back

to him, but everyone was watching me. I already got my ass beat. I know that. So I just put the phone in my pocket and they came up to me and said, hey, can we search it? And they searched me and they gave me 300 series shots. I got cell phone. I had a plasma lighter and a USB cord. Yeah. So I got 300 serious shock. I sent it a hole.

That was four months. I was in camp. What happened to the cartel? Did they just disappear after you got arrested? No. Everyone that I know, except for the people in Mexico, were arrested. I saw the main guy I dealt with, I saw actually flying into Portland, into Sheridan, on Conair.

as I was getting off, he was down there. And I guess he got kicked out. He was getting sent out. So I was able to come down. I sat next to him and, you know, we had the black box on us and stuff like that. And we just, we're rapping. He goes, what did you get? And I told him, I said, what about you?

And he got, gosh, he got 17 years. They got him as a head and all that stuff. And he said, good looking out. He said, everybody keeps your mouth shut. I said, yep. He said, see you on the outside. I said, one day. How did your dad feel about your prison sentence?

Oh, they were pissed. They were pissed. But at that time, I was using too. So I was using hard. So I know when I was locked up, at that time, every pill that I sold, I was able to get three free, pretty much. So you can use it to sell and make extra money, or you can use it. And I was so paranoid that I had so many drivers driving me. Every time I drove, I got pulled over.

So I had six drivers. I was just paying pills, you know, because everyone was also addicted to things. of those things. And I remember I was probably on 50 pills a day of myself at that time because years went by smoking that and I was sitting in a drunk tank because we got arrested. When I got finally got arrested at, I was taking a shower at Motel 6 because I heard they were after me and I was trying to get a shower and get out of there. And my son's like, I think this fed's outside. I'm like, no. And he's like, so I call my buddy who's come and pick us up. He goes, I can't get there. He goes, the whole streets blocked over feds.

I'm like, wow, it must be another big bus because there's many buss in that area. So I walk out on the balcony, and I'm on my phone. I'm like, holy cow, this copters, yeah, it's pretty big. I wonder who they're getting. And a Dodge truck pulled up, and I heard it stop, and he looked up and put it in reverse and peeled back.

I'm like, what's going on? I see him go to this great, it's called the Great Wall of China. It was a cafe, I mean a diner. and he sat there and the Verizon went down I saw Bonacus come up I said

Hey bro I think they're after me and he's like No you're not that big bro I'm like shut up stupid I said I'm looking at the guy right now He's like nah I'm like well I said you can't get here

I said I'll come meet you I'll come hop the fence There's a A car store right next door I'll come find you All right so I go in there real quick I start to do my hair And I see a gun come around the corner

In the mirror And someone says Post Yeah, can you come out here? I'm like, can you come in here? He said, not right now. So I came out, and there was a U.S. Marshal sitting there with a gun. I was like, he's like, we got, you know, I think three minutes and something seconds until we have the warrant approved.

I said, what's up? He's like, well, we're here to arrest you. I said, for what? He's like, you're a drug deal. I said, no, I'm not. He's like, yeah, you are. I said, no. He said, you're going to come and I'm looking at him.

He's like, I promise you. There's no way out. I was on the top floor of the hotel. So finally I was smoking a cigarette. I'm just chain smoking. And I go to flick the cigarette. I said, back away. So he backed away and went to flick out.

Another guy grabbed my arm and pulled me around and arrested me. I looked down and everyone's arrested. He died like 10 people. I go, who are all these people? He goes, they're with you. I said, they're not with me. I go, who's this guy? He goes, that's your son.

I said, that's not my son. He goes, yes, it is. I go, bro, I'm almost. already arrested. It's not my son. He's like, well, it doesn't matter. Guilty by association, like the judge figured out. So they arrested people on that top floor. I don't know who they were. I know me and my son did get arrested. So when I went to jail, they put me in a dry tank. And you talk about my parents. Cop comes in. I'm dying because I'm withdrawing by now. And he says, you got to call your attorney. And he has me a number. I said, I don't have an

attorney. I just got arrested. He goes, you have an attorney? I said, nope. Has me a number. I call but that's my mother. And she's like, you think you're smart, huh? I'm like, Mom, how did you get to, how did you get them call me? She's like, you're freaking smart. Your son's in there with you too. Big guy, huh?

You really big sound. I just hung up. So take me back. I said, dude, that was my mother. He's like, was your attorney? I said, was my attorney. I don't know how she got, I don't know how she convinced a cop to call me.

But, yeah, I was in that drunk tank. I didn't get my, my mug shot for eight. days. I got lost in the mix because I went, my son was on the floor and I crawled up and I was hurting so bad and days went by until they, you know, the cop thought I was dead because I just had thrown up in my mouth. Worst withdrawals ever in my life and I don't know it took me out and after about a couple weeks I started to, I didn't feel better for, I'll be honest, These withdrawals lasted probably mentally and physically eight months. I had restless legs for so long I couldn't sleep.

