Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime Podcast - Female Mastermind Seduces Officer, Survives Prison, & Rebuilds Her Empire

Episode Date: January 20, 2026

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You said you were messing around with the correctional officer? Within two minutes. We were coming up with a plan to hit a lick and make some money. I was born in Brooklyn, New York. I was born into a broken home, as they would call it.

My mom and dad were never in a relationship. They were best friends. I grew up very, I don't want to say poor, but pretty much my mom worked two jobs to take care of us. My dad worked at the board of education, so not really a high-income household. Growing up, there was three of us. I have an older sister and a younger brother. We all have different dads, so that's the dynamic I come from. Growing up in New York, I had a really good childhood, I would say, for the most part.

My dad was a part of my life, even though we were in separate households. He made sure to be a part of my life on a day-to-day basis. My mom's a little crazy. She's a Puerto Rican and Italian, so that tells you enough. So I grew up in a very aggressive household. It wasn't loving. Like, I couldn't come home from school and say, Mom, I feel like, or I got slapped.

That's not allowed. Like, what do you mean? What did you do? Did you fight them? All right. Well, tomorrow at the bus stop, that's what you're going to do. That's how I grew up. So it wasn't very loving, although her love was a different love language.

You have a roof over your head. You have clothes on your back. You're fed. You're going to school every day. I'm taking care of you the best I know how, which is how she was raised. So that's just the upbringing that I was used to. It was the norm. My dad was an alcoholic. He was an workaholic as much as an alcoholic. So he would work all day, but as soon as he clocked out, he was popping a Budweiser. And I remember that being an everyday occurrence. I don't think I know one day my dad didn't drink. So I just realized that he was an alcoholic right now, as I'm saying it, all these years.

But he's a functioning alcoholic. Right. So he's able to function. Some people, they can't function. So I think growing up I thought that was okay because he worked and took care of me. And I was a daddy's girl. Anything I wanted, dad, I want this. He was going to make it happen.

So I was just used to having my way that at a young age, you don't realize he's an alcoholic. Because he's working every day and he's providing and he's doing whatever. I want him to do, so I didn't realize that he had a problem, a disease. However, my mom realized that she would always have an issue with him drinking, and that was where the conflict came in. So my mom moved us from New York when I was about 12, and that was the beginning of us moving around a lot. At 12, we moved to North Carolina. She was with my brother's dad at this time, and we lived, I lived there for probably only a year. So I'm going to school, getting to no friends, ripped from there.

She moves us a year later to Jacksonville. Now at this time, I'm away from my dad. I only see him holidays, and it was like the spiral of where I started having anger issues. And I was fighting a lot in school. I was always mad. I really resented my mom. We did not get along.

I was to the point where I was like, I hate you. I hate you brought me here. I hate that I'm moving all the time. I hate my stepdad. I hate life. So we're a year in North Carolina. How old are you at this point? I was about 13.

Okay. We moved to Jacksonville, Duval, of all places. And the beginning of a mess. So at this time, she's with my brother's dad. that doesn't last long. They end up splitting up. Very toxic relationship. He was not even a good dad of his own son,

so not a good stepfather, not a good figure, male role model, didn't care about anything, really. So growing up, seeing men and women interact was very toxic. I don't think I've seen a healthy relationship. until after I was grown. I thought it was the norm, though.

You only know what you're taught. So very toxic. Her and my stepdad split up. We move again. We're still in Jacksonville at this time. My mom's working at Kmart, so you can imagine what type of income that's bringing in. And she would answer phones at night, like for an answering service.

So at 13, between me and my sister, my older sister, we're taking care of my little brother. We're cooking after school. We're cleaning the house. We're domesticated as much as we know how. And we're responsible for getting our school clothes out. There's no real childhood at that point. Once I hit 13, it was like, you have to grow up because I'm paying the bills. Right.

I'm working. You have to figure out how to cook. You have to clean. And you have to take care of your little brother. So that was my day-to-day. I started skipping school a lot because that was like the only time I can do anything. I can't, when I get home, I'm a parent. So when I'm in school, skipping school, I can go hang out.

