Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime Podcast - Counterfeit Money, Tracy Morgan & a Wild Stripper Scam

Starting point is 00:00:00 I used to get a counter for money. One night we were in there with Tracy Morgan, giving him money that he's throwing it to. If we get in trouble here with this funny money, Tracy Morgan's gonna be pissed. And when the cops show up, though, don't you say that a stripper, she set me up? I got a job at a burger joint.

Starting point is 00:00:17 It was called Stewart's. You know, worked there for a couple of months. There was a car wash next door that I end up going to work for them, you know, for the car wash. So one day I'm working the register, right? So at the end of the day, they tell me, well, the register is $250 over, you know. Over.

Starting point is 00:00:33 Over. So I'm like... I'll take it. Yeah. So I'm like, I don't know. He's like, all right, well, we'll figure it out. But, you know, he was 125. Manager takes 125, you know.

Starting point is 00:00:46 I would say, is that a problem? I've never heard that over was a problem. You know, gradually I would, you know, increase it. So what I was doing is somebody would come for a super wash, you know, I would charge him for a regular wash, you know. regular wash was five bucks, superwash was eight, you know, $3 extra. So I would do that throughout the course of the, you know, at the course of the day. So I was able to get it to, you know, there'd be some days we were up $300 over, you know,

Starting point is 00:01:13 and it got to the same thing. You know, he would take and split. What he ended up doing was giving me a sheet. He's like, you know, these are our average sales, well, these are the average sales on Mondays, on Tuesdays. We need the sales to stay in this area. So if you can make them stay in this area while being over, you know, we'll be. good we could you know continue on so it's like okay so you're giving me the this is the green line

Starting point is 00:01:35 yeah yeah you're telling me it's okay so i'm selling a bud there too you know what i mean i would tell people you had to get a car wash you want to come you know you got to get your car washed and i'll give it to you on the way out it's so horrible bro you're giving this place fucking rated yeah so i'll give it two on the way out so like three months and uh one day the manager calls me up he's like listen i got to let you go what do you mean i was like i thought everything is good he's like, yeah, everything is good, except the fact that the guys at the hamburger place saw you selling bud at the other exit of the car wash to a customer. I was like, ah, they saw that. Right. He was like, yeah, he was like, so, you know, I'm sorry. I was like, no, it's not a problem.

Starting point is 00:02:17 You know what I was like? I thought he was going to say, you're stealing. We're stealing. We're stealing. So I was like, I had not a problem. You know what I mean? So I get a job doing construction, you know, Two Italian brothers, they would do demolition, big jobs. I remember one time we were building a house, and the living room was being built around a crate. Inside the crate was a Mercedes, 300 S.L., I believe, Gold Wing. The guy wanted it so that he could sit in his car and watch TV. So the car was, basically, the house was built around the car. Right?

Starting point is 00:02:54 I believe at the time, the car was about $250,000. You know, it's like a 50s, a 50s model. Now it's, you know, close to 2 million. But that's how he designed it so that he could sit in his car and watch TV. You know, I was like, you know, wow, that's odd, but whatever, if you're willing to pay for it. That's it. I came across an ad, you know, back then you looked in the paper, you see, you know, a bondage and everything. So there was a company called Moneywell, Money Well Mortgage.

Starting point is 00:03:21 So, you know, I called up and inquired about it. The guy was like, when you want to come in for interview? I'm like, well, you know, I just. got her work, I need to change. He's like, that ain't worry about change. Just come on down, you know. So I have a conversation for one about 10 minutes. And the guy goes to me, he's like, so you want to get into a different industry? You want to, you know, come to work looking professional? I was like, I said, yeah, yeah, that's the idea. He's like, have you ever sold? Bud. I was like, yeah, yeah. He said, this is easier than sell it. Bud. I was said, okay.

Starting point is 00:03:53 So I was like, say, so when you want to start? I'm like, about Monday. He's like, great. He's like, you have clothes? I was like, I said, I'm not, no, no certain ties and, you know, suits or anything like that. He's like, okay, he's like, so give me 500 money. First time I meet this guy, give me 500 bucks, you know? He's like, buy a couple proper attire.

Starting point is 00:04:12 He's like, I believe you guys call it court apparel. You know? Right. He says to me. So I was like, all right, fine. He said, and do me favor. Get me four other guys like you. I was like, all right.

Starting point is 00:04:23 He's like, yeah, guys, neighborhood guys, street guys. He said, you bring them to me and I'll do the rest. So I was like, great. So I started at the mortgage, starting in the mortgage industry. Money went mortgage and end up filling it with my friends. Len Lombardo was the guy's name. He was like 26. He had a S-500, a X-5, a B, Ferrari 355.

Starting point is 00:04:42 He had, you know. I feel like you wandered into my mortgage company. Like there were guys, like if the guy was, if he had sale experience and like, you know, selling used cars or like, I don't know anything. about drugs. So, but it would have been the same company like, like, like, yeah, I've been selling used cars for the last five years. I'd be like, oh, the interview's over.

Starting point is 00:05:00 I'll see you Monday. You know what I'm saying? Like, we're done. Like, if you sell used cars, you know what the fuck you're doing. And that's the thing he always said. It's like, it's just a different product. Same thing, just different product. There was those three other guys there.

Starting point is 00:05:11 Like our mentor was a guy named Rick Arrest. He was a black guy. But they were all guys that were banned from the stocks, from training stocks because of all the pump and dumps, you know. So this was a place. of banned stockwaters, you know what I mean? But Rick was a big, big black dude, but over the phone, he sounded like an old white man, you know?

Starting point is 00:05:33 So for like a couple of weeks, and these are a bunch of us are, you know, guys that are, you know, basically just in the street. We haven't, you know, no real, nobody really excel in school or anything like that. So for two weeks, all it was was talking on the phones, you know. He taught us how to address people, speak to people. You know, they gave us the pitch, the rebuttals, and taught us that you can be whoever you want to be on the phone. You know, we're all a nephew or a cousin of the owner and we're all junior partners. And, you know, so our main job was getting applications, you know.

Starting point is 00:06:09 So we would have contest, you know, who could get the application the most for the day? I believe, you know, on an average, it was like three to four each that we would get. You know, anybody that got 10 would get a Rolex. I never saw many loans close, you know what I mean? But we were... Why? Well, then how are... Where's the money being generated from?

Starting point is 00:06:28 So we were just, we were constantly taking applications. I believe the owner didn't really know, understand the money that was to be made in the mortgage industry. Because what he was doing is he was buying bulk parcels of land that were in flood zones and swamp. And he was selling him to people, basically ripping them off because they're buying property that can't be used. Right.

Starting point is 00:06:52 But through us... contact and getting applications, we were basically qualifying the people that he could target for the investment. Okay. So that's what he was using it for as a contact because, you know, you can't just, you know, call out of the blue or, you know, so that's what he was doing. Some loans got closed from time to time, but that's what his main thing was. I didn't know that at first.

Starting point is 00:07:16 Now, you know, I understood later why he filled it with the people that he did, you know, people that didn't ask questions. If you were paying, we would do whatever. You know, we, yeah, if you're giving me 75 bucks or a hundred bucks, the thing, I'm going to make 300 bucks a day. What do I care? 100%. And, you know, he would let us, his car, you know what I mean? Oh, you guys want to take the car.

Starting point is 00:07:33 You know what I mean? So, um, I know those guys. They pay for lunch. They pay the, hey, let's all go out for dinner. I'll pay for everything. You just keep thinking it's a great guy. He's a great guy. But in the end, you're like, you're a great guy, but you're also making the line share of the money.

Starting point is 00:07:47 Everything. And I'm making $300. And I like you. I keep thinking I'm going to make a bunch of money. but the truth is, I'm not making much money. I'm committing crying for it. The money were making,

Starting point is 00:07:57 turn into a draw, when it would quickly add up. I give you $400, $500 a week draw. You know, it's at the end of the week. You owe $2,000. Right. And, you know, if things aren't closing,

Starting point is 00:08:07 you know, meanwhile, it's not really closing about, you know, caring if they closed or not, it was just the point of contact. So, but they did give us that tool, the speaking, the attitude, the, you know,

Starting point is 00:08:19 the, being confident and what you're, selling the, you know, the whole attitude that comes with sales, you know what I mean, about the power of the phone. So one day we're, you know, a normal day of work and everything, and the FBI hits, the FBI comes. The FBI comes to the door. The first question the FBI agent's asking, because, you know, we had a lock.

Starting point is 00:08:44 There was a lock here, the stairs that goes up to another door that had also a lock on it, which was like his office, and downstairs was our, you know, And so the FBI agents asking everybody, what's the name of the company? What's the name of the company, you know? There's just one or two walk in. They get asked. One or two walk in, there's still ones outside. They're asking us, what's the name of the company?

Starting point is 00:09:02 You know, so, you know, money well mortgage, you know. And you hear the lend yelling, it's not money well mortgage. I told you it's empire real estate. It's empire real estate. It's like, what's going on here? You know what I mean? So he's yelling through the little intercom. He's like, get rid of the files.

Starting point is 00:09:16 Get rid of the files. So they finally make entrance into the, into the, the locked door. So when they make entrance, the other ones that were outside, they come in. We started passing, trying to pass boxes of files out the window, you know, and, you know, we started passing them out the window, but then we got scared. So we just, we left a bunch of files outside the window. We took off. Moneywell mortgage or Empire Realty was no longer, no longer there. But I kind of find out later that, you know, Len was a scammer, you know, He was very good with the mouth, very good with sales.

Starting point is 00:09:53 But the guy that sold him the property made an agreement that he'll hold the note. You know, he'll hold the note. But if Len falls behind in two months of payments, he has a right to foreclose on the property. So after about two years, you know, the, you know, the, you know, the, Len had defaulted on some of the payments. And I guess, you know, in the process of the guy trying to take the property, they started stumbling upon, you know, the different company names addressed to the address. And, you know, he basically, I think he called, you know, raised the flag in order to get the property.

Starting point is 00:10:31 I think the original guy that he was buying this property from that owner financed it, contacted the FBI because this guy was still, because who was his name Lynn? Len? Because Lynn was parceling off that property to investors, unsuspecting investors and selling it off. And so he's making a chunk of money, but then eventually he gets behind. And so the original guy that sold the property contacts the FBI. This guy's not paying me. He's not paying me.

Starting point is 00:10:56 And I believe that there's something else going on. You know what I mean? Well, he's going to see that these parcels are being sold off. And I'm not getting paid. He probably didn't give a shit that they're going to sold off as long as he's getting paid. 100%. 100%. And then it was one of the people that no matter how much money he had, he didn't pay anybody.

Starting point is 00:11:11 Right. Unless he absolutely had to. He was one of those people that owe you 10 grand. And then, you know, listen, how about we just call it $7,500? Right. You know what I mean? I'll always call it 10. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:11:21 But he's still the kind of guy that's what, bringing you to dinner, paying for one. Yeah, yeah. And trying to adhere himself through. Absolutely. It's a what always makes me think of the beads for the natives. He's giving you bees. He's giving you next to nothing. And you're accepting it thinking that it's something when he knows it's nothing.

Starting point is 00:11:41 Like these are, this is a pittance of what I'm making. But I'm trying to keep you happy. And we see, you know, what he's made. So we see, you know, and through that. Do the process, we see that there is money to be made. You know what I mean? There is money. It's just he's making all of it.

Starting point is 00:11:55 Right. You know what I mean? He ends up telling us that basically, you know, they're shutting it down and everything. But, you know, he did, again, give us a tool that, you know, a lot of the guys that were there went on to, you know, continuously work in the mortgage industry. You know, one of the guys made millions doing it that that started there with us. You know, we were basically, you know, a bunch of kids that, you know, had no plans to go to college. We weren't, you know, we weren't the brightest when it came to academics, you know what I mean. But we knew that the power in sales, you know, so it gets shut down.

Starting point is 00:12:24 I go back to, you know, this is the only thing that's been consistent and great. You know what I mean? And I now have a car. So back to the selling of the bud. I get another call a few months later from one of the managers that was at Moneywell. He said that he's at AmeriQuest now. Ameriquest mortgage. Yes.

Starting point is 00:12:43 That was good stuff. Yep. So Staten Island, there was one of Staten Island I worked at and wanted Cherry Hunt. Jersey. So money well mortgage was basically that the mortgage company for people with not so good credit and who wanted money at the sacrifice of a very high interest rate. We would have a stack of bank statements and all you had to do is put their name on it. You know, it would basically be all the information that was there to fit whatever criteria we were short. We had a stack of papers that, you know, we would just put their name in and qualify. We had our own underwriters there.

Starting point is 00:13:19 you know, they had appraisers that worked with us that, you know, it wasn't a call of, what's the property worth? It was, what do you need it to be? What do you need it to be worth? You know what I mean? So, I mean, obviously sometimes there was such big gaps that it was just nothing you could do. Yeah. But I started seeing that, that even, even as you're taking applications, you have people

Starting point is 00:13:41 that make $25,000 a month, you know what I mean? And then when you talk about what do they have savings, it's like, I got $1,600 in the checking and $800 in the savings and, you know, yeah, I got $26,000 a month in bills. I'm like, most East Staten Island people, they have boats and cars and everything, everything and nothing at the same time, you know what I mean? I was just going to say, it's funny, we were driving, my wife and I were driving back from someplace and we were driving by all these people that have like, or all these houses, and they weren't in houses.

Starting point is 00:14:11 They're like, single wide, double wide trailers. And they have, like, there's two boats and six cars and five, four wheelers. And I'm driving by and I'm like, look at these fucking people, man. Like look at their houses are just junk. And so and I said, you know what that is? I said, that's some guy who's gotten, who had a good run and bought a boat. And then figured out he can't keep it at his house or he lost his house. And he said, you know what?

Starting point is 00:14:38 I'm going to go. I'll just call Greg. Greg's got two acres in the middle of nowhere. Greg, can I keep my boat at your house? So he does. Five years later, he's never used the boat. It's still in Greg's yard. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:14:49 Or, hey, I just bought a four-wheeler because he thought it'd be cool. But then he realizes... It's useless. It's useless and I never use it. I live in the city. Greg, can I put it at your house? Sure, no problem. Greg ends up with fucking three boats and six cars or eight cars and two four-wheelers.

Starting point is 00:15:05 They're all outside being ruined. Yeah. Because that's what happens. I mean, you know... You see them coming for sale. Everything's for sale with no title. No titles. No titles.

Starting point is 00:15:14 Like, yeah. But that, yeah, that's exactly what it is. It was, you know. They spent everything that, everything you've got, because you think it's going to last forever. Everything. And then they even go into the red for the next month. And, you know, it was, you know, they didn't care what the rate was.

Starting point is 00:15:27 As long as you can give them their $40,000, their $50,000 that they needed, you know. You know, we had some guys that would come straight. And listen, I need the money. I got these bookies breathing out my neck. I got to get them off. Like, I can't write. You can't put that down. It's why you're bar the money.

Starting point is 00:15:40 So I'm like, you know, but, you know, but, you know, your debt to income ratio is horrible. It was horrible, my man. You know what I mean? He's like, there's got to be something you could do. You know what I mean? So I would bring it to my manager, I would tell him. And he was like, yeah, there's things we could do. He's like, you know, it's like, you know, if he doesn't care about the rate, you know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:15:59 I'm like, all right. So, you know, these people would, you know, they would take it. As long as you can give them that money, they didn't care. At a certain point, I would start feeling, you know, a little bad way. It came to like the old people because, you know, you would save them money. You know, they'd be like, oh, my God, you're saving me, you know, $300, $300, a month. This is for like a refy paying off their car.

Starting point is 00:16:21 Yeah. But their car would have been paid off in three years. And now I just spread it over 20. That's it. It's like I'm saving it 300. But I just put 18 years back on your mortgage. But if you don't know anything, if you don't know anything about finance, it feels like they're like, wow, you totally just like I'm going to save $300 a month. I mean, my mortgage payment went up, but my overall payments went down by $300.

Starting point is 00:16:44 And you're like, yeah, but. you would have been, you would have been in two more years or in three more years, you would have had your car paid off and you would have dropped by $200 or something, you know, and I know it's not quite as much or whatever, you know what I'm saying? Like I get it, but overall, I'm costing you more money. I'm costing you more. Bringing your interest rate up, you know, and they don't, people are not smart enough to put that together. They're just trying to survive till next month. That's it. That's it. But what they also don't realize is all you're going to do with that $300 a month is find something else to buy and spend it on. Yeah, because you think.

Starting point is 00:17:16 think, oh, now I've got an extra 300 I can go by. That's it. That's it. That's exactly what they would do. Oh, wait a second. I can't keep the four-wheeler at my house. I know, you know, your buddy Greg? Doesn't he have a garage?

Starting point is 00:17:28 Yeah, doesn't he have a garage? Did he have a single-wide with two acres out in the middle of nowhere? I could drop this thing off. Yeah, he'll do it. Yeah. And it was just, but, you know, I don't believe there was many mortgages. There was many deals that we couldn't get done, you know? We could always, there was always something to be done.

Starting point is 00:17:45 I did that for a few years. What, um, years. What stopped, with, would stop that was, there was a big lawsuit that happened because Argent, the parent company, wasn't paying overtime, you know, so they end up doing it. We were signed up with these companies. I remember Argent. Argett, yeah, yeah. They was, they had a big, they had a big hand in that selling of bad loans, boy.

Starting point is 00:18:07 We were, who, I don't think there was a good loan that came from us. But I end up, you know, I went to the motorcycle, you know, like, let me, let me get a motorcycle. I didn't have a license, you know what I mean? So at this time, you have a motorcycle license. I didn't have a motorcycle license. So throughout this time, you know, between the weed and the job, you know, I'm doing pretty good. I'm doing pretty good. I still live in my parents' house, you know, I'm going to work every day, so they didn't, you know, there was no questions being asked. I buy a motorcycle. And being that I don't have a license, they don't want, they can't sell it to me, they said, you know, they can't sell it to me. So, you know, I was like, I know, going to take me,

Starting point is 00:18:45 couple weeks to get the license, you know, doing it the right way, but, you know, me and my shortcuts, I was like, how about if you just put it on a side of the building and I'll come and pick it up, you know? It'd be like, you know, like a, like somebody stole it type thing, except it's the owner that's stealing it, you know what I mean? So he's like, all right, we could do that, we could do that. So I purchased the bike. I go to get it the following day, pick it up, and I get about three blocks from the dealership. And a guy makes a turn on Yellow, I spashed right into them. Break my shoulder, break my knee, totaled the bike. I had the bike maybe seven minutes. That was the extent. So knock down out of commission, my shoulder and a

Starting point is 00:19:30 sling. I got a tube in my neck to numb the nerve and everything. Can't work. Back to down, you know, throughout the months, get basically back down to zero because, you know, there's no workman comp or something to happen outside. And, you know, the insurance. is not going to give me money from my pocket. So I end up catching, getting a lawsuit and just, you know, but being out of commission for, I think it was. It was about four months that I was casted up, and then it took me about another five weeks,

Starting point is 00:20:00 about a month to learn how to use my left arm again, because from not having a month, it was, you know, done. I end up getting some screws and pins and everything. So I end up being knocked down to nothing. I'm going to start over again. This time, it was a quick return to it. My neighbor was working for us. I would front him things, and he would get rid of it because he, you know, he was a skater,

Starting point is 00:20:23 and he was in touch with, you know, he was friends with all of that group. And his parents didn't mind people coming to his house all the time. You know what I mean? I mean, sometimes it would get outrageous. We'd have to tell him, like, you know, brothers, like, there's a line outside your house. You know, upper middle class, this looks crazy, Greg. One day, my brother is home, and my brother sees him. unmarked cars and things pull it up so he calls Greg out he's like Greg i think they're about to

Starting point is 00:20:47 raid your house you know Greg's like uh whatever dude whatever and hangs up on him so watch the cops go down there kick his door in um rest them then the finding a little bit of you know nothing major he comes out in handcuffs he gets locked up i i thought that he was you know i figured you know from his character that he was gonna you know tell like you know right but nope nope nope this kid end up being one of the most stand-up solid kids. I was surprised. Who was he got the shit? Who did he got the...