I never dreamt. I don't remember the last time I dreamt at that time, you know, because you're always on, sometimes you know sleep, you know, you're stupid, you got to do. But I remember, I remember clearing up. I remember my focus on to come back. And I started, I mean, when I got better, I still still look for drugs. People kees to stuff are coming all the time, you know. and now they have that new machine that you sit on

and they have the x-ray on the button and they're like, so if you get it in it's even more money now, I'm like, great, you know. What happened to your son? After, I think he went, I think he got three months because he had a pending arrest or a pending warrant for not going to court.

So he got let out and he was unfortunate and I don't feel, it was like, how could you do it to your son? It's like at that point in time, I, it's not like I introduced him to that, into that world, but I sure as hell didn't deter him from doing it. You know, I know at a point in time, when the pills are so expensive,

people were cutting pills at that time. They would take the Mexies and they cut them with benzos and Xanax, and they put blue in there just to get the price. They can make more money because it was expensive to buy them. And people were OD in. So he was already addicted to it. So I just like, and he would never leave me alone. You know, wherever I'd go,

He wants to go with me. So I'm like, I'm just going to keep you alive, you know. And is that the right decision? Obviously not. I should have, I don't know what I could have done to stop him. You know, he made up his own mind, but I do feel, you know, partly responsible for the life he lived. But now he's clean. He's been clean for six years.

He's, you know, doing good. He's in the union now. So both my kids are doing good. My youngest son left at the time because he said, Dad, his lifestyle is not conducive to me going to school. He goes, you got cartel people, drive me to school and babysat. The NBA playoffs are here, and now you can trade every game on Kalshi. You can also trade on who wins each series, the conference finals, and the championship. San Antonio is currently trading at 22% to win it all, meaning a $100 trade pays out $455 if they take the title.

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He understood, and I felt supported, not judged. I came for the weight loss and stayed for the empathy. Thanks, Zadie. I'm Myra Amit, founder of Mochi Health. To find your mochi moment, visit join Mochi.com. Sadie is a mochi member compensated for her story. The NBA playoffs are here and now you can trade every game on Kalshi. You can also trade on who wins each series, the conference finals, and the championship.

San Antonio is currently trading at 22% to win it all, meaning a $100 trade pays out $455 if they take the title. On Kalshi, you're trading against other people in a live market, no house, no odds makers. And as the odds move, you can buy in or out any time throughout the post season. For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code hoops to get $10 when you trade $10. KLSHI, Kalshi, trade on anything. And he goes, I just need to concentrate on school. This is too much for me. So I do feel responsible for that.

What happens after you got kicked out of the camp? You go to a low or a medium? I went to a low. But before that, I know just before I got sentenced, my mind started to get clear. And I watched the same, I think I told these things that, I watched the same people. They leave, and they come within two, three weeks.

They come right back. And I was like, dude, what are you doing? Why do you keep coming back? And he's like, there's nothing out there. I went to a house and recovery house and I come back in. There's nothing out there. They don't have any help out there for you. So I know at one point in time I was approved for pre-trial release.

They said, if you can find a loved one, family member, or the last one was a clean and sober house, that was like a half-re house type thing, that would be responsible for you, maybe on a thing, you can get out because you have no record. But I couldn't find a damn person that would want me.

Every time I asked, like, I can't afford that kind of, you know, that kind of stuff around my house. You know, yeah, cartel, you got drugs, you people look, I'm like, man, whatever. So I do know, I tried clean this overhouse at the time and the person wouldn't answer the phone.

So, you know, at that point in time, I was feeling bad. I was like, you know, well, I'm just going to, I'm going to start my own recovery. recovery home. They're like, Pete, you're a drug dealer. I said, yeah, but I said, a drug dealer is just an entrepreneur. He's just an entrepreneur

in another area. I said, I still was creative. I said, dude, no one, in order to get funding, you need to get with Department of Corrections. You're not going to approve. You're freaking, you got federally indicted. I'm like, I don't care. I'm still going to do it. So I literally wrote a whole business plan and front page back. What I'm going to have, I said, I'm going to make sure that people have

wrapper on services. I'm going to make sure that we have everything equipped so people don't have to come back to jail again. Whatever they need, I'm going to get them. I was, in my mind, it sounded amazing. So I wrote that all down. And I named my partner at the time. He ran a, he ran a clean and sober house at the time in Washington. And he was the person I was trying to call to get out on pre-trial release, but he wouldn't answer the phone because he'd probably recognize a number. It's coming from jail. He would come in and he would interview people. right when they're about to get out to move into their clean and sober housing, you know, because he was approved by DOC.