I can go to the park. I can go to my friend's house. I can have a little bit of a life. Sports were never a thing because my mom was working. She couldn't take me. I remember doing cheerleading for probably two weeks, and it was just too much. So when you don't have those things, you find something else to do to occupy your time. And for me, it was boys.

I'm going to hang out the boys. And at that time, I don't realize I'm following my mom's foot steps. I'm doing exactly what she was probably doing. And so... And you're still 13? I'm 13. Okay. Oh, I'm 13.

hanging out with boys, going out of the boys, lying about my age, telling boys I'm 16 and they're 18 and I'm really 13. So, yeah, that's, that's, that's a, that's going to say, that's a prison turn, like, you know. Creak could have been, oh, even before I was. 13, he'll get you 20. Before I was 18 and I was telling 21-year-olds, I was 18 at 16. So you're, all right, so you're 13 years old, hanging out with the boys. Bad.

Fighting all the time, skipping school, you name it. I was doing it. Really rocky relationship with my mom. My dad still, he would come to Florida, holidays, my birthday, whatever occasion, Christmas. And my mom and my step. But he's 650 miles away. He's 600. and 30 miles away.

Yeah. So how much influence can you have from over 600 miles? You can't because every time you leave, I'm pissed again. I'm mad. I'm mad of my mom. I'm mad at the world. I don't have my dad who worships the ground I walk on. I have my mom who's kind of aggressive trying to raise kids, trying to put food in the

house. And so, yeah, I'm rebelling. I'm angry. And at that time, I would fly to New York and stuff. And I wanted to be there so bad. that I just started really showing out. And my mom actually had enough and was like, I'm putting you on a plane to New York.

So that's what she did. I was 13. She flew me to New York and thought that was fixing the problem. Not at all. To go with your father. Yep. So I'm with my dad in New York. And my dad can't control me.

I'm daddy's girl. He, what is he going to do? So I remember clear as day 13. going to like the teen clubs. And in New York, it looks like a band of building, right? They've got it completely closed. You go through the back door, and I'm hanging out. I'm 13 years old in the club.

Hanging out. And my dad's funding my lifestyle and doesn't even know it. Right. His sisters finally were sick of my BS in and out of trouble, the school calling all the time that my aunts and I would always get into it. until my dad was like, I don't think I can do this. Like, you need to go back with your mom. But I started fighting a lot.

That was my problem in school. You couldn't look at me wrong because I was so angry, right? So if you even look at me, I was ready to fight. And I was getting in trouble a lot in school, and they flew me back to Jacksonville. So very unstable, not stable. Didn't have, like, friends that I grew up with that I had, my whole, whole childhood. People are like, oh, we've been friends 30 years.

I just met her because I've been moving so much. So I come back to Jacksonville and at this time I'm 14 and the boy moves in next door. So the boy. So a boy moves in next door. And you take a liking to him. Yep. I take a liking to him. and we are sneaking around and having the time of our lives and sneaking through windows and

having sex at 14 and I get pregnant. Wow. At 14. At 14. And how my mom finds out. My mom is looking for me and she walks next door and busts in his room in his house because when I say next door, I mean next door. Right.

And we were having sex. And my mom was frantic. And in my head, I'm like, I might be pregnant already. You're mad about catching us having sex, which is very awkward. She's behind. She's behind. You're behind because I've missed a period. So, yeah.

So now I'm pregnant at 14 with the boy next door. Who comes from a very poor family. He's living with his grandma. His dad is on drugs. his mom is on drugs. He's in and out of DCF. How old is he? Did you say?

He's like a year older than me. Oh, okay. Yeah, we're about the same age. Right. Young. Right. Out of DCF, living with his grandma. Poor.

She's living on food stamps, the whole nine. And... It's just one good decision after another. Here I am. The boy next door who is not in a better boat than me. So I'm going to jump in. And I'm pregnant. So my mom.

immediately wants me to have an abortion. You're 14. You're not doing this. You are going to finish school. You're not going to follow my footsteps. You're going to graduate. That was their biggest thing. Like, you're going to graduate high school.