Starting point is 00:21:20 Yeah, you know, because I figured to be so easy to just pointing across the street, you know what I mean? You know, like, you know, across the street, you know what I mean? When he got out, you know, he started asking me about, um, about the white, you know, about the powder. Yeah, about powder. So, you know, at the time, I didn't, you know, I didn't know about it. But I was like, well, if you have a market for it, you know, we could try it.

Starting point is 00:21:43 You know what I mean? So I was buying eight balls. And I would take the eight ball and I would break it down for point four. So, you know, we'd get three 40s and plus some. And we would, you know, sell to just him. He would give it out of its neighborhood, you know, upper class, one of the old town area, upper class. So we were able to mark things up, you know.

Starting point is 00:22:05 My parents find a bunch of bud in the basement. So they find it. Come home one day. it's there. So like, you know, what's this? I was like, you know, that's a tweet. What about this? I'm like, that's soft.

Starting point is 00:22:20 You know, that's soft. Like, what are you doing with it? Like, you know, I'm selling it. Storing it for somebody the way dad used to store it for his buddy. That's what I should have said. That's what I shouldn't. I thought. I would have been like, well, you know, you can't do both.

Starting point is 00:22:36 You can't live here and sell this stuff, you know. I was like, like, all right. So I could have it back? So, they're like, what are you doing? I'm like, I'm leaving, you know? So I end up taking my stuff. I end up leaving. I end up just going from house to house

Starting point is 00:22:52 staying with people because, you know, it's easy when you have, you know, when you have drugs, you know, it's easy to let people, people want to do everything for you if they can get some free. Right. So I end up,

Starting point is 00:23:01 I'm doing that for probably about two months, just, you know, out there, very unstable when you come back and think about it all. But, you know, but there was like a group of us. It was like five other kids who really didn't have any pay.

Starting point is 00:23:11 parents and, you know, they would also be all around. And we go to a party one day. And during the course of the party, one of the guys I was with robs the house. So they take all the jewelry, they take a bunch of jewelry. They take a couple other things. And later, I found out later because, you know, they were trying to figure out what to do with it. But there was no local pawnshed shop. There was no nothing to do.

Starting point is 00:23:40 So we end up just stashing at a kid's house. A couple weeks later, the cops come looking for us. So the cops basically come pick us up one by one. When the cop, you know, comes to me, he's telling me that the family basically, they just, you know, there's old things, old jury that has sentimental value. And they really, they really want. Family heirlo. Yeah, they really, they're things that can't be replaced, you know. And, you know, so you basically tell me this is not going to go away.

Starting point is 00:24:06 He's like, you know, this is not going to go away. So I would, so, you know, I told him. I was like, well, I said, what if, what if I knew where it was, you know, he's like, if you knew where, what, if I knew where the jury was, he's like, so you have it? I said, you know, no, I'm just asking, you know, if I knew where it was and they could get it back, you know, would that change anything about all of this, you know? And so he said, let me, let me see, you know. So he left me there.

Starting point is 00:24:34 I guess he contacted the people and they agreed that, you know, they wouldn't, they were Grinland's not press any charges if, you know, if they got it back. So he was like, you know, could you, so you can get it back? I was like, I don't know for sure, but I was just, you know, I was curious. Yeah, I can make a call. Yeah, you know, I wanted to see what, you know. So he's like, you know, come up our card. Let me know what happens.

Starting point is 00:24:56 So I go to, you know, I go to the house that it is. I take, I take it. I tell us, I tell a couple of the guys that this, you know, this. We're going to go to jail because when you guys stole, you know, some jury. I said, you know, I'm not, we're not doing this, you know. So there was a beach, like sandy area and a little boardwalk. So I took it and I buried it by one of the, one of the posts over under the dock. I buried it there.

Starting point is 00:25:21 Then I called up, called up the detective. And I told them, I was like, listen, it's, it's over, it's over here under the dock. You know, that's, that's everything. So he said, you know, all right. If it's all there, then, you know, it's all good. So, you know, knowing now, I probably, you know, I should have maybe got something in writing, you know, that would have, you know, but it happened to all work out, you know, it all worked out. They didn't press charges, you know, they got it all back. Whatever they didn't, you know, whatever was missing, they were, you know, fine, fine with. So throughout that time, one of the guys I'm getting the bud from, he tells me, he's like, you know, he's like, you know, my cousin has a house. He's like, you know, he has a house. He just put up with his girl, you know, I'm sure he'll rent you a room. He's like, plus, that's who I get my bud from. You know, that's who I'm getting the stuff that I give to you.

Starting point is 00:26:10 You know, you could just deal with him, you know, because I don't like doing this anyway. I just do it for you because, you know, it's a favor. So he introduces me to his cousin. And I think, like, when it comes to just throughout life, this was the most important person I've met that, you know, on this journey. This was, he was a real likable guy, easy, you know, to talk to, funny, you know what I mean? And he took care of his kids and his family. Overall, good person that just, you know, happened to sell a butt, you know. Right.

Starting point is 00:26:40 Wasn't, you know, I learned that you didn't have to, you didn't have to act and be tough and all that. You know, like, you didn't have to do that. You know, it's okay to smile. It's okay to have good time and, you know, and be, you know, be nice to people, you know. And because, you know, that's what he was. So through dealing with him is when accelerated, slowly, slowly went from, ounces to quarter pounds

Starting point is 00:27:05 from quarter pounds to pounds we would take rides to go pick up 40, 50 pounds and you know and he would fly through it I mean it was the first time I saw somebody to buy a thousand dollar pants like he would you know like

Starting point is 00:27:19 you know BMW we live you know we live in in the hood it was in the hood but I learned I learned a lot about basically you know carrying yourself how to treat people because he was another one that he had never gotten to

Starting point is 00:27:33 He had the daughter for a while, you know, that was not really anybody that didn't like him. But at the same time, you have people around that are, you know, jealous. Yeah, haters. Yeah. That's a, seems like a common theme. Yeah. There's always just. Always.

Starting point is 00:27:46 And you never see them, you know, the ones that come see you. They smile. They joke with you. Yes. Yes. So I was doing a lot of continuing to grow. At some point, his neighbor comes into this house and ties up his kids, his, his dumb sister. and ducks tape them all and robs them.

Starting point is 00:28:06 Does he know it's his neighbor? He quickly, yeah, he quickly assumed and figured it out. And then the fact that the guy, you know, was nowhere to be seen after kind of cemented it, right? It's, it's, well, I mentioned this before where there was some criminal lawyer who has a bunch of examples. He's like, don't rob anybody, you know. Yeah. He's like, because you think, oh, I covered my face and they're not going to know. They're not going to know who I am.

Starting point is 00:28:34 And he gives the example of he had a client that used to go in every day and get like coffee in the morning before he went to work from like some 7-Eleven or whatever it was at a convenience store. And he knew the, he knew the clerk. And he would go in and hey, what's up? Tom, how's it going? Hey, what's up, Bob? And they'd get his coffee. And then the guy ends up losing his job, whatever he gets desperate. And he decides, you know what I'm going to do?

Starting point is 00:29:01 I'm going to rob this fucking place. And so he goes in with puts on like a motorcycle helmet or something. I forget what he did. But he covers his face and he comes in one day and he's like, or puts a ski mask on, whatever. Comes in one day and boom, give me all the fucking money and the thing. And he's like, oh, okay.

Starting point is 00:29:16 He's like, I'll fucking kill you. He's got a gun. And he's, oh, hold on. He opens this thing and he's pulling out the money. He's like talking the guy and he's yelling at him. He's like, oh, okay. And he goes, John, why are you doing this? Yeah.

Starting point is 00:29:27 Bob? No, he's like, Bob, is that you? Yeah. And he's like, it's not me. you, Tom? You know what I'm saying? He's like, just give me the money. He's like, Bob, what do you do?

Starting point is 00:29:36 What do you do? You know what I'm saying? Like he gives him the money and the guy leaves and then the cop show up. He's like, I'm telling him. This is the guy Bob. He comes in every walk in morning. You know, it's a bad idea that people recognize you from more than just. Your walk.

Starting point is 00:29:50 Your movements, movements, walk, everything, inflection, you know, more than just, even if you try to disguise your voice and cover your face, you're going to know within about about 10 seconds. Yeah. I know you. Even the smell. Some people. You know, some people are so comfortable putting on the same clon every morning. It's like, yeah.

Starting point is 00:30:07 Jay? Yeah. Is that you? We're wearing the same clothes yet. Yeah, you think if you put it on a fucking ski mask, your wife wouldn't recognize you? Yeah, yeah. I just throw a little base in my voice in my way. My always going to be like, what are you doing?

Starting point is 00:30:20 Mm-hmm. Race, take the mask off. What are you doing? Yeah, it's, I'm not giving you anything. The way the mind works. You're harmless. You're harmless. I know you're harmless.

Starting point is 00:30:28 Is there any bullets in that? Yeah, exactly. Give me that. It's my gun. You know you're a felon. Yank the fucking revolver out of your hand. You're like, come on, man. It's bullshit.

Starting point is 00:30:40 Can you lend me the 300 minutes? So after that, we had a couple of our own things where we would, you know, notice things like a vehicle that would pass. Well, what happened with the guy? Did he track this guy down? He just disappeared. No, he had already moved and kind of hit him and knew. Yes, it was like that was his parting gift. Yes, his exit strategy.

Starting point is 00:31:01 Yes. So and that's the thing. It's not like he, you know, it's not even that much to get away with it. I mean, at the time, you know, it's a couple pounds. At the time, the pounds were like, you know, $400 a pound. You know what I mean? I'm talking about, you know, this is brick, dirt seeds. This is before hydro came in and the more expensive stuff.

Starting point is 00:31:20 You know what's funny? I have a friend. Jesus. This is actually interesting. I had a, keep in mind, raised upper middle class, I'm going to college. Like, I'm going to college. Like I'm going to college. I got a one-bedroom apartment.

Starting point is 00:31:34 I've got a girlfriend. I worked at Gold's Gym, which was two blocks away from my apartment. I mean, I'm just a normal kid, right? Like I'm going to school, like, you know, this is my summer job. I got student loans. I've got, but I'm doing okay. I'm happy, right? Everything is supposed to.

Starting point is 00:31:53 Yeah, yeah. Yeah, like my dad's like, you know, giving me so much money. He's paying for school, but I'm also getting student loans. and I'm also, you know, I've got all these things going. So I was like, and I'm working a fucking part-time job. Yeah. Actually, I think it was more like a probably closer to a full-time job during the summer. And I had a friend that I grew up with named Greg Sheldon.

Starting point is 00:32:13 Shelton or Sheldon? I don't know. But, and I'd grown up with him since I was 15, 16 years old. And he would come over every once in a while. And at one point, he was like, hey, he actually, he had a safe. can I put my safe in your closet? I don't have any more. And it was like, we're talking about one of these safes that you bought at Home Depot.

Starting point is 00:32:35 I don't know if they still sell them. But basically it was like concrete. Yep. But it's got a thin layer. Like if you don't know anything, you think it's a secure safe. It's not a secure safe. The security of that safe is that it weighs 50 or 60 pounds. Yeah, you're not taking it up.

Starting point is 00:32:47 Yeah, you're not taking this with you. And it was a basic, you know, you know, either was that, it was either the code or maybe it was a dial, whatever. So he had this safe in. the closet and he and I think that was the scam like I think that was part of the scam was for him to get a copy of my key so he's like can I have a key to a house so that I have access to my safe what are you keeping the safe just money yeah like I'm just keeping money because I'm working a couple jobs and I was like oh okay you know I'm bro that you're a friend of mine we grew up together

Starting point is 00:33:23 not thinking anything yeah I mean we're buddies you know do to do I'm just completely harmless right I'm 22 years old and I'm maybe 21. I'm maybe 21 or 22. I had to be about 22. And I'm just as green as I'll get on. Give him a copy to key. And he does this. So he's coming everyone.

Starting point is 00:33:41 Everyone's why he'd come in. He called me, hey man, I went by your house. I had to put some money in. I, okay, okay.

Starting point is 00:33:48 And then one day I'm at work. I get a phone call. Somebody says, hey, Matt, there's some chick on the phone for you. I'm like, oh, okay. And so I go to pick up the phone, and as soon as I say, hey, this is Matt Cox, you know, how may I help you? Boom, the phone hangs up.

Starting point is 00:34:09 I hear you hear it and everything. Just like click the checking where you are. This is in a cell phone. This is, there's no cell phones. This is a 90, is this 91 or 92. Anyway, hang up the phone. And I don't think anything of it. Where we at work?

Starting point is 00:34:23 Is it? I'm at work. I'm at work. I'm two blocks away from my house. Maybe three. This is on Dale. You don't know the area. But anyway, there's like a four lane.

Starting point is 00:34:30 There's like two or three lanes going one way. Two or three lanes go. There's a big like a highway between me and I'm over like two blocks. But I could literally walk to my house in five minutes. Making sure you're not home. That's what they were doing. I had no clue. I didn't put that together.

Starting point is 00:34:44 I'm like, huh, that's weird. You know, so I hang up the phone. I work the next four or five hours. I go home that night at whatever it is. And I get home. And the, I have a, I open my door, like to my key works. The door's not kicked open. I walk inside.

Starting point is 00:35:05 It's so funny too because I walked inside. I was inside for, I forget how many minutes, 20 minutes, 10, 20 minutes before I went in the bathroom for something. And my cologne was, you know, you're 21 years old. Like I had like five or six bottles of cologne, you know, that's a big thing. You're 20, you know, that's important. And I'm like, my cologne's gone. And I turn around. I walk out and I look in my, I had a TV.

Starting point is 00:35:35 This was back when you had like a TV console. And behind it, you used to be able to see the clock behind the glass. Glass doors. I couldn't see the clock. And I was like, what? I click it. You know, you clicked it. You don't have any of this shit anymore.

Starting point is 00:35:49 You click it and I open it. VCR is gone. And I had like a couple, I think I had like two VCRs. And I'm like, what the hell? Like they didn't take the TV, well, the TV was huge. Yeah. And then I was like, what the hell? And I walk in.

Starting point is 00:36:02 And I want to say Greg Safe was still there. And then I was like, what the fuck? And then I had at the time, I want to say I had a concealed weapons permit. And I had several guns that are gone. I'm like 22, maybe. And I'm like, oh my God. So my guns are gone. Oh, he also, I had a jar full of change.

Starting point is 00:36:28 You know, that was a big thing. People don't even know what that is anymore. A jar. Why would you have a jar? How do you get the change? No, no. No, no. Five gallon thing.

Starting point is 00:36:35 Exactly. That was gone. It wasn't that big. So it was big enough you could take it. So there was all these little things that were just, oh, the other thing, too, I had another VCR that was gone because I actually had a TV mounted on the wall. This was before mounts were a big, this is a pretty heavy TV, too. This is no flat floating shelves.

Starting point is 00:36:53 Yeah, exactly, exactly. With the VCR, the VCR's gone. They took the VCRs. I think they took the TV too, because it wasn't that big. Whatever it was, like snip, snip, snip and took everything. Multiple trips in and out. This was planned. And so then I immediately, I called the police.

Starting point is 00:37:08 The police come. They come. This was back when the police would come. Like now you could call and say, hey, I was robbed. They'd be like, okay, you can go online and fill out a report. Are you not going to send anybody else? No. No.

Starting point is 00:37:19 Where you're going to get a report? We'll put it in a system. maybe something shows up. You get them email. It's funny too that that weapon, that like it was one of the weapons was like a 38. That weapon probably five years later after I graduated, maybe maybe I graduated college, actually showed up. They found it in like a drug den raid. They found it and they had the serial number.

Starting point is 00:37:44 They had the serial number and they contacted me and said, hey, we found your gun. And I went and picked it up. Wow. So this is what happened. So they gave it back to you? No. What? Oh, the cops gave it back to me.

Starting point is 00:37:54 Yeah, I didn't have a felony or anything at that time. So what happens with Greg is that that happened and I never put it together. I call Greg, I'm like, Greg, you're not going to fucking believe this. He's like, what? And I'm like, did you give that key to anybody? Because they didn't have a key to the door. And then he's like, no, I never gave that key to me. He's like, maybe it's somebody, I wonder if they switched the locks or something.

Starting point is 00:38:15 Like, it was a whole thing. Matter of fact, the lock may not have been. locked. Does that make sense? Like maybe it wasn't locked, the bolt or something. Like for some reason, he had an explanation that made it seem like plausible. Possible. Did you lock the door? Did you yeah, I know I had to lock. I always locked the door. Like maybe, and I was on the second story, he's like, yo, bro, maybe somebody climbed up on your balcony and got in through the sliding glass door. You can just pick those up. And I'm like, fuck, maybe that's what they did. Right. And I never occurred to me that he had stolen from me. So I would say a month or so late,

Starting point is 00:38:49 No, he's watching the VCR. Yeah, he's crazy at the pawn shop getting my fucking selling my VCRs. So anyway, I remember a month or so later, a friend of ours named Fat Mike. They still call him Fat Mike. He's not fat anymore, though. Name sticks. Yeah. Fat Mike told me that Greg had robbed like 15 people over the course of like two days, two or three days.

Starting point is 00:39:19 And I was one of them. Did they all have safes in the closet? Oh, and he stole my watch. And he was trying. Fat Mike said, I know. And you were one of them. He said, I know, one, because you got robbed. And two, because he's got your watch.

Starting point is 00:39:32 He's trying to sell your watch to me for like a hundred bucks or something. And to be honest, the watch probably wasn't worth a hundred bucks. Maybe you clearly didn't. It was like a Seiko or something. So, and I was like, holy shit. And, yeah. So, you know, I call them. Well, here's the whole thing, too.

Starting point is 00:39:49 In between that time, Greg had come and gotten his safe while I was there. He's like, yeah, bro, this place isn't safe, man. I don't. And pick, took it. Of course, he never opened the safe. So he took the safe. He's like, you know, I'm not saying that something's going on, man, but I don't know. I don't feel safe with my stuff here.

Starting point is 00:40:05 So he took his. I'm like, no, I get it. I understand. Like, I had to pay like $100 something dollars to get the locks changed. Like, this guy fucked me. Anyway, he fucked. He did that. You know, he did that.

Starting point is 00:40:17 And people were looking for him. Like, everybody's now starting to real. realize he, and of course he's denying it. Fuck you, I didn't do nothing. But truth is he did. Don't start to connect. I mean, and I mean, people are like, bro, he got me for 10 grand. I mean, for five years.