So I said, I'm going to make him my partner. And I said, he was not going to partner with you. I said, well, I believe you will. So I left it like that. Talked about it. Right before I got released, right before I got sentenced and shipped off, he did come into our tank to many of you two people. And the chaplain asked him to speak to me,

and he said, there's something different about Pete. like just go see this guy and tell what you think so when he came in to see me for the first time I said dude you're a cop he said no I'm not he says this is my name I was like bullshit I don't believe you he's like I promise you I said you're gonna trip out and I ran to myself and I handed him a business plan with his name in it he's like why is my name in here I was like good plan huh he's like yeah it is but why is my name I don't know you I'm like I know I know I that makes it even more of a God thing. I said, just trust me.

He says, do you need help? I said, no, I'm going to prison. I'm going to go for another three years. I was already in the 16 months at the time. I said, I got to go for three years. He goes, all right, what can I do for you? I say, when I get out, give me a place to stay, keep that business plan, and let's do something great. He's like, all right, and we say goodbye, and that was it.

So when I went to camp, I did call him on the self. phone. And he says, you're out. Why don't you tell me? I said, I'm not out. He's like, do not tell me you're in that bathroom on that cell phone. I said, yeah. He goes, Pete, you're going to get in trouble? So I got this, bro. He goes, famous last words, huh? I said, I got this. He was, when do you get out? I said, 16 months, but I need a release address. So he gave me one, and I gave it to my counselor. And that was the last time I spoke with him until I got out. But from, from Sheridan, I went to the hole, COVID hit. I stayed in the hole for a while.

I don't know how many months I stayed in there. Terrible. Terrible. Two-person cell, two-by-five feet. That's it. That's the only walking space you had. And from there, I got sent back to Perump, Nevada, you know, for the hub, the transfer facility you had out there. And I stayed there for seven months.

And then they shipped me to Victorville. I stayed in Victorville for about, I think about a month in Victorville. and then they shipped me the Lompoc. I spent the rest, I think the last 11 months I had left in Lompoc. And I'm assuming you call this guy as soon as you get out of prison and make what you manifested happen? Yeah, I did. Yeah, I called him up and said, hey, where do I go again?

He gives me the address. And I did not know that there was adjacent houses on the corner, two houses that both were covered them. I walk into the wrong house. And use his name. I said, hey, Jason told me I have a room. He's got to be no beds. I said, listen, man, Jason said you have a bed for me.

I still don't have to think of all that. He's like, go sleep on the freaking couch, couch it for until the bed opens up. I said, couch? So he said, yeah. And then next day a bunk bed opened up. I said, bro, I'm 50-something years old, man. I can't be on a bunk bed. And he's like, I don't know what's going on.

He says, but this is what you have right now. So about a week past before I actually got with him. And he's like, we made a plan to go to lunch and talk about it. And he's like, hey, I'm hearing a driver. I said, bro, I'm in the driver right now. He's like, what house did you go to? I said, the green one. He's like, you went to the wrong house.

They had a bed for you? I said, no. They told me to go on the couch. He said, I had a bed at the other place for you. But it wound up working out. So we went to lunch and talked about it. And he said, you have a big uphill battle. He goes, you've got federal time, you've got three years probation.

He says, they're going to be down. You got a P. You got a big road ahead. But let's start, you know, doing the groundwork. So we just started with the groundwork and got, you know, all everything filed, all the papers filed, the 513 files. And, you know, it just built a good foundation before we ever came up with the first house. You know, obviously I'm right out of prison. I had $40 to my name.

And so I had a few. friends that were there for me when I got out and one of them I asked if you can help me invest and buy a house and you know when everything got going we got the we got the license we got registered everything going along I still don't know anything about it but we got our first house and I was I wanted to do a lot of remodeling in that and you know it's my first baby I couldn't believe that going to treatment no one believed me in treatment you know I went there and the council that was there said you know you're in denial and you just need to confess that you're in addict. I said, well, I don't believe I was. They said, no, you are. They said, you have to go to

AA or NA? I'm not going to go to any of those. They said, if you don't go, you're not going to graduate. I said, if you don't graduate me, I'll sue you for discrimination. They said, on what basis? I said, because I'm going to church and my Bible study. And you're saying that that's not good enough and that can't get me through because I have to, they said, what do you have so bad about NA? Have you ever been N. They make a stamp every day and confess you're an addict. I mean, it works for people. But I'm a very big confession person. Everything I say seems to come to the past. So I'm not going to stand up every day and say, my name is Pete Paul, so I'm an addict. I'm not. I used to be. But I believe that God died on the cross, he's got

on the cross, and all things have passed away and all things become new. So I'm a new creation. So I'm not an addict anymore. And they said, well, if you don't do that, we're not going to graduate you. So I wanted to go into the head and talking to him and I told my whole testimony and my face and he's like, man, you were like dynamite. Exciting. I said, thanks. And he goes, well, I'll switch you over to another person and see what happens. I wanted to graduate in two weeks. And it's funny because that same person, the same organization I deal with now. And it's been, you know, about three, three and a half years since I've been out. And it's going good. Everything came to pass and, you know, I've got five houses now.