I was like, okay, well, I'm going to go to pregnant school and graduate high school. Because in Jacksonville, they have, it's called Bula Biel. It's an all-girls pregnant school. Oh, wow. I didn't know that. That's okay. The rate is higher than we probably know. So my stepdad was against abortion.

So he was like, no, we're going to support her. She's going to have this baby. And this went on for a couple weeks. You know, you don't just easily make a decision same day. And I decided to have the baby. So I'm a teen mom already rebelling against my mom. And I'm pregnant. And I'm having a baby with the poor boy next door.

I know. Well, that's at 14. Now, let's talk about what it looks like being a teen mom and going to high school. Embarrassing. Low self-esteem. I'm battling. All the other kids, all the other girls are pregnant, too. Are they all pregnant?

Or they've had a baby or they're pregnant. But before I can get into that school. You still got to go to regular school. I still got to go to regular school. And when I do get into that school, I have to take the bus to my school. my high school, get off the bus, get onto another bus to get to this school. So I'm still seeing people I was in middle school with, high school with, I can't get around it. But before I get in Bealvilleville, I'm walking the halls, pregnant, teen mom, and everybody's whispering.

Of course, the pregnant girl. And that was just, like, I battled with depression by myself. I battled with low self-esteem, having no friends, not being involved. Am I going to see prom? Probably not. Am I going to be on the volleyball team? Probably not. Am I ever going to get to do anything a normal child does?

14? It's over. It's over. I already grew up fast, having no choice, and now it's about to really, escalate because I'm a mom. Where's the boyfriend? So the boyfriend was not in school. He was a dropout and living at his grandpa.

So he's home while I'm trying to go to school and pregnant. And so he started mowing. I was going to say, does he have a job? He starts mowing lawns, ideal. And I guess we thought we were going to really make a life out of this with him mowing lawns and me having a brand new baby. dumb, just dumb. So not knowing his complete lifestyle because he didn't live next door long enough to really get to know him before we were dumb and having sex, he likes to rob people and he hits licks and he, that's what he does.

Do we know? What is his name? His name is Junior. Junior. Junior. His name is junior. So Junior, again, grew up mom on drugs, dad on drugs, living with his grandma. Grandma doesn't take prescription properly.

She's a mess. And you're in and out of DCF. Already went to Juvee before. And you rob people. That's what he does. So I was introduced to a lifestyle. Like I fought and I got in trouble. I skipped school, but I never was introduced to people robbing people.

Right. You're not sticking up convenience or not. No. And I'm definitely not running in people's houses. And that's what he was doing. And my first encounter of knowing that this was real for him, I was babysitting somebody's baby in the neighborhood. And next thing I know, they're running to my house and they're like,

do you have the baby? Can you keep her? I'm like, what's going on? And they're like, somebody broke in my house. And I'm like, what? Same cul-de-sat. What? They're like, yeah, somebody broke in my house.

And I'm like, what do you mean? They're like, yeah, they took all our jewelry. They took our computers. I'm like, oh, my God. I have no idea. I'm traumatized. This is my neighborhood. And they call the cops and I'm over there with them.

Like, you know, I didn't see anybody. I'm over here babysitting their kid, blah, blah, blah. later on comes back that it was junior. Right. He knew I was babysitting their baby, so they weren't home and was in their house. So he's a burglar? He's a burglar.

He's a stick-up. He will rob trains. He had map locations for where the trains were, like, picking up and were stopped. And I would find all this out. Not him just like, hey, this is what I do, but through situations, like this.

And one time he called me, and it was really early in the morning. And he's like, go next door to my grandmas. There's a whole bedroom set over there. And I'm like, what? He's like, yeah, I got Haley, which is my daughter now, a brand new bedroom set. It's like a $4,000 bedroom set for it. She was probably one at the time. And I'm like, where did you get this?