Starting point is 00:40:28 Luckily, I'm in a college kid. I don't have any money, but he didn't take all the stuff that I thought was I liked and that a college kid was quickly. He might have, yeah, he might have got a fight. Maybe he got sold everything and got a few hundred bucks. Anyway, that's not the, the story is this is what he started. He basically was it. His M.O.

Starting point is 00:40:46 was to just rob people. A visit entrance Yes Yes Eventually what he What happens with Greg And most people that just keep Robin Everybody they know

Starting point is 00:40:57 Eventually he starts selling drugs And he had There was a buddy of his Scott I'm going to say Scott's young Scott's last name Anyway Scott and him

Starting point is 00:41:10 End up They Scott or Greg has a connect You know, Greg has a connect in Miami for powder. They go in on a key, half a key, something like that. They both put in like 10 grand or something, whatever. They go down there, they come back, they meet at a shonis or a sunnies, whatever. They meet there for them to split it up.

Starting point is 00:41:39 It's in Greg's. No. But before they do it, I think they transfer it into Scott's car. So Scott sees it. put in Scott's car. Then they go inside to have lunch. While they're inside, Greg has his little brother

Starting point is 00:41:54 break into the car and steal it. So when they come out, the car's been, windows bashed out, shit's gone. Greg immediately turns to Scott, what did you do? Who'd you have come here? You're the one that suggested we come here.

Starting point is 00:42:11 You're the one that said, because we were going to get lunch, I was starving here. I had a whole thing. And it definitely looked like Scott's, But Scott, of course, knows I didn't do nothing, bro. The only person that knew it was there was you. So Scott knows, but even though everything looks like, you know, in Greg's mind, what are you going to do? Convinced Scott that he had something to do with something he knows he had nothing to do with?

Starting point is 00:42:29 Regardless, so Scott's going around talking shit. Scott eventually comes to him and says, well, look, I still need product. Let's do this again. But this time I'm coming with you. I think something's up. He's like, yeah, bro, you can come with me. He's going to, yeah, I'll bring the money, but I'm going to bring the money. and bring my tin, whatever, you bring your tin.

Starting point is 00:42:48 Yeah, cool, man, let's do it. And keep in mind, in between this time, Greg suddenly has plenty of product. Yep. So, Scott, if he was curious, if he was questioning it before, he's not questioning it now. So Scott's girlfriend rents a car. Scott comes to pick up Greg. Greg leaves his girlfriend's house named Amy, goes down, gets into the rental car with Scott. He leaves.

Starting point is 00:43:15 Greg never comes back. These are kids in their 20s, by the way. This may be the very well, this may be the most, the closest I came in my early 20s to knowing truly dangerous people that I had no clue. Like the robbery was one thing

Starting point is 00:43:35 where I realized that, wow, you're a piece of garbage. But this is where I realize it was serious. So Greg gets in the car and leaves. He doesn't come home that night. They're supposed to drive that at like 9 or 10 o'clock at the morning. there's just drive to Miami and come back. You can drive to Miami and come back. Drive there, pick it up, come back. He's living with his girlfriend. His girlfriend's like, he never comes home. She's take, you know, this is pagers. You know, pagers. She's paging and paging and paging.

Starting point is 00:44:01 Never comes back. So she's freaking out. She eventually, she's calling sisters, moms, friends, everybody. Nobody, what do you mean? What do you mean? What do you mean? He was with Scott. He left with Scott. I saw Scott pulled up in the car. She never saw Scott, though. She saw the rental car. He told Greg on the phone, I'm picking you up in this car. That car was rented by the girlfriend. She saw the car. Oh, you saw it was the car.

Starting point is 00:44:27 So when the police show up, when they're, now the moms are saying, hey, he's fucking disappeared. So the cops come. This is back when they would come. They came and they said, hey. How long was he missing for? Three, four days, five days. So they're calling now. This isn't a kid.

Starting point is 00:44:44 These are still, these are all upper middle class kids. Yeah. You know? And they come. They take a report. Amy, well, who was it? Well, I know he was going with Scott.

Starting point is 00:44:53 And I know he picked him up. Did you see him driving the car? Well, I didn't see him driving the car because it was 45 feet away. But I didn't see the car pull up. And he had already told him it was, you know, whatever. It was a gray whatever, Toyota, whatever the car was. He had told him what the car was. I saw it pull up.

Starting point is 00:45:07 He told him, I'll be there in 10 minutes. He pulled up. He got out. That was him. Oh, okay. No big deal. So nobody knows what's happened. And they're all freaking out.

Starting point is 00:45:15 Of course, Amy is calling Scott. Scott saying, I never, I don't know what you're talking about. I never picked him up. But what are you talking about? So the cops go, they talked to Scott. Scott says, I don't, I was home all day with my fucking, my mom and dad, you know, doing yard work. What do you talk about? I never went to Miami.

Starting point is 00:45:33 I don't know. I don't do drugs. I don't sell, what are you talking about? A week later, it had been 10 days, roughly, let's say two weeks to 10 days. there are people they call them a i think they call them snake charmers you know what that is you're from new york you know no no no no it's not left fluke these are guys that actually so there are people in florid there's a lot of wildlife in florida they'll they'll catch snakes okay and then they can sell them right same thing with al like there are people that are professional that that hunt pythons in the everglades

Starting point is 00:46:06 and they kill them and if the longer they are the more money they get like these are professions that are only in Florida. So he, there's a snake charmer out collecting snakes and looking for snakes and he's out in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. Woods is 90% of Florida's woods. So he's out there looking and he comes across the guy that is tied to a tree that's been tortured to death. He's had his fingers broken.

Starting point is 00:46:31 Fingers, we're talking about just horrific. Like we're talking about somebody took a hammer, smashed his fucking feet. Somebody took pliers. They're chopping off fingers, breaking. fingers. I mean, he's tortured. And then he's shot in the chest like five times. Boom, boom, bum, bum, bum. Somebody unloads, you know, he's been beaten. Just beaten. But they realize, oh, and three or four days after this whole event had happened, they find that rental car that was registered to Scott's girlfriend on fire. First day of the game. A mile or two away from where the body found a week after that. So a week

Starting point is 00:47:10 Later, they find the body. So they realize it's Greg. And the consensus has always been what the police believe. And I know what the, I know this because later in life when I opened my mortgage company, Amy, which was Greg's girlfriend, was an account executive that used to come to my office. And so when I met her, I was like, hey, what's going? Hey, how are you? She's like, oh, my God.

Starting point is 00:47:37 And she sat down. And she had told me because every couple of years, the detectives come and see her to review the case. It's now a cold case. So, and she's telling me, oh, they've always known that Scott. Everybody's always known Scott. Not only that, not only did they know Scott did it, Scott's gotten drunk multiple times and admitted to people that he did it. Yep. But you getting drunk at a bar and telling people this is what you did or telling other.

Starting point is 00:48:00 It's not evidence. It's not evidence. You believe it or not. And there really is, and the cops are less like, there's everything circumstantial. and his parents gave him an alibi. You know, at this point, it's airtight. And it's been 30-something years. She's never been charged.

Starting point is 00:48:20 Yeah. Oh, and this is another amazing, interesting thing about that story, is that after he disappears, after, so a month or so after all of it happens, Amy's pregnant. She was pregnant the whole time and just realized she was pregnant. had his baby so this guy's baby that you know

Starting point is 00:48:40 had a baby and was pregnant and he got and listen unfortunately and I hate to say this is that you know I want to feel like hey this guy's you know like I don't think he should have died but he was a piece of shit he was a piece of shit I don't I don't wish that he had died or anything like you know you saw a lot of guys be like it's on the

Starting point is 00:48:59 tip of my tongue to say couldn't have happened to a nicer guy but I'm not going to say that because nobody deserves to be tortured. He didn't, he didn't only die. Yeah, yeah. He, this was... He probably wished he was dead before he was actually dead. Yeah, he, yeah, exactly.

Starting point is 00:49:11 It was a horrific, horrific thing, but, but it's the same thing. He, kind of like when you just said the guy, his, his, his, his, his last, like, his his exit strategy. Greg's exit strategy was, like, setting up everybody he knows, getting access to their stuff and then within a day or two, robbing everybody. It's like, wow, bro. And how much money did you get? Yeah, that's...

Starting point is 00:49:33 Total. What'd you make? 15, 20, maybe you got some guys for their, for actual cash, maybe you got somebody for a real, but I was a kid, I had no jewelry, I had nothing worth anything. That that was his, and ultimately, that behavior catches up to you. Yeah, become the one common denominator of everything. Yeah, virtually somebody, you, and listen, by the way, Scott, the kid Scott, it's like, it's funny because I always say his full name.

Starting point is 00:49:58 So for me to not say his last name right now, it's weird to say it's just Scott, because he's actually got a pretty cool name. If you had talked to Scott, Scott's absolutely harmless. He was a nice kid. I'd known him. I remember riding around the neighborhood on our bicycles, playing racquetball with him at night at the rec center. At the Templetary's rec center.

Starting point is 00:50:23 You know, we're right. We're 13 years old riding our bikes through the fucking, through the middle class neighborhood, playing and telling each other like, hey, I got to be home by 10. My mom said I've got to be home by 10. It's almost, okay, well, let's get, we'll finish the game and then, okay, riding home. I mean, this kid's harmless. You don't fucking have any idea how dangerous people are.

Starting point is 00:50:45 What did you lose? 10 grand worth of product? Yeah. Like, my God. And I don't even know if it was 10. Might have been 5. I mean, like the actual key load, the actual amount, I don't know if he lost 5 grand or 10, but at some point he entered this world that was extremely dangerous.

Starting point is 00:51:01 Still didn't have to be. you wouldn't have thought he was dangerous. But I noticed that sometimes it's the, you know, the adding up of this person getting you, then that person rob you, then that's the last one. Yeah, and that's it. And then it's the last one where it's just like,

Starting point is 00:51:17 it's never going to stop. It needs to stop now. He's going to be an example. Right. My God. I mean, listen, horrific. Like, think about all the people we've interviewed. I don't, even with like, you know,

Starting point is 00:51:31 Derek, the guy is. handcuffed and he's you know punching him but then this this wreck went through fucking hell you imagine the begging and pleading and and who knows what happened and was here's the thing was was scott alone did his did somebody help him he was a big strong guy have you ever wondered what happened to the legendary chuck norris i recently saw a video he made and i was shocked He's in his 80s and still kicking butt and working out and staying active. What's even more shocking is he's stronger, can work out longer, and even has plenty of energy left over for his grandkids.

Starting point is 00:52:10 He did this by just making one change. He says he still feels like he's in his 50s. His wife even started doing this one thing, and she's never felt better. She says she feels 10 years younger. Her body looks leaner, and she has energy all day. Chuck made a special video that explains everything. Make sure you watch it by going to chuckdefense.com slash Matt or by clicking on the link below this video. It'll change the way you think about your health.

Starting point is 00:52:37 Once again, that's chuck defense.com slash Matt. Or click on the link in the description box below to watch the video now. You won't believe how simple it is. Just remember, the legendary Chuck Norris is a whopping 85 years old and he has more energy than me. He discovered he could create dramatic changes to his health. simply by focusing on three things that sabotage our body as we age. Watch his method by clicking on the link in the description box below or go to chuck defense.com slash Matt.

Starting point is 00:53:11 Yeah, well, listen, Greg was a big guy. Greg was a big guy. So otherwise, if Greg wasn't a big guy after I realized he had robbed me, I'd have gone and beat his ass. But he was a big guy. Greg's a big guy. Well, they robbed and beat up. Right.

Starting point is 00:53:26 there's not much chance like he knew I saw him one time and I remember at the gym and I yelled at him and he yelled back and we're screaming at each other and I'm like you fucking thief piece of shit motherfucker we're yelling at each other and I turn around to leave

Starting point is 00:53:44 and he's what are you doing going to get your fucking gun I said you stole my fucking gun Trent was there like all these guys are there bawling laughing they're like bro when you turn around and said when he said what are you going to go get your gun gun he said when you said you stole my god he's like that's the funniest shit i ever seen i didn't

Starting point is 00:54:01 think it was funny at the time i'm just going to get my car and leave because i can't beat i know i can't beat your ass you're five foot fucking 10 511 200 and fucking 30 40 pounds you're squatting 405 for reps of fucking 10 you're benching fucking 350 i'm not gonna beat your ass it's not gonna go my way no this is gonna go bad for me now you rob me and you beat my ass Did they find, did they charge him? They never charged Scott. Like, I only know that. Charged.

Starting point is 00:54:30 Well, you know, I don't think so. I don't think they ever charged him. They couldn't have because they didn't charge him 20 years later they said, because that was what I had talked to Amy. I don't think they, matter of fact, I know they didn't charge, talk to him because I talked to somebody who talks to Amy. And they said to this day, he has never been charged. but every few years a detective calls and says,

Starting point is 00:54:55 can we go over everything again? And it's a cold case. And she's like, yeah, absolutely. This is what happened. And she's had that conversation where she said, you understand that he's told so-and-so this. And so-and-so, he's like, yep, we went and talked to him. He did say it.

Starting point is 00:55:08 Everybody knows but you guys. Yes. Yeah. And he's like, yeah, we've got like two or three times. He's gone into a bar, got drunk with some with buddies that knew Greg and said, yeah, I fucking killed him. I took him out in the fucking woods. I tied him up.

Starting point is 00:55:19 I beat him broke his fingers bashed it took a fucking had a hammer had this had that everything torched him

Starting point is 00:55:25 he was begging pleading I fucking and then he's but I couldn't let him go after that and he admitted it but the

Starting point is 00:55:31 he admitted it but it's gone he's gone I can't get the money I can't get anything but I knew it was him and I wanted to make sure it was him

Starting point is 00:55:38 and it was him he said how he did it his brother helped like a whole thing laid it all out and then I fucking shot him but it's not on recording like he's gonna deny this later

Starting point is 00:55:46 I don't know what he's talking about yeah and hearsay you can't get on the stand in the state you can't get on the stand and say that you know so if you'll get on the stand at all like it's he's obviously sleeping well at night didn't really bother him much so no no yeah even if it was bothering and let's face it if you're smart you realize that it it may be eating my conscience up but not all you got to do is get not enough as a life sentence yeah not as much as a 20 or 30 year

Starting point is 00:56:12 sentence it is going to eat me like i'd be laying in bed after two years going yeah i could have i was better off my conscience i was better off dealing with my conscience than this bullshit. Yeah. Yeah. At least I did the right thing. Yeah. But I had asked doing that, you know, but I had happened about it, you know, about

Starting point is 00:56:31 the guy and everything. And he was just like, it's like, it's like, let's say. He's like, you know, what are, what are we going to do? What am I going to live here? He's like, you know, I mean, what are we really going to do? He's like, it's not going to fix anything. You know what I mean? He was like, you know, I mean, he's like the odds are.

Starting point is 00:56:45 He's gone and he's not going to come back. Right. He's messed up. Is it fucked up? Yeah, but did it stop anything? What was it going to do? No. Track him down, commit a home invasion, tie him up, whoever's there, beat on him, try and get,

Starting point is 00:56:57 can I try and get what? Yeah. Nothing. Your strategy is to commit home invasions, steal fucking money, blow the money. Like, you're nobody. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, nobody. And then what happens?

Starting point is 00:57:09 Then what happens if in the middle of that, that gets stumbled on to and he gets charged for a home invasion. No, no, officer, you don't understand. He committed a home invasion by me. He tied up my. family. So then I did it to it's okay. We're street guys. The cops would be like, no, bro, you're getting 15 years. It's a mandatory minimum. And one thing I learned is they will do that. You know, you take some guy that did something to you, right? You do the exact same thing to him.

Starting point is 00:57:33 He will call the police on you. He will call the police. I know. I got a story for that. Another guy I know from Coleman, I'd love to come on the show and tell that story. He got ripped off. And then he breaks into the guy's house, robs the guy. When the cops get there, he says, I know exactly who it is. You know, he changed what he stole from money to drugs. I mean, I'm sorry, from drugs to money. He broke in, he stole $5,000 in cash. He knew I had it. And then, of course, the cops know it's drugs.

Starting point is 00:58:02 But either way, it doesn't matter. This guy had to go to trial. He went to trial on it. And he won it trial, luckily, because it was a state charge. You can beat the state. You can't beat the feds. Yeah. So, but anyway, you were saying, so you talked to the guy, he just decided to let it go.

Starting point is 00:58:15 Yeah. So, one of a quick story on that topic. So I knew a kid that a guy that used to be. do that. He would, you know, befriend people in the club and then, you know, you know, find out what they get. And then, you know, after a club night, he would do, you know, home invasions on a way for them to do, you know, come. So he does a home invasion to this kid. And he, I think he gets him for like five, five keys. It's a nice lick. Yeah. Yeah. So in the mix of, I guess, when the guy was tying him up or zip time, I guess he didn't tie the tight, he didn't tie it

Starting point is 00:58:46 securely. The guy breaks those, he calls a police. There's a lot of police in this area. So the guy says on the phone that he just saw his neighbor get kidnapped by somebody. And this is the car that they're in and they're pulling away. You know, and they're putting away. He's trying to force them in a trunk. So he made it like a block away before they boxed him in. They brought him and they put him in possession of them five keys.

Starting point is 00:59:12 He got like 18 years for, yeah, for a whole nation, not going his. That's hard to explain. Yeah. No, no, officer. You don't know, I'm holding it for somebody. I mean, you know, like, no, I'm not a drug dealer. I'm just, I just kicked in this guy's, I kicked in a drug dealer's door. So now you're admitting.

Starting point is 00:59:32 It really is. Yeah, now you're admitting to a home invasion. Like, I'm not sure which one is worth. The five keys or the home invasion. And then if there was a gun involved, which probably was. And then I remember him saying that the guy that called the police tried, try to come visit him. Try to come visit him. Like, I guess I want to rub it in his face or, you know, but he's,

Starting point is 00:59:49 He's like, you know, this motherfucker tried to come visit me. You know, he tried to come visit me. Sending me letters that say, ha, ha, ha, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, like, man, he got you. Yeah. You know?

Starting point is 01:00:01 Can't blame him. He's like, yeah, so he said. He's like, I never saw this being the way I got caught is when he said. He's like, I never saw this being why I got in trouble. Just two clicks short on the zip tie. It's the fly in the ointment. That's whenever somebody says, would you ever commit fraud?

Starting point is 01:00:16 No. Because it's the fly in the ointment that gets you caught a lot of that. It doesn't matter how good you are. There's some things you cannot account for. And there's just, in no way, can I ever be standing in front of a judge again. Yeah. You'll be merciless. A fence or something else.

Starting point is 01:00:33 Throughout, when I was living there, I used to, you know, I used to go take drives back to my area. I had a Honda Civic at the time, a little two-door. And the area that, you know, when I originally raised, you know, my name was always being mentioned as, you know, something to do with, you know, either the bud or somebody. You know, it was always being mentioned. The usual suspect. Yeah, so, you know, I'm at a party one time. The cops are called. So we're in a backyard, sitting on a couch.

Starting point is 01:00:59 The cops come and they tell, you know, everybody get up. You know what I mean? Like, get up, get up off the couch. I'm like, yeah, I'm not getting up. I'm sitting here, you know what I mean? So I don't want to move, you know. So I end up moving, they end up firing a bag of powder under the couch, you know what I mean, which wasn't mine.