28 people have graduated. I got a 200 person waiting list. Season's housing is a name of it. It was named Seasons Housing because of in the ecclesiasis and Bible. There's a season for everything. Did I plan to becoming a drug deal? I plan on becoming a baseball player.

You know? Pastor. I didn't say I'm just going to detour and become a drug deal and go to prison. You've had a lot of acts in your life. I will say that. How's your relationship with your dad now? Good.

Good. My mom passed, as I said, but she got to see. When I first met my wife now, I didn't know, but my wife were to let it to my mom, introducing herself and letting, hey, peace doing good, da, da, da, da. And it's like, my mom wouldn't tell you. You, mother, effra, I'm not talking, you're going to hate you. You know, because you embarrass the family. It was like that.

And so it was the buffer. But through time, she got to see that I'm doing better. She got to see that seasons took off. She got to see me help people. She got to see me start to grow and heal. And then we went to see her a couple times. And so I was able to see if she had to be my family now. I have another son, third son now.

And it's just cool because she didn't go to the grave, see me as a piece of crap like she said. But I really was because I went off the path a little bit. But I was able to rebound and come back. What do you want your kids to learn from your children? story if they're listening to this one day and they see this all on screen what do you want them to take away

from it? What I didn't give them? I mean that anything is possible I mean I believe everybody's wanted to something great. We all have like I really live by this quote that you never know when your detour will lead you to your destiny and we all

have detours we all I mean you had a detour yourself you know did you think you were going to be here did you think you had to go through that to get here no I thought it was going to turn out so much differently than it has and I'm so grateful. Yeah. Now I'd say prison's the best thing that ever happened to me. I mean, it used to hold me back from doors opening and now prison is what opens the doors

for me. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm learning that now, you know, and that's why I appreciate your podcast so much because a lot of people, there's a stigma that people in prison always go, I mean, addicts and people in prison, they think they're always going to stay that way. the recid of those rates crazy people that come out and succeed

is very few and far between you know I know they said one of the marshals that arrested me I saw him one day and I pulled up behind him real quick and gets out polis the hell are you doing and we got to talk and he's like do you're like

the only person in 30 years that has come out and done something like productive not done good but productive he said can I take a selfie with you It was like the last time I remember that's taken my pitch but it felt good

and I know that's how you feel because you're helping people I'm trying to get to where you are I'm trying to get into prisons because I believe that's that's where change can happen I thanked the guy arrested me oh yeah when I see me

and they're like pull up I'm like yeah they go what do you do I said man thank you and I for what I said I wasn't going to stop doing what I was doing 100% I wouldn't stop using I wouldn't stop selling unless I got it you forced me but so I believe I believe jail I hate to say jail is a good thing but it was a turning point for me

you know you can't get out you're stuck you know you have to deal with your demons you have to deal with yourself you have to look yourself in the mirror and see wow I am a piece of crap probably should change because I don't want I don't want my kids to remember me this way like hey was me dad the guy they got arrested you know went prison and kept doing it yeah he's doing good I don't want them to remember for that. So, I mean, I want my kids to look at me and say, hey, look at my dad did. So anytime they run into a situation that maybe they trip and fall,

I can look back and say, my dad tripped and fell, thought he hit rock, bottom, realized it was a freaking cellar door, and it even goes further. I mean, it sucks when everyone turns you back. And that's what I had in prison. Everyone turned their back on me. And you had to just realize, hey, I suck.

Like, I do suck. And no wonder why no one wants to be around me. It was all about me, you know. So I can give it back now. It's nice to see to go to drug court for this reason, to watch guys in my houses and girls in my houses graduate. It's nice. You know, we just got awarded 30, 32 beds in a new detox center

that the county's building. They have medical detox, inpatient, outpatient, and then like transitional housing, and we'll have the housing portion of it. And I think it should be that way. Like, it gives people hope, like, all right, this guy was in prison and my partner was in jail. So, but now these guys got this. So maybe it can happen, you know?

Definitely. Well, Pete, thanks so much for coming on the show today, man. You told your story brilliantly. It was a great conversation. And I'm so happy for your success now. And I wish you the best in the future. Thanks, he. Appreciate it.