Because it's not from mowing lawns. And he's like, don't worry about it. Just take it. And I'm like, which, of course I do. I'm like, it's for my daughter. He got it off a train. I'm like, what? I mean, my daughter had a 52-inch screen TV,

but at the time, I'm just like, he's providing, right? In my mind, he's providing for my daughter. Right. Stupid. So he hit licks. That's what he did for a living and mowed lawns. Yeah, the hitting licks and mowing lawns. Does it not go hand in hand?

Yeah, it's a real, just junk the position there. While they're at your house. Not a lot of gangsters out there in mowingards. And I wash cars and I shake people. Still cars. I wash cars and then I steal them. So what happens? I mean, how's this?

I mean, you guys aren't living together. Are you still in a relationship? So is that what it's called at 14? Because I don't even know. I just don't know if that's what you call that. It was so toxic. It was weird. And he's still living in his grandmother.

and you're living with your mom. And she would kick him out every other day, right? So my mom would feel bad because I'm having his baby and he'd be on the couch. And then he'd be back over there and he's on the couch and just very toxic. Gosh, that was crazy. That went on. I'm pregnant. I'm going to Beel Le Beal school.

And I'm, my mom's helping me at this time and my stepdad. They're buying stuff. My dad was so mad at me that he wasn't talking to me for a couple. months. He's like, my baby's having a baby. This is tragic. Life changing for him. And he was mad of me for a couple months. So my mom and my stepdad helped me a lot with providing because, I mean, let's be real. I'm in school. I have no job. He's, juniors doing whatever. I don't, I mean, it's a hit or miss. I might have a $4,000 bedroom. I might have zero dollars. I could have formula or not. So my mom really helped me at that time with my stepdad, take care.

care of me and the baby. I'm living with my mom, which is also very toxic because we don't really get along at this time. And it's you telling me what to do, but now I'm grown in my mind. I'm pregnant, about to have a baby. I'm grown. So are you paying rent? No. Are you paying for your food? No. Are you paying for electric? Are you paying for your car for your medical insurance? Nothing. I don't have a car. She's taking me to the doctors. Yeah, you're not grown. Exactly. I've had this conversation. Don't tell me you're an adult. And you're paying nothing.

Yeah. Well, that's how my mom probably felt then. Girl, you're crazy is what you are. And she's basically getting, she's basically now raising another, about to raise another child. And she's already working two jobs. And my stepdad's working. And so my stepdad and my mom met at Kmart. They're both, he's the GM.

So that's how they met. Epic. Did you know that Walmart managers are making like half a million dollars a year? Now. I mean, yeah, but I'm saying. Yeah, that's crazy. But I'm saying it's like half a million dollars a year. It's insane.

Oh, I mean, some are making more than that. But yeah, it's insane. That is insane. I might need to stop bartending. Yeah. Could you imagine your stock and shelves at Walmart in like five years, eight years later? You know, because I'll bet you the overhead. I bet you you move up quick.

You think they hire felons? Whoa. Walmart? You're probably move up quick because, let's face it, you're not getting top-tier talent at Walmart. No. They're probably losing jobs. They're probably got a high turnover.

So if you just basically show up, that's 80% of the job. Well, that's good to know. Might be on a mission later on. Something to think about. Yeah, it is. I'm doing this all wrong. All wrong. So I have the baby, and me and my mom,

are just about everything. We're butting heads. And she kicks me out with the newborn. With the baby? With the baby. That was my mom's favorite thing to do when she was mad. Get out. It was always, I've been kicked out of my mom's house more than I can count.

And then I just go back when she cools down. But I have been kicked out of that house more times than I can name. Get out. She's mad. Get out of my house. So you go next door? I went next door. I'm moving.

Next door. Which is, oh my gosh, that house was not. To be right next door, we had a mansion compared to that nasty house, thinking back on it. Like, no. So I moved next door, and then me and his grandma are always getting into it. So I'm just like, where am I going to go? How old is grandma? How could grandma be?