Starting point is 01:01:14 Like, legitimately, I had no idea that was there, didn't know anything about it. So they arrest me for it. Whose couch was it? The kid that was having a party was outside. We were all outside. We were all outside at a party. Not my car. Not my house.

Starting point is 01:01:28 Not my lot of people here. Because I didn't just get up, because I gave them mouth is what they said. Right. You know, I was trying to protect it or, you know, whatever. So I ended up getting charged with it. I legitimately felt it wasn't mine. There's no way they can charge you with this. There's no way, you know, so I chose to go to trial.

Starting point is 01:01:47 I took it, you know, I took it to trial. Oh, wow. Yeah, I took it to trial. I had a choice of, you know, I was able to pick either a jury or a judge, you know, to have that case. So I ended up picking the judge. I had a public defender. And the judge, the officer ended up lying on the stand. And the judge caught it.

Starting point is 01:02:06 You know, in the police report, it said that I was under a couch that I was sitting at. You know, while he was on a stand, he said he saw me put it under the couch cushion. So, you know, the judge mentioned it to him. You know, he's like, is there any reason why you would say that it was under there and you didn't see it happen that day? And he said, no, it's just, you know, I might have been mistaken. And the judge was like, mistaken which day, that day or mistaken now? This is the judge saying this, not your, not your defense. This is something your, your public defenders should be saying.

Starting point is 01:02:37 Yes, yes. He wasn't saying nothing. I was, you know, I was like, he was basically saying, just let him just let him go. Let him work, you know. And so after, after they had that little word to word, the, my lawyer asked for, a motion to dismiss, you know, and the judge denied it. You know, they kept on with the case. I guess what really was, he wanted to see how much further it was going to go, you know, because he ended up finding me not guilty. You know, he ended up finding me not guilty.

Starting point is 01:03:02 And I think that, that started the level of harassment that went on every day after that, you know, I mean, I would get pulled over it. Every day for, you know, your taillight is out, you know, I would call my mom. I'm like, mom, they're pulling me over right now. There's nothing wrong, you know, come down, you know, come down here, right down a block. As soon as she would start to pull up, they would hand you all my stuff back, jumping their cars, and pull off. You know what I mean? It was just a harassment, harassment.

Starting point is 01:03:26 So I went back to the Honda. So I have a Honda Civic, and that's, you know, I usually pull out the air vent. And, you know, it was a big area behind the dashboard. You know, it didn't have airbags. So, you know, you had a long gap. So I would put things in there, you know. I would run around and, you know, I would sell a lot of bud, different people. And sometimes, you know, sometimes it takes me longer to get to this guy.

Starting point is 01:03:47 So they're no longer there. You know what I mean? So now I have more. I still have stuff left over. You know, sometimes I would give to some money like here, just take that, pay me later for it because I haven't. So I get pulled over. I get pulled over in the neighborhood and the cops, you know, anything in the car and everything.

Starting point is 01:04:04 I'm like, no, you know, I'm saying, nothing in the car. He's like, you know, do you mind if I, you know, if I search it? And, you know, I'm like, you know, whatever, you know what I'm saying? Go ahead. For me, constantly taking out the air vent, you know, I guess it was a slight bend in it, you know, that look it wouldn't quite click in right anymore you know so he noticed that when he noticed it he pulls it out stick the flashlight in there pulls out a quarter ounce you know pulls out a quarter ounce he's like you know what's this and i was like ah must be the former owners

Starting point is 01:04:35 he must have been a drug dealer thank god you found that officer yeah but the first thing that came to my don't have was oh i forgot that was there you know that's that's that I'm God that was there. So it locks me up, asking me about it, you know, so do you sell this? I'm like, no, you know, I smoke it, you know? He's like, yeah, but, you know, do you buy enough that, you know, that you sell it to your friends, that way you're smoking it for free, right? I'm like, no.

Starting point is 01:05:07 That's a good idea. And thought about that. Is that how you do it, officer? No, no, I just smoke it. He's like, you sure? Because, you know, I don't really care about that part. You know, I just want to know, you know, how, how. He just wants to be here for you.

Starting point is 01:05:22 We can get you help. We're here to help you. Yeah. I want to help you get out of this, you know? So I was said, I said, no, you know, he's like, you smoke so much that you forget what's in the dashboard. Exactly. And I said, yeah. You know, I was like, I guess, you know, I was like, I'm not.

Starting point is 01:05:40 I said, you're making this a lot more than, you know, what it is. You know what I mean? It's just, yeah, that's, you know, so. So end up charged. I was offered a PTI, pre-trial intervention. So basically you don't get in trouble for a year. It gets erased. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 01:05:55 So, yeah, I took it. I took it. No felony. No nothing. Everything, you know, perfect, good. So I am living with the Pete. Everything's going great, you know. You're living with what?

Starting point is 01:06:07 Oh, with my friend, Pete, where I'm looking the room from. Everything's going good. I was starting to constantly, you know, get on my own, make, you know, my own money, everything. He is looking to move out and get another place, so I find a place for my own. A little apartment. I'm there for maybe a month. You know, everything's going good. I mean, no complaints.

Starting point is 01:06:30 Like, you know, I have cars, you know what I'm saying, money, jury. Everything's great. So I started going to, you know, strip clubs and, you know, beating strippers because, you know, I wanted to go to a place where you need good people with. good characters. Yeah, I was going to say, you're getting your priority. Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, very responsible and, you know, just overall good people. Yeah. So one of them comes, comes to visit me one day. Um, and we're there. And she said that she had to make a phone call, you know, she had to make a phone call. She's where at your house?

Starting point is 01:07:03 Yeah. So she had to make a phone call. So mind you, we have cell phones, but didn't click in my head that she's going outside to make the phone call. You know, it just, you know, it didn't, it didn't really registered. I'm like, oh, you know, make. You know, make a cell phones. I'm like, oh, you know, Maybe she has a boyfriend and she doesn't, you know, maybe, you know, so whatever. Or a home invasion team. Yeah. Standing by. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:07:24 Yeah. So she comes back in. Door was left unlocked. Two minutes later, I get two people in my house with a gun, hammer, and masks. Odd coincidence. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:07:36 We would mess around sometimes, you know, with each other. But nothing like, you know, nothing like that. So, you know, for a quick second, I thought, oh, maybe this could be, you know, and then I saw a hammer, I'm like, yeah, no, hammer. Like, you know, like, no, that's not a tool that I ever really see anybody. And so I stood up. Um, next thing I remember is like a flash of light, you know, like, like when you get hit real hard, that's the best way I could, you know, put it. So when I wake up, I'm guessing that I was hitting a face with a hammer. So I'm bleeding and duct taped on the floor. The guy with the hammer is rummaging around and everything. They're asking me,

Starting point is 01:08:10 where's the money? Where's the money? Like, I don't, you know, I don't know. I don't know any money. I don't know what you're talking about, you know? Where is you? She's in the bathroom. They put it in the bathroom. Like, she's supposed to be tied up in the bathroom? Or she's probably just standing there letting them. Because when they were asking for the money, you know, I clicked in my head, you know. I was like, she knows where the money is.

Starting point is 01:08:26 She knows it. So then they would break and they were going to the bathroom. You know what I'm saying? And I didn't hear any, any. So I was like, you know, they're having a conversation. They're hitting me a couple of times, rummaging through the room. The guy that's on me, he starts to stab me in a leg. You know, he stabbed me in a leg.

Starting point is 01:08:43 And I'm yelling. You know what I mean? I'm yelling. What he stabbed you with like a knife? Yeah, he had a knife. Fuck. So he stabs you right in the leg, you know, where's the money? And, you know, so I'm yelling.

Starting point is 01:08:52 He's like, you know, stop yelling. I'm like, you know, stop stabbing me, you know. And I was like, no, there is no money. You have the wrong house. I don't know what you're talking about. He puts a pillow on my head. He puts a pillow on my head. And he puts the gun on the pillow, right?

Starting point is 01:09:06 And then it just clicked. I have a chain on. I have like $2,500 in my pocket, you know. Take the chain, take the $2,500. and get the hell out of my house. You know what I mean? Because at that moment, I was like, you know, when I, when I saw the guy with the hammer, I knew that, you know, this is going to be a bad day.

Starting point is 01:09:24 You know what I'm saying? This is, this is not going to go good. When you put the pillow on my head, I was like, you know, wow, this stuff really happens. It's going to be the worst day. Yeah, you know, that's what I, first thing I thought was like, this is not like, you know, it's like the movies. This stuff really happens, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, I guess it wasn't like real until it was really, you know, like happening.

Starting point is 01:09:43 And so it clicked on my, I had a California king, you know, mattress. So, you know, so I told him, I was like, you know, take the money, take the chain and get the hell out of my house. So while he was rummaging through my pockets, he ended up pulling my pants down over my feet. During the course of him hitting me and me moving, I had busted the duct tape on my feet. So my feet were free, but they couldn't see it because the pants were over. So I told him that I had a California King mattress. I knew it was going to take two of them to lift up the mattress. So I told him, I said, the money.

Starting point is 01:10:13 There's money under the mattress in the room. So he grabbed the other guy. They went to the room while they were looking for the mattress. I jumped up. I popped up. I was running to the kitchen to get a knife. I wanted to try to get a knife. That was the first thing.

Starting point is 01:10:29 But I couldn't break the tape on my hands. So when I couldn't break the tape with my hands, I was looking toward the door. I had a big glass window in the front. I could see the reflection from them coming, you know, from where I am. I could see the reflection, so I saw them coming this way. So I just, I ran forward, tucked my head, and I jumped through the front window.

Starting point is 01:10:52 Are you the first two stories? No. Two stories. Yep. I cut the tendon in my finger that brings it back up. I can see the scars. There's a plate in there. My nose was like sideways.

Starting point is 01:11:05 And just, you know, I'm bleeding from my leg from the thing and just, you know, lacerations all over the place. I don't remember hitting the ground. I do know that when I came to, I was on my feet, my hands were untapped, I guess the impact broke the tape of it. And I ran across the parking lot because I knew the neighbor across there. So I knocked on the door. This was his girlfriend and answered the door.

Starting point is 01:11:29 So I called this. They called the police. You know, cops come. Of course, he's mad, my friend, because I ran to his house to get help. Kind of got him. Like that asshole. Yeah. Because I, you know, because I ran.

Starting point is 01:11:41 his house to get help. So the cops. Why, is he selling drugs or something? Yeah. Oh, okay. So you're bringing heat on me. Yeah.

Starting point is 01:11:48 Fuck you, bro. Yeah. Meanwhile, you know, it's funny that everybody always thinks they're so huge. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 01:11:53 Like, how you bring you? You're a small time drug dealer. Like, you know, stop it, you know. So the cops come,

Starting point is 01:11:59 they call it cops. The people end up, you know, running out of the house. She leaves two. Craziest part is this that, I'm still,

Starting point is 01:12:11 friends are like 20 years. Right. 20 years later, who still phone the girl? The stripper? And when the cops show up, though, don't you say the fucking, this is stripper was fucking, she set me up. I think she set me out. Yeah, so the cops, the cops come and I'm being taken off in an ambulance.

Starting point is 01:12:28 So they're, you know, they bring me to the hospital. So, you know, the cops initially come before they're doing the surgery, you know. So they want, you know, they want to know, you know, do you know who did it? Oh, you know, everything. I said, you know, I'm not, I'm not sure. I was like, I don't know, I'm in pain, I'm under, you know, drugs. The doctor tells them to come back, you know, come back again. So they come back, they come back and they're, you know, asking questions.

Starting point is 01:12:52 I tell them like, listen, it was two guys with masks and a gun, you know, like, what race? I was like, white. He said, well, we have witnesses that they were black. Like, whether then they were black, you know, I'm pretty sure they got a better look at them than I did while being hit in the face when I had. hammer and, you know, well, I'm face down. You know what I'm saying? So he said, but you could make this easy or difficult? And I'm like, I'm like, what do you mean? Like I was robbed. I was beat up, you know, I was, I was, you want, but, you know, do you want us to look for him not? Are you knowingly giving them misinformation? No, no, no, I was honest. That was, I was, I was, 100%.

Starting point is 01:13:33 You didn't know who it was? No, didn't know who it was. You didn't know if they were white, though. You know, the tone of their voices. I called my buddy, the one that, I was, one that. I was, you know, after that, I had the surgery on a hand. The process of them fixing the nose was worse than getting hit with the hammer, than getting stabbed was everything. They stuck a rod in my, and just push it sideways, like, just straighten it. Oh, my God, that was worst pain ever. So I called my buddy.

Starting point is 01:14:00 I told them, like, listen, they came, you know, they came back again. I, you know, acted like I was all, you know, out of it. But I don't want to be here when they come back again, you know what I'm saying? He's like, so you want to leave? I was like, yeah. I was like, yeah. He's like, what the doctors say? I'm like, nothing.

Starting point is 01:14:14 I'm hooked up to an IV and a thing, but the surgery's already done. You know what I mean? My nose is, you know, I'm black and blue, but, I mean, I don't think there's anything more they can do, you know? He was like, all right, so I'll be outside in 10 minutes. You know what I mean? So I go to look for my clothes, but they had cut it off because, you know, they didn't know where I was bleeding from and everything. I pulled out the IV and went downstairs. He picked me up, you know, in my gown, and we drove off.

Starting point is 01:14:40 Ass hanging out. That's the whole thing. That's it. Nobody questioned the way. Nobody questioned where I was going. Nothing happens. The healing process back to zero again. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 01:14:50 Lost, you know, money to car. People don't want to deal with you because, you know, not a copse involved. They think, you know, you're hot and, you know, all types of things. But you feel like maybe you keep starting over because of the lifestyle. You know? I don't know. I don't know. I'm not an expert.

Starting point is 01:15:08 It took me. It took me losing everything. more times before I realized that, you know, there is just no up. You know, there's no, nothing good will ever come out of this. So I start again, you know, climbing my way back up. I go to watch the Super Bowl in New York with my cousin's friend, Nell. And my cousin, his name is Chino. He's from Hawaii.

Starting point is 01:15:33 He's, you know, he's half Puerto Rican, half Chinese, but raised in Hawaii. Well, my father's uncle was in the military. and this is a cousin that he moved from Hawaii at 17 to Harlem, you know, by himself with nothing, just figuring it out. I believe he got some trouble out there. So, you know, he becomes a bigger part in it, you know, later on. But so I'm driving back from watching the Super Bowl. I get pulled over in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Starting point is 01:16:01 The cop was on the shoulder. He said I came a little close to him, you know, that I almost hit him. But, you know, in cop term, almost hit me. It means you came a little, you know, you were slightly on the right side of the lane. So he pulls me over. I'm going to run to car. He tells me I have a fugitive warrant, basically, from the municipality where the incident happened. Why do you have a warrant?

Starting point is 01:16:26 Exactly. So I don't, you know, so I'm asking him, like, how do I have a warrant? He's like, you know, criminal warrant. That's what it was not fugitive. Criminal warrant. So I asked him, he's like, you know, I don't know. It doesn't say here except possession, you know. I said possession.

Starting point is 01:16:39 He's like, do you remember? I was like, yeah, I was robbed and I was beat up, you know? So I was like, I have no idea. So they take me, told a car, Jersey guys come, they pick me up, they bring me out there, lock me up. Detectives come see me. So again, they start bringing up the story, you know? They were like, you know, so what's going on here? I was like, why am I being arrested, you know?

Starting point is 01:17:02 And they're like, well, we'll get to that, you know, but, but, you know, help answer these questions, you know. But do you remember the day that, you know, that you were robbed? I said, yes. He's like, okay, can you describe the people? I say, yes, they were still white with ski mask. Same like I told you before. I said, I know you have the witnesses told you they were black, you know. I was like, but I'm telling you what I remember, you know, what they remember.

Starting point is 01:17:25 They had masks and guns. Can you tell me anything else? Nope, there was a girl there also, you know what I mean? I was like, if she wasn't beat up or assaulted, then, you know, I mean, I'm assuming that, you know, three people beat up and one not beat up, you know, then maybe three, you know, against one. He's like, what did they want? I was like, you know, they were talking about money. He's like, did you give him money?

Starting point is 01:17:46 He's like, yeah. I said, I don't know if you ever been in a situation, but I was trying to give him whatever the hell they wanted. You know what I mean? I had a couple thousand in my pocket and my chain, and that's what I gave him. So then they start pulling out pictures and it gives me of duffel bags, black duffel bags, empty with like shake, with, you know, some stems, some seeds, like just, you know, crumbs.

Starting point is 01:18:09 So what you're saying is you think that they left their duffel bags. Makes sense to me. They did have, I will recall them having dupel bags when they entered the house. They must have left their dupel bags. That would have been great. That would have been great. I would have to do a whole wrench in their whole thing. Is that what you're telling me, officers?

Starting point is 01:18:28 Well, no, we think these are your duffel bags. My duffel bags? I would never. What is that stuff? Is they cooking? Is it cooking? Is it? Is it?

Starting point is 01:18:39 Yeah, exactly. So, I'm not a cook. So, so he's like, you know, so what was in here? And I said,

Starting point is 01:18:48 I don't know. I was like, but, you know, it might be, um, residue for marijuana. It's like,

Starting point is 01:18:55 why do you think that? I'm like, because. They smelled of marijuana. You're just not fast enough, bro. You got to be on it when these fuckers are,

Starting point is 01:19:06 collection. So I tell him like, well, there's a guy that pays my rent and he pays my car and I hold on to his stuff for him, you know? So I don't really know what's there, but I know that, you know, he pays. So like, what's his name? Colby. His name's Ronnie. He's like, Ronnie.

Starting point is 01:19:28 Ronnie what? Like, I don't know. I don't know. What's he look like? He's a black dude. Like Come on Like

Starting point is 01:19:38 You're always a black guy You're always Like six to Where does he live I said I believe he's local You know What does he drive I think he drives a Lexus

Starting point is 01:19:51 I think he drives a Lexus He's like How long you've been doing this I said what He said I thought you're holding his stuff What else is this you do Running a stash house

Starting point is 01:20:03 Yeah. How long you're admitting to running a stash house. Your situation's not getting any better. Yeah. So, so he goes, so he writes it down and then he's like, he's like,

Starting point is 01:20:16 so he's what, about your height, you know? And I was like, yeah, a little bit, you know, he said,

Starting point is 01:20:22 you said he was six two. I was like, how tall am I? I don't. So he, he scribes it, and he puts the pen down, right?

Starting point is 01:20:32 And he's like, no. I was like, you want to try again? I was like, which part didn't you believe? Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's like, let's start at the part where what you have in your duffel bag. I said, I don't know where those duffel bags came from, you know. He's like, I thought they were Rani's. I was like, you know they were Ronnie.

Starting point is 01:20:57 You scribbled it out. I was like, I need a lawyer. Let me just, you know, let me just take the lawyer. he's like, all right, all right, your lawyer will come visit you in the county. I thought I was going to get bail. He said, you'll get bail from the county. So I was like, all right. So end up charged, mind you, this is like two years later.

Starting point is 01:21:16 You know, I had already forgot about it and everything. Did you tell them that? What are we doing here? I forgot about this. Everything's done and forgiven, yeah, it was over. I ended up stumbling upon a lawyer that was over there. I believe at one point it was, you know, tickets, you know, accumulation of tickets and then points. And so I would be constantly getting driving on spending.