You're like... Grandma's older, though. You're older, like what? 50? No, like 65-ish. She was, that was an angry old lady. I don't know where she's at now, but when I tell you that was an angry old lady, if she didn't have that prescription, it was bad news for all of us.

What is the prescription? Is this like a pain killer? Yeah. Oh, okay. Oh, yeah. And at that point, she's addicted, and it's, It's a real life issue that I was naive to that. So, but that was a problem.

So at that time, my mom puts me out. One of my friends that I was in middle school with, she was my best friend at this time, Michelle, her mom, who I still love till this day, was like, well, you guys can come stay here, me and the baby. So I'm staying at Michelle's. I have no car. I have no job

I'm staying with a newborn baby in somebody else's house and it was hard that was hard I want my mom but I want my mom to be like a different mom like loving and caring

and we could talk about feelings and that's not a thing that wasn't a thing I was like are you good you're good now? Okay all right don't try me no more all right that was that move on. Suppress, suppress, suppress all of that until you blow up pretty much is what we did.

So I'm living at my friend's house and I'm still going to school. My ex-wife's Puerto Rican, so I hear you. I understand. I get it. Fire crackers. Yeah. She's just angry, angry. And we'll scratch this part out because I like the wife. She'll call me up every two or three weeks. She'll call and I'll pay it up and I'll pay her Hey, what's up? She's like, what? So you don't call me anymore?

That you don't, you don't call? You don't want to know. You don't want to know about your son. You don't call? How do I know you're not dead? I'm like, what, like, you're still like, why are you, why are we talking at all? Sounds about right. Just yelling at me for no, she misses yelling at me, I guess.

I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. That's fine. That's love language. Yeah. That's the love language. That's screaming and hollering.

Her poor husband, he's, listen, he's a trooper, you know, ex-marine. You got to be an ex-marine to deal with. You got to be something strong. Steel, because that's how my mom lives. He's tough. He's doing time. He's doing time. You know?

What's the number? Oh, there. No, there with her. Are you kidding me? I got out out of a few, after a few years. Actual time. I just said, take everything I have. I just want to give up everything.

Everything. Just not to deal with it. It's serious. It's serious. Yeah. Which I understand. Anger. Anger.

Yeah. I've never had that much anger. So coming from somebody that has that much anger and not knowing channeling, processing emotions have no knowledge of emotional intelligence, no knowledge of processing emotions. I was angry. And then you want to know why I'm angry. Why, when you scream at me and I scream back? Well, we're in a screaming match.

This is normal. Right. You don't have anything else to compare it to. I have no idea. I have no idea. And I want to say my mom is not a bad. person. I need to put that out there because I love her dearly. And she did what she knew how. This is how she was raised. She was in the streets. She was in the system. She did what she knew

to do. It's not like she had a great upbringing and turned this way and then no. She made sure we again had food in our mouth, clothes on our back. She did her best. Did we have trips to Disney? Absolutely not. Not a thing. That was unheard of. We're not even talking about that. Did she make Christmas amazing? Absolutely with what she had.

So it's just one of those things, again, that I know now she did her best with what she had. So, yeah, she did. Here I am. But yes, I was angry. So that's where the anger comes from. The root of the anger was the household where everybody's just. angry where it was normal to cuss at the top of your lungs. Throw people out left and right.

Oh, get your shit and get out. Get out. Which is why now, but I'm glad for that because now I would never tell my daughter to get out. Like, go in your room, shut the door and leave me alone for a little while. And we don't do the whole screaming. There's, we're going to talk because it's a trigger for me. And sometimes I'm bartending and people start screaming. I'm like, I don't want to get up. Do you know about to jump over this? But I have to leave that behind.

But it does. It's a trigger. So growing up very angry, I'm in and out. I'm kicked out. I'm in the house. I'm kicked out. I'm in the house. You were living with your friends.