Starting point is 01:21:38 So the attorney I got from there, you know, he, I called to represent me. I told him, I was like, you know, this is, this is a BS case. So he had the pictures of me from when I got assaulted and everything. I said, so can't we just, you know, beat it? Like, we don't know what the duff, you know, like, we don't know what the bags are and everything. He said, yeah, except for the fact that when you had a conversation with him, you acknowledge the bags. I was like, ah, I said, that's why you don't ever talk to them. Because what seems like nothing to you is the same thing that has an anchor down right now.

Starting point is 01:22:08 I was like, man. But it's a simple possession. It's not even a possession. It's like, you know, it was like regid. It was not even a weight to it. You know what I mean? I was given some other type of program where I ended up with, again, with no felony and everything. But they wanted me to leave their town.

Starting point is 01:22:25 You know, that was, you know. We'd like you to not reside. in Cook County anymore or whatever. No, that was it. You know, we don't want to see you around here again. We don't want to hear around again, you know. You tell him I'm not fond of you guys either. That's fine.

Starting point is 01:22:40 That's fine. I figured it was blown for me over here, you know what I mean? After that happens, I had started focusing more on the white because, you know, as you get bigger with the green, it becomes harder to handle. You know, it weighs more. It smells. It's, you know, there's no such thing as airtight vexed. ceiling. I mean, everything comes out sometime, you know. Plus the people that we were getting it from,

Starting point is 01:23:05 you know, we went out to visit them one time, and it was Jamaicans, and they, this was the first time I saw, like, money. The Jamaican would give us the pounds of the, of the weed. Went to his house when he had, like, Tupperware things, you know, full of money that were, you know, like stacked in his house. So we was, you know, we were like, you know, it looks like he's about to disappear or something, you know what I mean? So he had told my buddy that, you know, somebody else would be coming, you know, that you introduce him to them.

Starting point is 01:23:35 But he goes up to see him one time and he's nowhere to be found. Come to find out his uncle killed him and just took over, took over the business. I'm like, wow, he was here for all these years. His uncle.

Starting point is 01:23:51 Hostile takeover. Right? And that's the Jamaican hostile takeover. Yeah. It's different than the Wall Street. Different than the Wall Street, right? The changing of the guard.

Starting point is 01:24:03 Yeah, so I was just like it. I like it's better. The Jamaican changing of the guard. That's what they call that. You know, the guy basically, you know, came to my buddy. Like, it's nothing, like it's normal business. Like, you know, everything, you know, same prices. Everything would, everything would be the same, you know, just, you just contact me now.

Starting point is 01:24:21 It's not like this added an extra element or an extra, you know what I'm saying? Yeah. It's my time to find a new avenue to secure the product. This is starting to have the violence of all the other truck ones. Yeah. You know, the wheat's supposed to be a peaceful, easy one. You know what I mean? Like, you know, we're supposed to have that issue.

Starting point is 01:24:40 You know, the powder was going a lot better. It was almost to the point that the bud just becoming a hassle, you know. So when I was working at AmeriQuest, I was working at the one in Staten Island, right? I had stopped, you know, stopped at the accident. During this time of me, so I think I got another offer to come work for another branch in Jersey. So there was a guy named Carlos, Spanish guy, very, you know, very, very nice guy. He, you know, he always saw the potential in us and, you know, and what we could do.

Starting point is 01:25:15 He was, you know, he's like, listen, two things, though, you know, he said, I know at Moneywell you were sleeping with the processor, you know, I know that you were. caught in the mix of, you know, having sexual activity in the hallways and, you know, and on the desk. I know that Len called you in a conference call to tell you to not engage in that activity on his desks, he said. So he said, I know that in Staten Island, okay, you were sleeping with the Christina, the processor over there, okay?

Starting point is 01:25:49 He said, so I'm going to need you to sign this that says you will not engage in any of that type of activity with the processors over at this branch. He said, do you think you can do that? I said, yeah. I've seen your processor. It's not going to be an issue at all. He says, and the other thing, he says, you know, the other thing you do outside, I'm not saying what it is.

Starting point is 01:26:15 He said, just make sure it's outside and not inside, you know. I was like, you know, all right, I know, I know what you're talking about, you know. And I, and I would ask him, I'm like, I said, why do you think I do something, you know, on the outside? He says, because I see your car and you don't close that many loans. Right. So I was like, oh, okay, okay. So I start working there.

Starting point is 01:26:40 Same thing, it was going good, but it got to the point that, you know, it was starting to cost me money by going to work, you know. I was losing more by going to work that I was making if I would have just took care of those things instead of, you know, going to work. Again, the mortgage industry was starting to go down, you know, all those bad loans and everything were starting to be identified. Argent was changing names and, you know, and all types of things going on.

Starting point is 01:27:04 So I just, you know, kind of peacefully just, you know, bowed out of that and just, you know, continued with the only thing that has been continuous, you know, in my life, the drugs. Right. So I quickly, you know, exceeded the person that I would, was getting from what they were able to supply. You know what I mean? So in turn, they hooked me up with their guy.

Starting point is 01:27:29 Their guy that they were getting it from happened to be one of the guys that I had met when I was living with my buddy. You know, matter of fact, he was the blood relative of the guy whose house I ran into when I was, you know, after I was assaulted and everything. Right. So the area that we, that he was at was a predominantly black area, right? So we would, you know, we started being partners on everything, right? So my buddy that I'm living with tells me, he's like, you know, listen, I have a guy in Queens, you know, that has, you know, that has weight, you know, and, you know, I can get them to, you know, put you guys on.

Starting point is 01:28:06 At the time, we're buying maybe, you know, maybe a quarter or half a key, you know, and splitting it, right? So the guy from Queens comes down and he starts coming down with, you know, halfs, you know, half keys, half key. He was giving such a price that quickly turned into keys. Got to the point with him very fast that we were purchasing more than he was able to have. And his guy, you know, I guess didn't want to give it to him anymore on the arm. So he tells us, he's like, you said, you guys are running through what I got. He's like, you know, he said, but he told me, he said, but I don't want to hand you off. I don't want to put you in him because.

Starting point is 01:28:44 Because for two things, then, you know, then you're going to have to come get it. And, you know, I would like to be still making money, you know, for that guys. He tells us, you know, he's like, so what I'm going to do is get a hotel. He said, get a hotel that has a kitchen and everything. You know, he's like, and I'm going to show you something. So, you know, like, all right, you know, doesn't really understand it. But again, he's never done anything to have us, you know, question anything. So I'm like, cool.

Starting point is 01:29:08 So we get a hotel. He comes down and he brings two bowls. he brings wooden spoons, he brings a blender, and he, a grinder, and he brings a big metal frame. You know, I had no idea. And he brings a bag of powder and another thing that looks like, looks like shiny flakes, right? And then he brings the keys. So he's like, I'm going to show you, I'm going to show you how to press, compress. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 01:29:36 At the time, all we knew is we used to take the soft, we would mix it, and then we hammer it into these puck. We would put inside a press and would make pucks. The only problem is that the press, you had to hit with a sledgehammer, right? So I would be putting the work, making it, putting in the press, and going out into the parking lot where I live and hitting this with a sledgehammer, you know, in the parking lot, hoping that nobody, you know, look too much into it. But, I mean, crazy system, but it worked.

Starting point is 01:30:05 So he teaches us the whole thing about, you know, breaking it down, adding, making one into two, two and a four, four and a more. But, you know, you mess with the purity, you know, as you go. A lot of the area was, you know, cookers. They would, you know, cook it. And then once you start cutting it, you lose. So we end up, me and my buddy end up, you know, getting two separate ways to do it. You know, he would take 250 out of his.

Starting point is 01:30:29 He would add 250. And then he would press it and then 250 left over. I would add 250 to my whole thousand to end up with 1250. So that I would have a product that was stretched, but still. still would, you know, cook that was more. So he would move his a lot faster just because of where he was. And I quickly realized that I needed access to his market. But again, because of my color, I would have automatically been either identified as the connect

Starting point is 01:31:02 or ought to be a target instantly. So we made this agreement that everything would be funneled through him. I would take care of the purchasing it, the making it, and he would get rid of it, you know, and that was our system. That worked out great. But eventually, just like the other thing, we were kind of surpassing what he could do also, you know. I have a cousin Chino. He lived in Queens for a while. He's one of people that he could sell anything.

Starting point is 01:31:30 He meets, you know, he's constantly, you know, just. Hustler. That's it. You know, I think he sells time shares now. You know what I mean? That's his. That's his thing. But he was always be a part of, you know, anything that we're doing or he would run into

Starting point is 01:31:44 something and he would call me, you know, for example, I used to get funny money, you know. We called it G3 at the time. It was counterfeit money. In Queens, we had, when getting it, we were going out there. We would buy, you know, work. We would try to keep it in the area, you know. So one day we're going to attempt to rob the guy that we get the money from, you know. Of course.

Starting point is 01:32:05 So. Of course. You know, he was supposed to bring us 50,000 of funny money. We were going to give him 20 of the real, right? So we go to, he's on, we go to meet him, he's on a bicycle. I think there's four of us in the car. A bicycle. A bicycle.

Starting point is 01:32:23 Yeah, motorcycle. It's in a super successful endeavor. So we pull up and he's there and he's not getting off the bike. You know what I mean? Like he has one foot up, but, you know, one foot down, but he's still on the thing. So, you know, mind you, we had got from like three other times, you know what I mean? So, you know, like, you know, like, what's going on? So the guy's in the front that's making a trajectory.

Starting point is 01:32:43 He's like, you know, what's up? What are we doing here? You know, he's like, what's got? You know, I mean, what do you guys want? So he has his hand in his book bag, you know, and he hasn't taken his hand out, right? And the guy that I'm with has a gun below where the window is, you know what I mean? So he can't see it. So he's like, yeah, come on, let's do this.

Starting point is 01:33:01 Get out of here. We're just sitting, right? So when this guy goes to reach in his bag, The one that I went, pulls, you know, he pulls out, you know, pulls out. He's like, oh, give me everything. He's like, give me everything. So the dude's like, listen, just chill. He's like, I don't have nothing to give you.

Starting point is 01:33:15 He's like, what you mean? Where's the 50? He says, it's probably at the same place with the 20 that you were supposed to bring. Right. You know, he's like, I was going to rob you. You were going to rob me. He's like, I have a hand on a pistol in my bag. He said, that's it.

Starting point is 01:33:31 He's like, you know, don't move. Don't move. Get out. You know what I'm saying? Look in a bag. The guy on the bike was calling that to rob us, but we were going there to rob him. Everybody starts laughing. They go to Waffle House and have, and have, uh, and get some, and get some, some pancakes and just,

Starting point is 01:33:49 ha ha, you were going to, oh, you guys. For a second, it was an awkward, it was an awkward, like, you know, like, I want to stay tough. Yeah. I want to stay tough in this situation, to make it serious, but I also realize. Yeah. It's kind of funny. So, you know, a guy gets back in the car and he's looking, he's like, you know, he's like, oh, it's like, no harm, no foul.

Starting point is 01:34:13 Yeah, I tell you. He's like, yeah, like, let's just, let's go. Tell the guy, like, oh, we're good, no harm, no foul, we're done. Everything's done, you know. And he rides off and, you know, that was, that was it. And I was just like, you know, I think that's one of the times that I realized, like, wow, look, everything almost went very bad for nothing at all. So rather than taking the money and buying product because I'm like, you know what,

Starting point is 01:34:38 somebody's going to identify it as fake and blow our head off. You know what I mean? So I was like, you know, plus I didn't realize how crazy we'd look. You know, sometimes we would go out to, let's say, meet a Jamaican for a few pounds. And we have, you know, four people in a car over here going to buy, you know, and I'm like, who takes this many people to go buy, you know, anything? Like, you know, this looks crazy. But so we end up just getting a bunch and just blow in it.

Starting point is 01:35:02 So we would go to Sue's rendezvous, and we would constantly run into, you know, people. Like one night we were in there with Tracy Morgan and we just, you know, having thrown money, you know, giving him money, giving him money that he's throwing it to, you know. And my cousin says, he's like, you know, if we get in trouble here with this funny money, Tracy Morgan's going to be pissed. Yeah. I was like, yeah, he's in trouble for people he don't even know. And, you know, he was like, so. It's going to hit the front page. Tracy Morgan's passing fucking counterfeit money.

Starting point is 01:35:38 It's this trip called. It's Ronnyb on dances. So we, you know, just we did that for a little while. And then, you know, from us going there so much, you would get, you know, you would get cool with the, you know, security and everything. And one day the security told us he was like, he's like, we're outside and we're getting ready to come in. And he tells us, he's like, look, whatever you do. doing, you know, stop doing it. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 01:36:03 And we're like, you know, what are you talking about? They're like, they're going to look at your money when you come in this time. So if your money ain't right, change your plan. He said, you know, it was fun, but it's done, you know. Yeah, Secret Service has been asking questions, right. So we just, we took whatever we had and I believe we went to Sin City, another strip club on the way, you know, like leaving New York because you couldn't just throw fake money out the window or just get rid of it.

Starting point is 01:36:26 I mean, probably should. It's worth at least some, some, some, some, yeah. So, so, but he was always, you know, he was always stumbling upon things, like, you know, things like that. So I think something happens in Queens. That was a direct result of something we were doing with the money. So my cousin is like, you know, I got to get out of here, you know. So he ends up backing up and dip into Vegas. And, you know, being who he is and, you know, Vegas, what Vegas is, it's like, you know, it's harder to find somebody.

Starting point is 01:37:00 in Vegas that does legitimate things than it is to find illegitimate people, whether it's money, girl, anything, there's somebody that does something not so straight regarding that legitimate business, you know? And he would just, you know, if he would run, trip, if he

Starting point is 01:37:16 fell, the person that picked him up, was it connect from Mexico. Like, you know what I mean? Like, crazy things would happen. So I started telling my buddy, I'm like, we got to find something else because this, you know, he's just not working for us anymore. Plus, we didn't like the trip to New York, you know what I mean? I was always scared of that bridge you know what i mean we're about a job like i was just going to go out of here i mean

Starting point is 01:37:34 was there ever a conversation we said what about hear me out what about a job a regular job that's crazy i just love that there's a tic-tok with these two guys or two black guys are talking like listen i'm gonna get a job at the bank okay okay i'm gonna work at the bank until they give me, they make me a manager of the bank. Okay, okay. Then I'm going to work there until eventually

Starting point is 01:38:10 I retire. And they're going to give me a pension and I'm going to get Social Security. Okay, okay. Wait a second. That sounds like a job. Like, that's how I'm scamming the bank. I'm going to do what they tell me to do

Starting point is 01:38:29 20 years. Yeah. I think it was a Saturday night, fuck. A Saturday live. I think that was a Saturday night live skit or something. Once things started moving, I don't think that ever really crossed my mind. I think the closest, the closest that crossed my mind was I got involved in the bail bonds industry. Okay.

Starting point is 01:38:55 I had gotten arrested and the person that got me out after talking to him, you know, And that's the other thing. When you're making money, everybody has an opportunity or something for you to throw money at. You know what I mean? So the guy allowed me to buy into the bail bond industry. You know, but bail bond. Is it the same time? Sure, bail bonds.

Starting point is 01:39:11 Yeah, this is throughout this whole. Oh, hey, that's good. That was a great segue. Go ahead. So I had, when I bought into it for the purpose of being able to get me and whatever guys out quick. You know, quick, I figured the longest of somebody sits in there, the more they're likely to cooperate if we could get people out fast. You know, I'll be ahead of, you know, the situation. That quickly went south because people requiring bail are not the most reliable, you know, the most honest or give a shit, actually.

Starting point is 01:39:44 You know. So I would have guys that I knew personally, knew friends, that I would post bail for them and they wouldn't show up for court because they're home playing Madden. So I have the guys at the place called me up like, you know, Like, listen, Johnny didn't show up for court, you know. I'm like, when? He's like, yesterday, today, you know, pick one. Like, you know. So I'm like, he's like, so we need to bring them in.

Starting point is 01:40:14 So, you know, mind you, I have kind of conversation with these people. I listen, don't make me, you know, don't make you look like a bad guy. Yeah. Because if you don't show up for court, you know, I'm going to come, I'm going to come get you. I'm going to come to get you, you know. So, you know, I end up taking classes where I was a few, a few, a few, future of recovery agent, you know, saying through, you know, through them. So it became about four or five people that, you know, they would tell me, like, you know,

Starting point is 01:40:35 he's missed court. And I'm like, you know, I'm here with him right now. He's sitting here. Yeah. Playing video games, you know. And they, you know, like, what do you want to do? Like, come get them. What are you mean?

Starting point is 01:40:45 I'll open the door. Yeah. Like, you know. And so I would tell him, like, yo, John, my fact, this guy was one particular. Say, Johnny, there, you're supposed to go to court. Yeah, yeah, but they said they're going to reschedule it. Who said? Yeah.

Starting point is 01:40:56 The lawyer. I said, you don't have a lawyer, bro. I mean, the bail bonds. I'm like, all right. So I said, well, listen, the bail bonds are that told you that, you're going to be outside in 10 minutes to talk to you. You know what I mean? What do you mean?

Starting point is 01:41:08 I'm like, bro, you didn't skip from debt for, you didn't want to go to court. Your bond was revoked, and now they're coming to get you, and I'm not going to post your bond again. So, you know, oh, that's messed up that you, no, man, it's messed up that you think this is a game and don't care about how it makes me. Like, this is a legitimate thing.

Starting point is 01:41:25 And you, you're messing it up over what? Over Madden? Like, because you wanted to play video games? Yeah. You would have gone to court. You would have pled not guilty or guilty or whatever. They would have given you time to either train yourself in or you got to go do your probation. Like this is not a big deal.

Starting point is 01:41:38 And these are all like minimal things that these auto guys are on bail for. Nobody's on bail for something that I know that requires a fleeing or, you know, or. Yeah. Nobody's getting 10 years. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like nobody's going on a run. So, but still they couldn't, you know.

Starting point is 01:41:53 And so that. that end up leaving a bad taste where, you know, it was no longer so easy to just go get people out. But I did meet a lot of good people in that, you know, in that drug world through the bail bonds, you know. Because, you know, when you're going to bail somebody out, you quickly see, you know, what they have. You know what I mean? Or rap sheet. Yeah, you know, the level of what they are, you know. So it's real easy to make relationships when you have, you know, a little bit more information.

Starting point is 01:42:24 So me and my buddy have a conversation, but we need to, you know, take it to another, you know, basically take it to another level, you know. So I call my cousin, and I would tell my cousin what I need, what I'm looking for, and he'll find it and make it happen, you know. So he's out in Vegas, so, you know, I think it's about a week where he calls him up, he's like, yo, I got a guy out here, he has access to them. We got to figure out how to get him back. I'm like, you know, whatever, that's fine. You live out there, so even if you have trouble, it's not a rush. So I believe we ran out there with $40,000, $20,000 each.

Starting point is 01:42:56 So we go out there. The guy that he knows is the friend of another friend. So we rent the Mercedes, like S500 at the time. And me and him fly out there. We would have to do it. We give the guy the money. He's supposed to get it. What do you think this responsible, honest individual does when we give him the $40,000?