My friend. Yeah, your friend's mom. Until that just didn't work. Like, I have a newborn baby. I'm not making money. I'm trying to raise a baby in your household to your rules. Like, my friends going out. and doing things and I'm here and it just created like it was hard it was very hard um I'm 15

years old trying to do this I have no clue what I'm doing even though I thought I knew everything I had no clue and so I go my sister my older sister at the time with her boyfriend they have a house and there's a little studio attached to it because I knew that I needed to live by myself even though I'm 15, I can't, I can't live under somebody else's roof. I can't get along with my mom. I need to be by myself. Like, I need an area and space by myself. So my dad makes an agreement with my sister that he will pay her X amount of dollars

for me to live in that studio. It has a bathroom, a kitchen, one big room, and then like a closet area. What studio? Did you mention a studio? Yeah. My sister's house. It's attached to my sister's house. Oh, okay.

Okay. So my sister has a house. There's a little studio, and he's paying my sister to let me live there. Okay. So now it's me and my baby at the studio. Now I have free will at 15 with a newborn, and I'm hanging out. My sister, I bring the baby to my sister, and guys, guys are my downfall. I mean, from the very beginning.

And I'm hanging out. not really, looking back, not really having no goal anymore. Like the goal, because in the beginning it was you graduate at high school. Well, now I'm not going to school anymore. I'm just trying to take care of my kid. So there's no goal at this time. There's nothing set in place. Just make it.

I'm in survival mode with a newborn. And my baby's father, junior, is still robbing people. Again, a hit or miss. Either I have money or I don't. Either he can help or he can't. He was present as much as he knew how, right? Come and go when he can. But that was, that's not ideal for raising a baby.

Right. So I am living in the studio and my sister's next door, which also has a toxic relationship with her baby's father and they're next door. But at the time, I was hanging out with him a lot. He grew up in our neighborhood, so I was very fond of him, I guess, growing up. Your sister's boyfriend? Yes. Her sister's baby daddy.

Yep. So your sister's pregnant now and also had a baby. Yes. With... Is this younger sister? Older. She's my older sister. How much older?

We are four years apart. Okay, so she was 18 by the time she got pregnant, or had the baby at least. So she had her first baby at 18. with another guy. Okay. My mom footsteps. Yep. And my nephews, a year when she meets, yeah, it's crazy, right?

Yeah. A year she meets her baby's father that she was living with that this time. Do the... Spill it. This might end the conversation. Did it ever occur to you these three women that the issue may be? the men that you guys are choosing? Or maybe, maybe it might be not only the men that you're choosing, but maybe because what's

the constant thread in these relationships? Anger. I was thinking the women, these women, it's the women. You are, you're just a lot of bad decisions. I mean, they're all bad. I mean, what are these arguments about? Everything, nothing. Everything and nothing.

So, yes, it's the women. It's us. was us and it's the men we choose. Right. Because again, okay, so my sister, my older sister's father

was not in the picture. She doesn't have fatherly guidance. She doesn't know anything more than I know when it comes to love. It's the same pattern. She's with,

has a baby, he's an idiot, he leaves, he wants nothing to do with the baby. She has a one-year-old starts dating my nephew's father, they have a baby.

So, you know, like, call me old-fashioned, but I mean, you know, there's a pill that you can take that stops part of this problem. There is. It can't pick your decision-making, but it can stop the pregnancy part. Would that be birth control? Yeah, yeah.

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consistently do anything every day. I was all over the place. I was trying to survive. Man, okay, so. So her. So she gets pregnant. She's keeping the kid. You're dating a couple of different guys. Yeah, I'm just. I'm trying to be polite.

And, and, and, and, and the juniors in and out with furniture that fell off of a train. Like, it didn't fall off. He took it off. Well, now, now through all that, my sister's baby's father. Uh-huh. Oh, now you're hanging out with him. Well, and he's doing the same thing that my baby's father is doing. I mean, a job, like, you know, like a job, like, you know, it may not be a lot of money, but jobs are consistent.

So he was a convictive fellow, and he did seven years prior to meeting my sister. And she thought, seven years. I love you. Hey, big boy. You are the man of my dreams. Like, you have a future. Yeah, we're going to make it. So you're hanging out with him.

Yep. And he's doing the same thing. He's robbing pawn shop. So now him and my baby's dad become really good friends, and they're doing this together. It's about people helping people, really. Yeah, I get it. Why not?

Yeah, of course. It's a family. We're all going to eat at some level, whatever it takes. We're eating at the end of the night. We know that. That's the goal because there's not too many other goals. It's not college. It's not.

I feel so bad for your mom. Like, I feel like your mom is working. two jobs. Like she can't, I get it. I get it. There's not a lot of hugs in the family, a lot of hugging. Oh, I feel bad for her too. But she's, you know, she like, because to me, the moment I started realizing, like, I need money. And, you know, like she's like a normal person who her thought is, well, then I just have to get another job where, you know, I'm thinking I'm going to crime. Like I'm going to, I'm going to figure out a way to get this money. But she didn't. She did the right thing. I'm just going to work another. Then I'm going to have to work a second job or, you know, an apart. job or hey two full-time jobs like I got to figure out how to make this work to get enough

money to to to raise these kids you're not getting much help from these fathers maybe some a little here and there but not oh yeah yeah come on man I mean even though she made some bad decisions she's made some correct decisions but it's hard I think it's just hard to get out from beneath behind that eight ball once you're you know once things start kill will go wrong I mean it's it's it's tough you know you you you guys aren't helping oh we're hell I know my poor my poor I say it all the time, my poor mom, because, again, she did what she knew at the best she knew how. Yeah. And then here we are terrorizing.

Little gangsters. Terrorizing. Yeah, it was just sleepless nights, I'm sure. So what do these guys come out with? Are you at least trying to, are you at least going in there with some plans for these two knuckleheads? Are you at least saying, listen, you guys need to start hitting banks like this. This, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, time, no. I'm like, you know, this, this, time, no, I'm like, you know, you're putting food on the

table, okay, because they were very, they did that on their own timing, came home with the money, were good, again, another day. And it was, and it was, it was, it was working. Like, they're not getting busted everyone. No. They're getting away with it. They're getting away with it. Okay. Multiple times. Right. So the problem was, with getting away with it is you become emboldened and start thinking, this is the way to go. I'm good at this. Yeah. Yeah.

Which eventually then implants that in my mind because they've been doing this for years at this point. They're doing fine. Yeah, yeah. They're making it work. And so through that, my sister's going to school for a medical assistant. He's taking care of the kids at home and doing side jobs because, like, he fixed cars. There was a, he brought money in. It wasn't a consistent.

consistent everyday job, but he brought money in and helped pay the bills. But he did like side jobs, fixing cars, doing this, painting, fixing house, whatever it was, little odds-in-end jobs. Being a convicted of felon, I guess, really put a damper in his life. Won't mind, but in his. So at that time, I'm still living in the studio. and me and my sister don't really get along too much because she would fight with him and I would take his side. And it was like, that's my brother, but that's her baby's dad.

But we just got close because I'm home, he's home, she's working, we have the kids, we're cooking, we're whatever. And he was like my big brother. So at this time I'm like, yeah, no, you're wrong. You know, you're the problem. And we used to just argue. Same thing. Arguing all the time about nothing. God, we had some anger issues.

We needed therapy. That's what we needed. And that was also shunned upon in my household. Okay. Only freaks went to therapy. I understand. You do? Yeah, no, I get it.

Okay. So that was not allowed. So there we are. Very toxic. Because this is working. This is working. We don't need outside. help. This is working well. Yeah. We don't need somebody else to come in here. Crazy. Crazy.

My mom and my stepdad get married and they want to buy land. We lived in Jacksonville and they wanted to buy land in Middleburg. I don't know if you're familiar with that area, but it's more like out in the country outside of Jacksonville, the hood. And she was like, well, you should come with us. Don't stay here. Like, you have no means. What are you going to do? You're going to live in that studio. Like, you can't come to us for help. We're going to be an hour, almost an hour away, 45, 50 minutes.