Starting point is 01:43:16 He gambles it away? Doesn't come back. I think we gave him about six hours. So after six hours, we're like, you know, like, you know, what's going on? Not answering a phone, nothing. So the person that's the friend tells us, you know, where he's from and everything. So now you have my cousin, you have me and my other buddy from out here, and we're riding around north Las Vegas looking for this guy.

Starting point is 01:43:43 We're pulling up on street corners, you know, we're asking them, do you know this guy? Do you know him, you know, and we're doing this for a few hours? That was nighttime, you know. And we've been at this for a few hours, like, just trying to hunt this guy down. So eventually we're at a gas station and a car pulls up on us. And the guy is like, you guys looking for Troy? And he was like, yeah, yeah. He's like, well, that's what I want to talk to you.

Starting point is 01:44:10 Come see him. So we end up following him and they take us to this guy, they call Unk, which is like, you know, uncle. But he's like, you know, the person around, you know, they, you know. Probably not a blood uncle. No. So he ends up telling us, he's like, listen, I'll get it back for you. All right. He said, but I want you to bring your business to me for now on when you come.

Starting point is 01:44:34 So, like, whatever, you know what I'm saying? Just, you know, get us our stuff back. He's like, yeah. So within a few hours, we had, we had. They're 40 grand? We had the stuff. Oh, the stuff. But it wasn't, it was stuff, but it wasn't the stuff we were supposed to get.

Starting point is 01:44:51 It wasn't the quality. No, during that time, they took time to hit it, you know what I'm saying, re-rock, you know, whatever, you know. But it wasn't a loss, so, you know. It wasn't a $40,000 loss. Yeah, it wasn't a $40,000 loss. You know, I skipped over a part with my buddy. When I had gotten the home invasion, right, after that period,

Starting point is 01:45:13 we were still selling a bud, right, when I started climbing back. My buddy had a family that lived in West Virginia. And, you know, West Virginia was like a hick, I don't see, you know, a trailer type of train. Yeah, no, I know, West Virginia is. So everything was more, everything went for more money. Everything was more expensive. So they bring powder out there and they were like, you know,

Starting point is 01:45:37 there's, you know, this, you could sell weed all day for a ridiculous price, you know. So I was like, you know, I had just gotten messed up with the police and, you know, burned all down. And I'm like, you know, why not? Let's take our show on a road. Why not? So I end up bringing like eight pounds. and we drive down.

Starting point is 01:45:53 Drive down, we're, you know, selling it doing our thing. We're, you know, being entertained by their, you know, their women. And, you know, the locals don't really, you know, aren't fond of us. So, again, I'm the only light skin one out of all these people. So, you know, I'm sticking out everywhere, you know what I mean? So now we're out there making, you know, making some money. We pull up at a convenience store and we're getting something to eat. I'm sitting in the driver's seat.

Starting point is 01:46:24 A van pulls up, a slide door opens up, and a shotgun. You know what I'm just, I'm stuck because I don't know if anybody ever heard it, but, you know, that shotgun clicking is an intimidating sound. Right. That, you know, so, you know, I'm stuck. And so he tells me, he's like, listen, take this as a warning that, you know, you're no longer, you're out welcome, you're welcome. you know, basically, you know, you're out walking,

Starting point is 01:46:52 you're welcome, you're welcome, and not looking to have a conversation with you again, you know. And I was like, you know, all right, like, you know, I'm good, like, I mean, no problem. So one of the guys that were in the store sees it, you know, of course he stays his ass inside the store. The other guy that was in the back just sits there. It's funny because they come out,

Starting point is 01:47:15 the guy that was in the store, one of my buddies, he's watching, pretends like he didn't see nothing. So he gets in a car, doesn't bring it up, doesn't say anything, just, you know, but he saw nothing, you know, so we're driving, and the guy in the back is like, you know, so we're just going to pretend like that didn't happen, you know, like, you know, we're not going to say it, and then him in the front, it's like, you know, what happened? Like, the guy with the shotgun that you watch from the door, because I saw you looking, I saw you.

Starting point is 01:47:41 And he's like, no, I didn't even see, you know, so what happened? I said, he said that it's time for us to go. I guess this is his area, his people, but, you know, we're no longer welcome, you know what I'm saying? So we're there with a bunch of people, you know, and there's a, at the, you know, like actually doing the work out there. So we go back to the house and, you know, we're telling the guy what happened and, you know, they start, you know, running off, y'all. Nobody running us out of here, you know, and I'm quietly packing. You know, I'm putting my stuff in the bag, getting my bag ready, you know, so, you know, and they asked me, like, yeah, what are you doing? Like, what do you mean?

Starting point is 01:48:18 What am I doing, bro? I'm leaving. Like, you know, clear, you know, it's clear we're not welcome. You know, there's all let you run off. I said, look, check this out, right? You see how there's five of you, right? And I'm the only light-skinned person here, right? Everywhere we go, you know how easy it is to identify me?

Starting point is 01:48:35 That what are you saying? I'm like, what I'm saying is that I will be a lot easier to touch that anybody else because I stand out from everything. I said, not only that, this is this area. I'm not, you know, the money's not, the money's not, it's not that much money. You know what I mean? I'm not. So, I'm leaving.

Starting point is 01:48:53 You guys, you know, whoever wants to come back, you could take a ride with me, you know, but, but I'm gone, you know what I mean? When you leave it? I'm leaving, I'm leaving, as soon as I'm done packing my stuff, you know what I'm saying, that, that's it. You know, it's like, what about the bud? I think there was still like five pounds, you know? I can keep that shit, but you can keep it because I'm not going to drive back with it.

Starting point is 01:49:12 I left that situation. My buddy ended up staying out there. You know, he ends up meeting. heavy-sit white girl, you know, who's just happy to have a guy from North, you know, call up that around, you know. So give him everything you want. He gets a BMW X-5 and everything. And, you know, this is like a few months out where I guess the guys that warned us, you know,

Starting point is 01:49:37 started to actually make good on their warning, you know. But they didn't make good the way they said. What they did was they started calling the cops. Right. They end up calling a car, locked up two of the guys. We end up being two blocks away from a federal building over there. We had no idea that a fedsers down a block could have literally threw a rock, you know, at them. And he ends up finally coming back, you know, leaves the car, leaves the very thing.

Starting point is 01:50:04 And that's when we start looking at the idea of, you know, need to expand on the other thing. Because up until, you know, expand on access to it, because we're just neighborhood, you know, neighborhood, basically people at, you know, point, you know. And neighborhood dealers. That's it. Yeah, you know, yeah, we, you know, a lot of it, but it's still, it's not really reaching anywhere outside. Right. So go to Vegas to get the, the work. So you get it back here, you know, kind of find out it's not that great, but we end up selling it, making a couple dollars, not taking a loss. We're like, you know what, we're going to try it again. So now this time, we separated the parts. So I was responsible for me to secure it, secure the product, get it.

Starting point is 01:50:47 His job was to secure transportation, you know, so he knew people that were involved in trucking and things like that. So, you know, it was on him to figure that out, right? So we go out there. I successfully, you know, I get it. Now the driver and everything comes down, his part, his job is to interact with the driver and the guy he knew from out here that knew the driver. So I end up flying back because I had something to do.

Starting point is 01:51:10 His job was to stay there, secure all that, may take care of all that. So I land and I give my cousin a call and ask him like, you know, what's up with what's up with Che? He's like, what do you mean? He's like, he's like, Shea left. What do you mean he left? He's like, he left. Like, where's the driver? He's right here.

Starting point is 01:51:29 He's like, he's diabetic. He needs insulin shot. I don't know if this guy's going to die. I don't see how he's going to make it. I'm like, what? I'm like, you know, who is the guy? He's like, I don't know none about him. He's like, you know, an old Spanish dude.

Starting point is 01:51:42 So I'm like, what did this guy leave? for, you know, so he said he knows what to do and everything, you know, he was driving from Vegas back down, right? So, whatever he's, my cousin gives him whatever he needs to, for his insulin and his sugar to help him take off. Um, so then my buddy comes back and I ask him like, yeah, wait, like, what happened? You know what I mean? They said, ah, I didn't want to be out there. I'm like, you didn't want to be out there, but this was your job. Like, you know, I'm like, listen, get me the guy's information. You know what I mean? He's like, what information? He's like, What information?

Starting point is 01:52:13 I'm like, give me, what kind of vehicle was you driving? No, I don't know. Ford. I'm like, give me the plate number. I didn't take the plate number. I'm like, give me the guy's address. I don't know his address. Like, you don't know his address?

Starting point is 01:52:25 You didn't see his license? He didn't see, it's like, no. Like, but what do you mean? You don't know nothing about this guy? You just gave him everything we had and said, you know, hope you do the right thing? What happened? No, I don't know.

Starting point is 01:52:40 This is, you know, this is this guy. What happened? Oh, driver never makes it back. Never makes it back. Again, that was everything. Right. That was everything. So, you know, me and my being optimistic, I'm like, you know, mine, it's been like a week

Starting point is 01:52:58 and a half. I'm like, let me give him a few more days. Maybe he had car trouble. Maybe, you know, maybe his diabetes act up. He needed to go to the hospital. Like, you know, who knows? Maybe, you know, maybe it's not what I know. it is. So nothing. Nope, never makes it back. So at the time, I had just met this girl and she was,

Starting point is 01:53:21 she got pregnant. This is what I said to be my son's mother. So we had just moved into a new place. We were scheduled to go on a vacation. Well, I was, I was going on vacation to Miami. Another one of my friends wanted to take all of us to Miami. So he took, it was about five, six of us. And took us all to Miami. You know, we rented a great time, rented, scooters and, you know, we had a limo for like three days, just, just, you know, partying and everything. And there was this girl that we were chasing around on a scooter for like, like three days, you know, like she was just bad. Oh, my God.

Starting point is 01:53:57 But she would ignore us, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, it was not playing, nothing. So we ended up going to this strip club that was right over the bridge for Miami. And I knew it was ghetto because they had a dollar admission. The admission was a dollar. What do you know? Look at the girl. We've been chasing for weeks, spending all this money, rent the scoers, chase her down.

Starting point is 01:54:17 She's in a strip club where the admission is a dollar. You know what I'm saying? We had ran into somebody that was from where we lived. So he was on the run with like $200,000 in cash. He had Mercedes CL 500. So he had like $200,000 in cash. And he was just parting it up until they came and got him. That's just what he was doing.

Starting point is 01:54:37 You know what I mean? So he's out there. And, you know, so for a minute, we had forgot that, you know, we had basically just lost everything. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, partying everything, he basically, you know, was taking care of it. And so get back and, you know, reality sets in. She's pregnant. And, you know, what are we going to do?

Starting point is 01:54:59 My buddy is coming up with no type of help, no, no answers, no way to resolve it. But I had a, at the time, I had a brightling watch, and I had a couple cars. I had like a 300, 10 turbo, very low miles. I had a Chevy Impala SS that I had all done up. So my first thing was, I sell the watch, sell the cars, and take a trip right back. Sold the car, sold the watch. I think I got, I want to say, maybe 20, 20 altogether. So I flew back out there.

Starting point is 01:55:29 My cousin and, you know, the guy that connected us with the other guy. His name is Fresh. He connected us with the guy that ran off. He was actually The contact But I guess he was letting us To a drive You know

Starting point is 01:55:42 With this guy to see how it went So he was like Listen I'll give it to you I believe the price was 16 16 He's like I know that you lost Took a loss On the other one

Starting point is 01:55:53 First time you went through A bunch of bullshit So I'm gonna throw you on And we'll see what happens He said the only thing is It's on you You gotta figure out your way To get it back

Starting point is 01:56:01 You know what I mean You know you gotta do that My cousin went to New York To visit family On his way back to Vegas, he had seen somebody that he knew, and he saw that the guy had went right through security. He said he flashed a badge, and they brought him right through a security checkpoint. He said he met up with him again in Vegas, and he tells him, he's like, you know, he's like, you know,

Starting point is 01:56:22 he's like, you know, I saw you at the airport. You know, he's like, yeah, yeah, no, I was going to, you know, see whatever. He's like, look, the hell with all that. He's like, what did you flash them? You know what I mean? What did you flash them that they just passed you right through? He was like, I flashed him the badge, you know, that I work at, you know, he does something with the, I don't know if it was security or something, but, you know, he's like, yeah, they don't search me. I just, I just go right through. So my cousin's like, so you can bring anything you want through. And he's like, yeah, yeah, pretty much. So my cousin lets me know, he's like, you know, listen, I got an idea. I got this friend, you know, that he has not searched. What if we give him the keys? And then he gives it back to us in the bathroom at the airport. And then we take it on a plane.

Starting point is 01:57:06 That's great. That sounds wonderful. I'm like, is hypothetical? Do you know, like, you know a guy? He's like, no, I know, I know a guy. I was like, you think he'll do it? He's like, I already asked him. He said, you know, do it for $2,000.

Starting point is 01:57:20 I was like, there we go, bro. You know, let's do it. So I was like, so you got to do it with me, right? You know what I mean? I'll take one key. You take one key and, you know, we do it. It's like, yeah, yeah, we'll come with you. So we end up buying them.

Starting point is 01:57:33 Give it to him. This is the smoothest that it's ever gone. He brings it into the airport, going to the bathroom. He hands it to us in the bathroom. We hand him the money. He leaves. We take it on his carry-on luggage. Landed in LaGuard.

Starting point is 01:57:51 JFK, landed JFK, and everything's fine. You know, everything's fine. Matter of fact, no, we land in Newark. When it's time to get off the flight, you know, all the fear kicks in. You know what I mean? None of us want to grab the bag from the compartment. You know, you grab it. No, no, no.

Starting point is 01:58:07 You grab it. Like, listen, nobody knows that we have this. You know what I mean? So end up taking it off, made it out, made it home. Great. Open it up. So now we're unraveling. You know, when they wrap it, there's plastic sulfate, there's soap, there's oil, there's all types of stuff.

Starting point is 01:58:28 One of the keys had sprung a hole in a plastic and his soak with it. motor oil. So now one of the whole birds has a soak with motor oil. Can't do anything, but cook the whole thing. You know, cook it. It's still going to have a, you know, motor oil smell, but it'll still still smoke, you know. Yeah. So end up, you know, end up trying to become a chef, you know, mixing it, adding vanilla extract.

Starting point is 01:59:01 You know, trying to, you know, trying to just get the smell gone. And it was just nothing, you know, nothing at all. Again, this, you know, this was probably a sign that, you know, it's just not quite going. Yeah, you know, but, you know, you. You never call a guy and say you gave me some shit that has a fucking hole in it. I'm not fucking paying you for this. No, no, never even crossed our mind. Actually, we did call him.

Starting point is 01:59:25 He was just like, oh, that sucks. I think that was a response. Yeah. But, you know, I mean, in his defense, he would. and no, you know, it comes from, it comes across the border. They get it, they chop it up. He don't, you know, he doesn't know. And so end up making it work.

Starting point is 01:59:39 From there, we were off to races, you know. So from the price, you know, from when I was down here buying it, getting from the Connecting New York, you were making about $2,000, $2,500 a week, you know. Which, I mean, it was good, you know, paid all the bills, you know what I'm saying? Nothing, nothing, nothing crazy. But when we started doing a Vegas thing, I was getting out. at a price of, I had a $10 point margin from purchase to what is selling over here. You know, so we went from the $2,500 to $18,000 to $20,000 a week.

Starting point is 02:00:12 And I'm saying profit just by the two bricks and seeing maybe four people. So, you know, that was always my thing. My thing was to have the least amount of time that I'm holding it and the least amount of people involved, you know. So did that. And that went on great for years, like clockwork. I mean, you know, strippers became my delivery system. So I would go to strip club.

Starting point is 02:00:38 I would meet the stripper. I would pay her rent. And for paying her rent, she would allow me to send a package to her house. So I would send packages all over the place. You know, you have the Postal Service and you have the FedEx, right? Postal Service delivers to people and address. FedEx delivers to addresses. So they don't keep really a record of the people living at the address.

Starting point is 02:01:03 It doesn't matter. So what I would do is I had about six places and, you know, it was be one a week. One of them, you know, so the same one didn't go to the same address a month, you know. When the package was come, I would call FedEx. I would say to them, listen, a package is delivered at my house. I wasn't expecting anything. Throughout the course of the day, I'll be returning it. You know, so I figured, you know, that's a recorded call.

Starting point is 02:01:26 Right. If by chance I get hit with the package. I already tried, you know, I was going to return it. You know what I mean? They could never get me with the contents. Never had to really go that far because nothing ever got hit. We had a couple of hiccups like, you know, the person would have their mother, like a girl would have her mother at the house. And a package would be delivered and the title with the label would say Jessica.

Starting point is 02:01:52 And the woman would be like, there's no Jessica here. And they take it. So now I'm running through the street, chasing down a phone. FedEx truck, that hopefully the one that delivered, but then I don't have an ID that matches the address, so it costs me a couple hundred bucks to get my package off, you know, but in turn, never lost anything. Not of that anyway. Everything was going great with that. Money, you know, hand over fist. You know, again, say, how could we, you know, get more? Because, you know, 80,000 a month was just, it just wasn't enough for the more 20s, you know. There were still things I wanted.

Starting point is 02:02:29 more rims and you know so we put together that we were going to have the stuff tracked the trailer then there were you know how much could you move I'm like you know basically I'm I'm I'm limited to whatever you can give me especially at these numbers you know what I mean so this is you know my buddy was Mexican-American you know what I mean so he was raised over here and he had families that was connected so the I believe it was the first time they come down first time they come down you know Again, trial and error. He was about the same age.

Starting point is 02:03:02 So we're learning as we go with this. Sure, he did it, but Jarvis sent down. First hiccup comes. He is supposed to meet us at exit 6 on Turnpike in Jersey. He phone calls that he's at exit 6 in the Pennsylvania. So, and he wants the shit gone. He wants it out. So we have to get in the car and ride.

Starting point is 02:03:29 out there. So now we're in a rent-the-carat. I have a guy with a North Carolina license and another guy with a Las Vegas license in a rental car with Arizona plates driving at one in the morning to hunt for a probably undocumented unlicensed driver of a tractor trailer. So we end up finding him. 2 o'clock in the morning, he's running around the rest stop with a duffel bag on with 40 keys in it. Running around, just, you know, trying to get rid of it. So we pull up and tell him like it I tell my buddy, I'm like, you know, he's right there. I'm like, yo, pull off, pull off, pull off. You know, he's going to run up to the car, give him the bag, right?

Starting point is 02:04:05 Pull off. What the hell is he doing? So he ended up going in. We, you know, I ended up getting to put it down in the bathroom. And then, you know, now he wants his money. You know, he wants some money for bringing it. Like, you know, listen, they don't have shit to do with us, you know. But you talk to somebody, whoever, you know, we're leaving, you know.

Starting point is 02:04:22 So we go to leave. Somebody was with, he was like, listen, I'll drive. I'm like, listen, it's 2 o'clock in the morning. None of us are going to drive. We're going to get a hotel room. We're going to sleep. If you sleep hot at night, you know how disruptive that can be. Whether you're having trouble falling asleep, you're waking up sweating in the middle of the night or all of the above.

Starting point is 02:04:38 That's where Ghost Bed can help. As the makers of the coolest beds in the world, Ghost Bed is your go-to for cooling mattresses, cooling pillows, and cooling bedding. From their signature ghost ice fabric to patented technology that adjust to your body's temperature, every ghost bed mattress is designed with cooling in mind. So whether you want a plusher mattress that cushions your shoulders and hips or a firm option with exceptional support, your ghost bed will keep you cool and comfortable all night long. When you purchase a ghost bed mattress, your comfort is guaranteed. You can try out your mattress for 101 nights, risk-free, to make sure it's the right fit for you. Plus, they offer free shipping, and most items are shipped within 24 hours.

Starting point is 02:05:19 If you're not sure which ghost bed is right for you, check out their mattress quiz. You'll answer a few questions and get a personalized recommendation. Even better, our listeners can get 50% off sitewide for a limited time. Just visit ghostbed.com slash Cox and use the code Cox at checkout. Again, that's ghostbed.com slash Cox with the code Cox at the checkout to save a whopping 50% off site wide. And we're going to go to the flow of traffic in the morning. You know what I'm saying? He's saying, you know, that's a good idea.

Starting point is 02:05:52 Like, should have been the only idea. Like, you were really going to wing this? Like, you know, just, let's see. So everything, you know, everything goes, everything goes good. That becomes like a, I would say that quarterly thing, you know. So let's say it would be 40. Had two friends that would take majority of it. But, you know, it would, it would move.

Starting point is 02:06:12 I mean, the first time we got rid of 40 keys in like two and a half days, you know, it was just, it was great. No real issues or hiccups when it comes to legal, you know, with, with anything. My biggest problem, that was my license situation. You know, I was constantly having my license suspended and, you know, I'd throw a dent in it because I would be constantly responsible for these guys' work. I'll tell you, we'll fall into it later. But so I would constantly have to, you know, have rely on people or have people get me rentals

Starting point is 02:06:48 or put cars in people's names and, you know, because I never really went through my son's mother you know, close to it because I know if things went bad, she was going to be the first one that they were going to go at. And, you know, she's the mother of my kid. She's going to make her choose between this, my son, you know, so I always figured, but she can't, you know, she has no knowledge. Knowledge or no hands-on, you know, like, you'll never say that you saw her do this or you saw her do that. Everything's been going great. We have another friend of mine that, you know, he's from North Carolina. He is connected also with, you know, have some Mexicans. And he's like, you know, you're ready to have one of the trucks come your way? And I'm like, yeah, sure.

Starting point is 02:07:28 We have a load that comes. And it's carrying a thousand pounds of watermelon. Thousand pounds. Maybe a thousand watermelons, a thousand watermelons. But again, you know, their system is that they just find an avenue that works and they just send, send, send. They don't worry about really floating off that. They don't worry about any of that. if it can get, you know, to that area, that's all they care about. So, you know, they give us a call. The truck is, you know, the truck is 10 minutes. The truck is 10 minutes away.

Starting point is 02:07:59 But it has a thousand watermelons on it. You know what I'm saying? We need the watermelons to go somewhere. Like, what are you going to end up at a thousand? I got to, what do I do with the watermelon? Just throw them on the side of the road? That's it. I'm like, what do you mean?

Starting point is 02:08:11 You want to show us to show it with three pickup trucks? Yeah. So I'm like, what do you mean? You're like, well, the trailer has to get. dropped, you know. I'm like, so I said, but what does that do with me, you know? He's like, it's yours. You know, the watermelons are yours. It's like, the watermelons are mine. He said, yeah, the watermelons come with the work. Watermelons are yours. So I'm like, all right. So, I mean, can't argue with this fact that it is what it is. The truck's here. So I call my son's,

Starting point is 02:08:40 my son's mother's father. And I tell him, you know, he worked for a TV appliance company. He was their driver for delivery. So I told him, I said, listen, I have a trailer that needs to sit somewhere for a little while, you know, just sit there. Nothing's going to happen. I just need a secure area to sit where nobody will come and bother it or inspect it or look for anything about it, you know, because the work was in the tractor. It was, you know, it was in the front part of the trailer. It wasn't, it wasn't, it wasn't, it was in the actual rig.

Starting point is 02:09:07 It wasn't in the trailer. So, we ended up parking, you know, dumping a trail over there. Where they were supposed to unload at the garage, the truck didn't fit into the bay. It didn't fit into the bay where they were supposed to unload it. Again, you know, these are probably things that maybe ahead of time, you would, you know, but no, not them, not them. So, only option I had was to take the truck to my house and bring it into my backyard. So now I bring a tractor into my backyard and have to take the bottom part. You know, they're doing all the time to sit to unload another.

Starting point is 02:09:45 I think it was 65. 65 keys in my in my house so now I have a tractor in my in my backyard I have two Mexican nationals all right one of them is coming with the load so he's going wherever the work's going he does his job is to just watch it and that's it there's another guy with him who you could tell is like more higher you know higher up he has a button now shirt he has like some plumas glasses short short Hair just, you know, he carried himself different. You know, he carried himself different. And he had a lot of compute, he had a couple computers, computers, satellite phone, things like that. Um, so now again, when they were supposed to drop the work off was supposed to be a shop where it was going to be, I guess, stored or distributed, you know, or broken down, whatever. Now that the load had been unloaded at my house, where are they going to stay at? Oh, they can stay with me. So, Now I have the driver, the guy, the Mexican, and the other guy, all in the basement.

Starting point is 02:10:53 Now, my house was set up like a, I guess like a mother-daughter-type thing where there's, you know, two living areas. So now I have them in my house staying there, right? My son's mother's upstairs. I think my son had been born at this time, you know. Again, she's pretty good. We're not asking any questions. She's one of those. She'll go out throughout her day and she won't even acknowledge something's going on.

Starting point is 02:11:14 She'll walk right past it. Everything goes going pretty smooth. I noticed that the guy with the laptop, you know, periodically he would look at a map. And on the map, I saw dots, you know. From what I gathered, the dots were other tractors, you know, other trips, other trucks, loads going to different places. So I don't know if he was in charge of it or, you know, what exactly his job was. But I believe his job was to verify that everything got there the way it did. because after that everything was accounted for it was unloaded everything was good all the work was

Starting point is 02:11:50 on damage and everything he left you know he left the one guy stayed my buddy's doing everything they're doing i always got nervous i always got nervous when the money was coming you know because you know i don't know i was more comfortable having 10 20 keys than the three six eight hundred thousand dollars you know they they hold out less concern about work than the art of money You know, when it's work, it's still only work. Once it's money, then it's something, you know, it's different. All right, so I have a cousin. So he had been locked up for weapons of charges.

Starting point is 02:12:26 Older brother was recently, had been arrested a few months back for trafficking thousands, a thousand keys a week to the area, making a million dollars. Wow. was weak. They seized 30 million of property, homes, everything. He was going to jail when a younger brother was being released. So, you know... They passed each other in the hallway. So Big Brother had had the mansion and built a $700,000 home next door for him to come home to and everything. So they take all of that.

Starting point is 02:13:13 So now younger brothers coming home to absolutely nothing. They take a million dollars in watches and Rolex. There's a jury store called four dealers who loses their license to sell Rolex because they were selling it to him under the market value. But he comes home to absolutely nothing. I had just lost everything. It was basically back at the back of zero. I had worked out some things with some of the Mexicans where,

Starting point is 02:13:43 you know, I would verify a product. So let's say you had 500 keys going to Arizona, but they would come, you know, 20, 40, 30, you know, different, different times. They get dropped off at a certain location. And from that location, they're transferred over to where they're collected, right? So they would pay me approximately about $500 a key to verify that all. all the items got to where they were supposed to be. So they would send me to Arizona. They would send me to Maryland, Pennsylvania. So I was doing that.

Starting point is 02:14:25 I was doing that for a little while. At one part, one of the guys that were in Elizabeth, New Jersey, was supposed to transfer the money. He was going to be driving the money to them. And he couldn't find his license. He couldn't find his ID. So he had asked me if I would take a ride with him. You know, I'd take a ride with him to do this because, you know, I had a license at that time.

Starting point is 02:14:59 So I ended up taking a ride with him and bringing money to right outside. It was upstate New York, Syracuse. So what they would do is once the work came in, it was distributed to whoever, you know, it went to. When all the money came back, they would rent houses for company, like company picnics or like things of that nature. And they had municipal airports that were attached to the properties. One in Maryland, one in New York, and there's another one in PA. I believe you can still buy them today.

Starting point is 02:15:35 You know, they have small airports. Yeah, strips attached to it. Within those strips, you could, you know, you could, you know, you're not leaving the country, you know what I mean, but you can, you know, fly. So the money would be collected. It would go to one of those, and from there it would get flown to California or to Texas or to wherever, and then they would, you know, take it somewhere else. I took the ride with him, and the guy, you know, kind of liking to me. So, you know, he asked if I would, you know, if I would mind doing it, you know. So it was always like little, more rural areas, you know, that didn't have a,

Starting point is 02:16:11 a real, I guess, minority presence or drug presence. You know, like sheriffs and, you know, and things of that nature. But they would, we would bring the money up and they would, you know, fly it to those locations. I had brought my cousin when he came home, you know, everything was bad, but he was just, his brother was, um, hired a lawyer, you know, that when we were fighting, fighting the case. Lawyers' name is Paul Bergren.

Starting point is 02:16:44 He was a former prosecutor and a federal lawyer. There's a guy that he's on social media that he had a big escort service in New York. This is a real eccentric guy. He's, you know, bald. And the attorney had stolen his escort service from him while, you know, while going through the, I guess the process of the kid.

Starting point is 02:17:11 case. So they end up, my cousin's in jail, O'Don. They have him hooked up. They transfer somebody into his cell. The person is a cooperator, right? It seems like their target was the attorney, Paul. We go one day to, me and L, go to visit the lawyer at the office to talk about the case. The lawyer's first thing, says to us is you got to find the cooperators you got to kill him you know that first time meeting me right there's a black guy in his office that has the lawyer's name tattooed on his neck with a no roman numeral four right saying right there saying yeah then he got me off four bodies he got me on four bodies it's like okay so the the black dude is telling us he's like you got you guys hustle you guys move you know work you know like we do a little bit so he's you know he He says the guy's name.

Starting point is 02:18:12 He's like, you know, I mean, you know, you know, you know, Ben? Like, no, you know, meanwhile, that's, you know, the person that we're going there to talk about. And, you know, this guy's the Roman numeral four on his neck. So I'm about to tell him that, you know, we make any kind of money because, you know, we don't know. So we, the lawyer tells us, you know, they got to find him, got to kill him. You know what I mean? We make a comment. So I'm like, listen, we got, you know, we know some people that can, you know, that can help that

Starting point is 02:18:41 situation. Well, he says, don't worry about it. I do this all the time. I do this all the time. Like, all right, you do it all the time. So we leave it at that. You know, the case is going on. Come to find out, you know, the case was a circumstantial case.

Starting point is 02:18:57 They didn't ever find any drugs. You know, if you would have fought it the right way, you could have probably beat it. But because of the lawyer, he ended up, you know, end up getting the short end of the stick. They used them as a pawn, right? So the lawyer ends up being on record saying, you know, part of the agreement was 250,000 and introduction to the connect. That's what the lawyer wanted. He wanted to access to the connect. He had on tape telling the black guy to cut his hands head feet off and throw him in the water once the introduction was made.

Starting point is 02:19:30 So, am I missing something? The lawyer is setting up a murder. This is a murder for hire. they're setting up somebody to get murdered that's cooperating. That's, no, no, he's not, he's not cooperating. The guy, the defendant, his client, is not cooperating. He's just charged right now with the conspiracy, the, you know, the distribution and the money laundering. Right.

Starting point is 02:19:56 Then who are they wanting to kill? Who's the lawyer want to have killed? Oh, yeah. He wants to kill the person that's cooperating. Yes, against, against him. Against his client. Against his client. Yes.

Starting point is 02:20:05 And again, he says, I do it all the time. Okay. All right. So leave it at that. Get about two weeks, three weeks later, the FBI comes and they arrest the lawyer, right? Charging him with murder, it turns out he killed three or four other federal witnesses in different cases. They charge him with the escort service that he stole in New York. They charge him with possession of 50 keys of powder.

Starting point is 02:20:32 And they charge him with a few other things. while we're going through the whole process, he puts out a hit. He wants, you know, 50,000 already prepaid to hit the cousin, the cousin, the client, and me, right? Which was, I was just a guy that came with my cousin and go see him. Yeah, but you still heard him talk about the murder. That's it. That's it. Somebody murdered and said, I do it all the time.

Starting point is 02:20:59 That's it. And so they have that, you know, they have that information. they let us know, whatever. Who lets you know? Like the FBI shows up and says that? The DEA. The DEA. Okay, so this is an FBI.

Starting point is 02:21:11 No. This is DEA. No, the DEA. DEA. DEA. D.A. Yeah. The DEA.

Starting point is 02:21:17 The Fed's cut. So, and federal agents come to your house and say, listen. Yeah, they actually speak to us on a visit. We go visit him. They actually interrupt us. They intercept us at the visit. Oh, okay. And they tell us the client, the other cousin,

Starting point is 02:21:32 ends up cooperating against the lawyer. Paul, okay? Paul ends up being convicted of everything. He represents himself. He's sitting at the Supermax. He's sitting at the Supermax right now in Colorado. The person that had the seven, I believe it was seven murders that he was charged with, his hitman, cooperated against him also.

Starting point is 02:21:52 End up getting four years. Within three weeks after being released for the four years, kill somebody else in broad daylight in Newark and Jersey. Just picked up his, going to prison for the rest of. for the rest of his life. So after all of that, you know, kind of calm down, you know, we're not able to get anything to really click anymore the way it was, you know. I tell my cousin, he was like, you know, I was like, listen, there's got to be a way that we can get him out.

Starting point is 02:22:22 You know what I'm saying? It has to be something we could do, you know. I was like, you know, talk to him, let's talk to him and see, you know. So they talk to him, and then they bring up the, I don't know, it was Rule 35, maybe. Third party, third party, rule 35. Yeah, third party rule 35. So how much time has he got? He got 25.

Starting point is 02:22:41 Oh, gee. I thought you said he testified again, or cooperated with, against lawyer. He does. Yeah. And he still only ended up with 25. Well, he got 25 state and 25 federal. So what they did was they erased the state, you know. Okay.

Starting point is 02:22:55 So got 25 fucking federal. Yeah. So, you know, tell them, you know, we bring the whole thing to them. So, you know, my bright idea was, you know, why not, throw myself on the radar of the DEA way by involving myself in this so we start to have meetings with them you know he's locked up in in Farrington in Farrington, New Jersey, which I guess is a high for like high profile inmates so he's locked up there with one of the Flores brothers that testified against us chopo um so while he's there one of the brothers is causing inconvenience for the rest of the

Starting point is 02:23:29 guys so I guess you know when in the fed you pay how sorry how long ago is this because both the Flores brothers are free now. Yeah, this is like, 10 years. Yeah, 10. So, so he's causing an inconvenience. You know what I mean? I guess you pay people to do things, but he has so much money. He's paying everybody to, and people don't want to do things for other people because

Starting point is 02:23:47 he's paying them more. Right. Right. So he's like, he got to get this guy removed from here, you know. So I was like, all right, so, you know, why don't I create a note? Why don't I write something saying that the Citilal, knows where he is. they need to move them, you know? He's like, oh, great.

Starting point is 02:24:06 So, you know, I do the old school way I go in a magazine that cut out letter says, you know, the cartel knows where Margarito is. And, you know, and I send it. And it worked, but they didn't remove him. They removed my cousin. And they transferred him to Otisville, to Otisville. So during the course of the third party cooperating, you know, I've come to realize that, you know, they really own, they really care about money.

Starting point is 02:24:33 You know, they want money, you know. The IRS are cool, but they want money. They get to keep the money. Yes. If it's product, they destroy it. Yes. So they'd much rather get 200,000 in cash than 200,000 in product. Yes. So, because that's the only thing they would constantly ask, you know what I mean? Where's money? Money. So, so there is, when he's moved to Otisville, there's another guy there known as Mr. Ramirez. Ramirez, his name was Chupetta. He is the leader of the North Valley cartel in Colombia. He's there also at the time testified against El Chapo. He has family that's coming down to move to be closer to him, and they're looking to move to Englewood. He doesn't know anything about, you know, the area or that.

Starting point is 02:25:25 So we're leaving a visit one day, and the wife stops us at the gas station and asks Mr. Ramirez, wanted to know if you, would help them find a area that where they, you know, to live an area that's fairly decent because they don't really know anything about it, you know, and he would be, you know, appreciative of it. So I'm like, you know, I mean, they're basically asking me to, like, play a realtor, you know what I mean? Right. So I'm like, you know, yeah, like, whatever. I don't mind doing that, you know what I mean?

Starting point is 02:25:56 I figured it'll help their relationship, you know, helps help their relationship in there. I mean, you know, we know each other from visiting. you know, all the time. So I helped them find an area, you know, and I guess they moved and everything went fine. And in return, you know, he gave us basically access to work, like work so that we can send it and they can seize it. You know, nobody was with, nobody would get in trouble.

Starting point is 02:26:27 You know what I mean? It was their, you know, their headline or that it was basically, you know, work being dropped off for somebody that was never going to pick it up. Okay. You guys are just saying, hey, the truck, there's a truck that's going to stop in the parking lot on 100, exit, 132nd. That's it. That's it. That's going to, you know, it's going to be in here.

Starting point is 02:26:43 And, you know, and that's it. They jump on it. They, you know, take it. How does that work? You guys contact the DEA and say, hey. Yes. Exit whatever, or, I mean, what is it, a restaurant? It was actually a parking lot, a plaza.

Starting point is 02:27:01 It was a shopping plaza. And what, there's going to be a car. there and in the trunk of it. A truck. It was a truck, a box truck. But they don't really want the product. No. No.

Starting point is 02:27:10 So, but they'll take it. Yeah, they're going to take it. They may or may not. They, well, one, they want to rest. Yes. They want money. They want to rest. Yes.

Starting point is 02:27:19 So they'd say, yeah, great. You know, everything. Yeah, we'll take it. Yeah. That's not good. That doesn't, that doesn't meet the level of a third party rule 305 reduction. No. Didn't even get them an extra sandwich.

Starting point is 02:27:33 Yeah. Nothing. It's just on that. That's it. Practice. That's all it wants. Just practice. But they don't say that, right?

Starting point is 02:27:38 No. So happens. And then they, you know, avoid the question because I'm asking like, you know, so what's up? What's happening? You know, and they're like, you know, no, no, get back to you. Get back to you. So another time they give me a call and they're like, listen, we have this guy that's cooperating. But the person that he cooperating against doesn't want to deal with him, you know, you think you could act like a connect.

Starting point is 02:28:01 I'm like, yeah, sure. You know, I could act like a connect. He's like, we'll give you $5,000. You know, I said, all right, sure. I was like, can you, can you get me to work, too, to give him as a sample, you know? He's like, you can't get you, can't get you no drugs. So I was like, all right. I said, but can you follow me, you know?

Starting point is 02:28:21 If I'm going to, you know, give him stuff, I don't want to get caught in the process, you know, giving him the sample. He's like, yeah, we can follow you, you know what I mean? So pretended like I was, you know, who he was looking at. to get followed him down you know did did it gave it to him and you know um again nope they paid me for it so that wasn't considered part of the rule 35 yeah yeah he got your honor he got paid for it why would we give anybody a reduction when he for something he got paid for so i quickly you know i learned that they had no intention on honoring anything you know right they had no

Starting point is 02:29:02 intention of honoring anything. So I started to mess with them, you know, a little bit. You know, I would, I would set them up on somebody that was already cooperating with them. Right. You know, so if, you know, when they went, you know, or they, you know, but they would quickly tell me, yeah, no, he's no good. You know what I'm like? Listen, I know this guy who's doing it. No, he's no good. Like, oh, okay, so you're identifying people that, you know, and not, no, you know, good. And I, I decided that I was going to try to go Columbia and,

Starting point is 02:29:37 and get some work and bring it back. Mind you, we had already started getting a little bad blood because I was pointing them in directions that were leading up to nothing. And they were, I guess, you know, they were starting to get, they were starting to tell me you're wasting our money. You're wasting our time. I go to, I go to Columbia. I think it was $2,200.

Starting point is 02:29:58 I package it to ship it back. You know, you can't send things back from Columbia to here on a normal thing because, like, let's say you buy a stereo. They're like, you know, why are you paying 200 more for a stereo over here than you can get it over here already in the States? So I get back, I get back home and my house is, it looks like it was rated, you know. It was rated, but there's no paperwork, there's no nothing but, you know, bulletproof vest. stuff. All my electronics are gone and my car keys gone. Cars there, but my key's gone. I look up on my computer to see where's the last time my email was accessed, and it was

Starting point is 02:30:39 access at the DEA Strike Force unit. So I call them up. I'm like, you know, listen, what's up? Like, you know, what's going on? You guys, you know, why you have my computer? You know, oh, we don't have the computer. I'm looking at it right here. It says that it's, you know, at your office.

Starting point is 02:30:56 I don't know what's talking about. We'll call you back. We'll call you back. That's done. I feel like I'm being followed. You know, I would see consistent cars. You know, I would pull over. They would pull over.

Starting point is 02:31:08 I would, you know, I would park illegally. They would, you know, like, I was being followed. So I told my attorney, I'm like, you know, I'm being followed. I don't, you know, I don't know what it is. You're being paranoid. You're being paranoid. One day I get tickets in the mail. I get ticket in the mail for reckless driving, driving with our license.

Starting point is 02:31:28 driving on suspended license, speeding, but never pulled over, right? None of the vehicles are registered to my name, you know, but somehow all of the things made it to my mailbox. So I tell him, you know, what's going on, and obviously this is local. So he's like, all right, well, something, you know, something, something is going on funny now, you know. when it came to the Rule 35 thing, they just agreed to have him parole granted. That's what it ended up coming to. Find a track of my vehicle,

Starting point is 02:32:03 and I call them to meet up with them, and I bring it back to them. I'm like, listen. I was like, look, listen, here, you know, this is one of your guys, because I've seen this, you know, before. Like, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know what that is. I don't know what that is.

Starting point is 02:32:17 But they keep it, right? So they keep it. So I started to notice funny things going on. My mother had a hardwood flooring company. And I go there one day. And while I'm inside, all of a swarm of police cars, you know, swarm to place. And they locked me up. They lock me up for, they say I'm trespassing, but, you know, it's our business.

Starting point is 02:32:45 Right. I have some powder in my pocket. Sorry. I have some powder in my pocket and they go into my car's parked outside keys are not in it I'm not in the car

Starting point is 02:32:55 right they go in the back and they pull out a bag and they say we got a gun you know gun like you know never take it out the bag nothing like that

Starting point is 02:33:05 you know so they lock me so they bring me in and you know the officer's like you know do you want to talk and I'm like

Starting point is 02:33:12 I'm like yeah sure you know like you know so they asked me if I'm hungry you know got my little meal, so they tell me, you know, so, you know, so what's, so what's going on? You know, I said, what do you mean what's going on?

Starting point is 02:33:26 I said, what do you have to help you out? I was like, what do you help me out with what? Like, you know, you're charged. They're bringing the dog, you know, because they asked me, you know, they asked me before, do you, you know, will let us search the car? And I'm on the police camera saying, no, you know, I'm not consent. So, so he's like, well, you know, you said you wanted to talk, you know. I said, you know, no.

Starting point is 02:33:46 He asked me if I want to have a conversation. I said, sure, I have a conversation. You know, I said, I thought you guys want to talk to me. He said, well, you're being charged to the gun? I said, you know, what gun? You guys keep talking about a gun? I haven't seen a gun. You know, they take my drink, they take my food, and basically send me to the county.

Starting point is 02:34:07 I get to the county. I noticed that I'm giving a $25,000 bail with 10%. So automatically that's, you know, like that's odd. It's a gun. That's when we want to make a phone call. I'm like, you know, No, I'm not, you know, I'm calling anybody. So they, I get, I get a bail.

Starting point is 02:34:24 You know, they post-25 a bail. An offer of eight years, eight years. For a gun that you're, isn't yours? Isn't mine, right? My public defender, I had a public defender. I learned with the public defenders that the thing is, the key is that, you know, you do all the homework. All they are is a voice between you and the judge.

Starting point is 02:34:45 You know, they're not going to really put any effort. They're not going to put any time. They don't have it. You know, they're not all incompetent. They're just, you know, they're overworked, you know. So she tells me they're offered me eight. I said, how can they offer me eight? I don't have any, you know, I don't have a criminal record.

Starting point is 02:34:59 I have no, you know, felonies. It's like, well, according to this, you have a jacket. I was like, oh, let me see that. So I look at it. I said, you know, it's all I said, listen, that guy has a jacket, you know, not me. She looks at it. She looks at it. It's like, oh, yeah, that's not you.

Starting point is 02:35:13 So it was a picture of another man, another social, So it must have been like 60 that they're attaching to me. So I was like, you know, rejected. So the guys from DEA called me up. Like, listen, we heard that you have a case. We have an open case, you know. I was like, yeah, yeah. He's like, do you want to, you know, see what we could do?

Starting point is 02:35:35 I said, see what we could do about what? I was like, so this was your guys. This was, you know, he's like, well, you know, but, you know, maybe we could, you know, work something out. And I said, listen, this is weak. I said, I'll do this my way. You know, you do it, guys, whatever you have to do your way. That kind of, like, you know, ended the relationship with them.

Starting point is 02:35:55 They carried that on for about three years. They offered me another two years. And then the last one was a year probation. They offered me a year probation. You know, I was like, no, I'm not taking it. She's like, well, if you don't take it, they're going to, you know, three to five in court. I said, yeah. I don't have a jacket.

Starting point is 02:36:12 It's not my, you got no DNA, you got no fingerprints, you got no. By New Jersey law, you're allowed to carry a weapon to a place of unemployment from your home and to the job. And you're not a felon. And I'm not a felon. And that's it. And that's it. Let's go to trial. That's it.

Starting point is 02:36:28 Let's go to trial. Trial day comes. Sitting there for two hours. Nobody shows up. Nobody shows up. So I call. I'm like, you know, what's going on? The case, you know, the case is sitting here.

Starting point is 02:36:39 Like, what case? According to this, you don't have any cases. The last pending case was dismissed. I said, oh, so that's it. It was dropped and that's how it goes. Just nothing, right? Your public defender didn't tell you that. Nothing, nothing at all.

Starting point is 02:36:54 So because I was at my place of business, I was like, maybe I could sue them for this whole thing, right? But come to find out of the three-year time, there's a three-year limit that you could sue a police department for, and the day my charges was dropped was a day after that third year cut off, right? So that goes away. The third card of cooperation was ruled out. He's granted parole.

Starting point is 02:37:19 The day that he was supposed to, a week, a week before that he was supposed to come home, the younger cousin has a heart attack from powder and dies. So the first time he's coming, they were never at a point that they were out together. One was always in jail, one was free. You know, this time he's coming home and this one dies of a heart. attack because the people that he was with didn't call the ambulance. They waited 45 minutes. By the time it came, he was brain dead. So he ends up getting, you know, dying. He gets released. Throughout this course of time, I had a friend that was partners in a steel rebar company.

Starting point is 02:38:02 I was always asking him, you know, toward the end, I realized that there was nobody I knew that successfully made it out. And I knew I wasn't going to be the first. So, I was trying to, you know, I was trying to get out. He had always told me that, you know, you're not ready. He's like, you're not ready for, you know, when you're ready to leave all that other stuff alone, then, you know, let me know. So a situation happens and where the guys that, it was a company that was introducing robotics into the steel industry. So they were having problems in New York because the union guys weren't, they weren't using union people to construct the case. and the union guys were threatened by the robots.

Starting point is 02:38:45 So they would go to the facility and they smacked around the owner that was there. We had deliveries that was scheduled to go out. The union guy said that they're, you know, weren't going to allow the deliveries. So my buddy, Jacamo called me up. He's like, listen, they're having some problems down there with these union people.

Starting point is 02:39:03 You want to get a job? It's like, this your opportunity. He said, I need you to make sure that the delivery goes out. I'm like, all right. I'm like, all right. I'm like, how, how, you know, how much effort could I, you know, put into this? He's like, listen, just do what you got to do. If it gets crazy, call the police.

Starting point is 02:39:18 We're not trying to do anything crazy, you know. So I go down there. They show up, you know, with their, you know, t-shirts, getting things. Heaney's on and, you know, that, you know, I'm John Gotti's brothers, cousins, mothers, sisters, friend, you know what I mean, trying to delay the, so they park their truck, pickup truck, block in the street. So the job is open, ready to go. so they're not moving.

Starting point is 02:39:41 So I tell the driver, you know, I'm telling, well, just drive. You know what I'm saying? We have a little bit of words, me and the guys, but they said that their nephews will be back, something like that. So I tell the drive, I'm like, just drive. They'll move. You know what I mean? Just drive.

Starting point is 02:39:53 It's like, no, you know, I don't want any problems. I don't want. So I call up my buddy, which is the owner. I'm like, listen, you know, Jack, who owns these trucks? You know, he's like, who? What trucks? He said, delivery trucks. Who owns them?

Starting point is 02:40:04 He's like, we do. I'm like, all right. So I told the guy, like, move over, jump in the driver's seat, and I just start driving it toward the toilet, toward the trucks. You know, they, of course, jump in, and they move out, and, you know, I make the left turn, get out, so the guy continues on. So that was like my introduction to the company.

Starting point is 02:40:21 So Giacomo, you know, he gave me an opportunity to go work for them. So I started working with them. I started slowly, you know, cutting ties with everything that was going on over here. older cousin gets released I'm working now so I'm good I think I'm making about 80 about 85 so I kind of avoid you know I avoid the phone calls I just I just stay away from it he gets in trouble again for conspiracy to buy 150 keys while he was in the feds they introduced undercover or a person that was cooperating with them when he was getting ready to leave.

Starting point is 02:41:05 So they set the person in there to start a rapport with him so that when he gets out, he looks to him to make the deal. So that's exactly what happens. They set him up. I think it was eight months that he was out. Mind you the first time when he went in, his wife was pregnant, the first time he went in. So his son was born while he was locked up.

Starting point is 02:41:28 This time when they get him again, the girlfriend's pregnant. again, sentenced to 288 months. So now he has two kids that never really knew their dad, everything gone, you know, and all family. And, you know, and it was, I was like, but the greed is, is, what, like, you know, 30 million, 80,000, let's say 80,000 a week, you know, 30 million.

Starting point is 02:42:01 It's like, what is enough? Why? Why do you keep going? Why? And I swear there was a period of time where I wanted to, I felt like getting caught. You know, I always said that once I got caught, I would stop. But these idiots just couldn't get it right. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 02:42:19 They couldn't. They would always folly something into the investigation. You know, they just couldn't get the shit right. So he gets catch-charge. I'm working. I'm working for the company. My buddy is trying to merge two steel companies, and he dies. This is the owner.

Starting point is 02:42:38 This is the owner of the steel company that gave me the job, gave an opportunity. Now he passes away. My job security was basically based off of him. Right. These guys, they didn't really, you know. But they kept me, you know, they kept me on, and I was able to grow with the company and expand, you know what I mean? expanded out to PA and then investor money came in and, you know, that mismanagement started. And after stopping everything and relocating over there, it just out of business.

Starting point is 02:43:15 So it's like almost, even in the legit world, I find myself having a regroup and start again. I feel like it's a curse. I feel like it's a curse. I was involved in the day trading for a little while, right? We had an inside guy who would give us hints, you know, tips, right? We had a stock called LNG GT that went from a penny stock, like eight-tenths of a penny to almost 30 cents, right? I took $8,000, made like $300,000 out of it.

Starting point is 02:43:47 I didn't know anything about profits and loss and everything like that. I was home and I had a little four-bedroom house and I'm home one day. I get a knock at the door. And I'm looking out the window. I see a caprice and I see two guys, you know, with a clipboard and a suit. One's walking around the back. One's in the front. I don't open the door.

Starting point is 02:44:12 They leave. I have a card on my door from the IRS. And one was a priest? No, no. One was not a priest. I said priest. Didn't he say priest? One was a priest?

Starting point is 02:44:24 Were they in a priest? Is that what you're saying? No, I might have said caprice. But I meant a crown vix. One was a priest. I was like, the IRS is traveling around with priests so he can console you? No, I meant a crown vick. So he left the card.

Starting point is 02:44:39 I called my attorney. I'm like, listen, some IRS agents came to my house. You know, I don't know what, you know, to do. He's like, well, you need to respond to the letter, you know. I was like, not a letter. They came to my house. Right. He said, well, you know, then you have problems.

Starting point is 02:44:54 So I called up the IRS agent that's left on. the left the number. So he tells me, you know, there's issues between car purchases and, and, you know, basically outstanding money or taxes that I didn't pay. A lot of the transfer of money that we did was through banks also. You know, we did a lot of the deposit in this count, you know, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, you know, we did a lot of that. So I tell him, I'm like, listen, I've never, this is a new situation for me. You know, if I have a little time to get an attorney and, you know, see what needs to be done, then I could figure it. They said, how about, you know, how about this?

Starting point is 02:45:30 You figure out how to take care of it in 60 or I have you in jail in 90. I was like, wow. I said, all right, you know, I'll get, you know, I'll get back to you. All right. So hang up. Following day, at the time I was driving a Mercedes-CLS 550. So following day, I wake up in the morning and I'm going to get a haircut. So I go outside the front of the house and there's no car.

Starting point is 02:45:55 So I'm like, you know, maybe I was drunk. Maybe I parked it in the back of the house. You know what I mean? Go to the back of the house. Nope, no car. So I'm like, you know, damn. So I call up, I call the police to report it stolen. When they tells me that, you know, it's not stolen.

Starting point is 02:46:12 It was seized. And I have the report here if you'd like to come pick it up. So I'm like, oh, shit. I'm like they might pick you up. So I start, you know, I start panicking. So I go to go, I go to the bank to go get out some money. And I have a, I have, I have balance 25,000.

Starting point is 02:46:30 Available balance, zero. PNC Bank, balance 20,000. Available balance, zero. Everything. They locked everything. They even took $1,500 from account that had him for my son, and he was like eight years old, and they took everything.

Starting point is 02:46:49 So have you just never paid taxes? No. Oh, my God. And, you know, I never, I figured that nothing was really, you know. In the system? Yeah, you know. You don't say one of the, if you don't start paying, you don't ever, you're not ever paying into this.

Starting point is 02:47:07 They don't know about you. You're never really giving them the right to collect taxes from you, right? Yeah. That's not true. No. But that's what people say. Yeah. Well, the lawyer end up getting it down from the 180 that they want it to like 85.

Starting point is 02:47:24 They had 85,000. 85,000. And you're making payments? And they, well, they had. taken 83 of it already. So, yeah. So that's it. But I took care of that.

Starting point is 02:47:34 But ever since then, I've had IRS problems. I mean, still to this day, I still, it seems like every year there, you're looking at something for me to, you know, pay or, you know, but those are the, when it came to all the legal issues, those are the people that scared me the most because when you get arrested and they take everything, that's one thing. When they leave you out there and they take everything, Like, you know, that's a whole, they're scary people. They play by their own rules.

Starting point is 02:48:02 They act like it's their personal money, you know what I mean? Like, you owe them. So I basically, you know, I found that I couldn't stay on the right track by living where I was. You know what I mean? So I stayed in PA, still, you know, trying to, I mean, I'm okay. No, you know, not really any. I'm not starving, you know. but trying to stay on the right track

Starting point is 02:48:31 because I have a feeling that all my chances, on my luck and all my opportunities to, you know, to have gotten out or done. But what are you doing now? Still in the steel industry. Yep, still in the steel industry, the rebar. But I have, you know, a couple of buddies that, you know, being released coming home that, you know,

Starting point is 02:48:51 have some ideas of getting into the carting and, you know, and recycling. So I think I might make the move back. I figured, you know, five, six years gone from the area, maybe it all, you know, died down. I mean, up until two years ago, I never had credit. So, you know, I just started building credit. Trying to go to places like banks and, you know, they're like,

Starting point is 02:49:14 well, where you've been for all this, you know? How do you have no credit history for all the other? That's a long story. You know, like, I have to prove to them that I'm actually me, you know. just got, they didn't have a license for like eight years, you know, that quite expensive, came to realize, you know, can't drive on a suspended license, so you don't have money, you know, it gets expensive very fast. Or just get a license.

Starting point is 02:49:34 Yeah. And just keep the license. But look, I've never had a DUI. I've never had an accident. They would just find reasons to, you know, I feel like they were trying to do everything to get me to be put in a compromising situation. And, and I don't know. I don't know if they failed or if I failed, you know, because, you know,

Starting point is 02:49:55 I talked to people that, you know, we were hustling with and they, oh, no, I just retired from Lexus. How you doing? Oh, well, you know, I'm cool. You know what I mean? But I feel like it would have been a bunch of wasted, wasted time, you know, there's no many, I don't think I know anybody that's, you know, either alive and free from anybody, you know, people ask me, you know, well, do you regret it? Like, yeah, every goddamn bit of it. I mean, you know.

Starting point is 02:50:23 Does you feel I can help make you... No, whatever I did, I should have had to become, you know what I mean? I have a whole bunch of skills that don't apply in the real world. You know what I mean? Like, yes, I can get cargo from point A to point B and everywhere in between, but that doesn't transfer good in normal society. Plus, I didn't have this, you know, a work history. I didn't have a work history for so long, so when I'm going to apply for job,

Starting point is 02:50:48 I only already paid somebody to make up a whole resume. But when they want to know about this gap, you know, Do I tell them how my skills transporting soft can apply to this job? You know what I mean? That my negotiation about short money with the Mexicans that ended up in a peaceful, how it transfers over, they don't want to hear that. You know what I mean? So, I mean, I guess, you know, lucky, but regretful.

Starting point is 02:51:16 Oh, God, damn. Every day. Every bit of it. Every bit of it. Hey you guys, I appreciate you watching. Do be a favor, hit the subscribe button at the bell, so you get notified of videos just like this. Also, if you want to follow Will on his YouTube channel and subscribe, we're going to put the link in the description box. You can click on that, go there, and subscribe.

Starting point is 02:51:34 Once again, appreciate you watching. Please consider joining our Patreon, our Shorts channel, and our Clips channel. All of those links are in the description box. Thank you very much. See you.

Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime Podcast - Counterfeit Money, Tracy Morgan & a Wild Stripper Scam

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.