And I'm like, I'm not moving there, but I want that house that you're moving out of because I want to be back in that neighborhood. That's where my friends are. I can leave my sister here with her crap and this is where I want to be at. So what do I do? I call daddy and I'm like, dad,

I want that house and mom's leaving it so we can pay the mortgage on it. So of course dad tells my mom. So she owned the house? Yes. Oh, okay. Okay. Well, her and my stepdad.

Yeah. Which his dad left the house. To them. To them. Okay. So you're paying. So you're just taking over their mortgage. Yep.

Is that reasonably priced something you can afford? I can't afford nothing, but my dad can. I can't afford nothing. I don't have a dollar. Right. I can't afford anything. Everything I had, my dad, dad, I want clothes, dad, I need a new bed, dad, I want this, dad, I want that.

Western Union knew me by first and last name. I'm going to Western Union. All right, I'm going to Western Union. I'm going to Western Union. I survived off of him. I had nothing. Now, when he decides that, okay, I'm going to get this house for you and Haley, so you guys can live here.

You can get out of that studio. Whatever. He bought me a car, a little Nissan Centra. A little cute little whole. That car was, excuse my language, shit. And I thought I was riding around in a bins. But my dad bought that car. So now I have transportation to go to work.

So I start working at the Hilton downtown. which was a pretty good job. I worked in the restaurant, made tips. And so now at least I'm bringing some sort of income in because I have real bills to pay. Who's taking care of the baby? Daycare. So through being a teen mom,

they will pay for daycare. Oh, nice. If you're in school. So I dropped out of school, but if you enroll online, it's still considered you're in school. So that's what I did. And that's beating the system

because I never went to school after that. But so they paid for daycare Also, I had Her dad So when I got that house Her dad was next door again Because he still lived with his grandma So I had her dad

I had daycare I had friends I had a babysitter But I started dating My now son's dad Who grew up in the neighborhood Also

Another poor choice and he moves in with me. And so now he's like watching Haley. He did work. He did have a job. He had a job at a glass shop. So I thought he was hot shit. He has a job.

He has a car more than I was used to. And he was working at a glass shop. And he would help like take care of Haley when I worked nights and stuff. And then he also had a son. So his son and my daughter were four months apart. And he had custody of a son. So we would have them both. And that's where, yeah, that started that relationship with my son's dad.

Sounds like that could be a good relationship. You think? Could. Because he had a job. He had a car. You both have jobs. You both have kids that you're in similar situations. It started off very well, as they all do.

So I'm living there. My daughter's dad, Jr., next door, still doing his thing. At this time, he is in and out of trouble. And it's like petty stuff. So he'll go to jail, get out. Real petty stuff. Yeah, he'll unload probation. Stupid stuff.

In a program, because you're still considered under 21, you're still like. The juvenile. Yeah. So he did a little program, whatever, got out. But still living the same lifestyle. And him and my sister's baby's dad, they're still hanging out. they're family, right? We're all family. Toxic.

And I'm working and fast forward. I get pregnant again. Which I have two kids, my daughter and then my son. So I get pregnant with my son. At this time, my son's dad is addicted to pills. Again, I don't know the drug life, right? Like I've seen it. I've been around it. I'm in the neighborhood, but I don't know what that looks. like personally until I would come home and jewelry would be missing out of my jewelry cleaner. I'm like, that's weird.

Like I know I'm not tripping. And mind you when I say jewelry, my dad, I had a ring on every finger. I had like this big hoops with my name on it, the name plate, all the ghetto jewelry. I had all that. And my dad made sure. That's something that I got like every Christmas. What do you want jewelry? Little by little my jewelry is missing.

And I'm like, hmm. Now his best friend, Jeff, had told me, like, I think he's on pills. I'm almost positive, which later on I find out they were doing it together, but whatever. And I'm like, yeah, he's stealing from me, guaranteed. Like, I can't pinpoint it, but I'm missing stuff. Stuff's going missing in the house. Yeah. It's horrible.

It's horrible. I go to, I get off work one day, and I go to the bank, and there's $300. out of my bank account, which is a lot of money at that time because I'm not rich. I'm living up daddy. It's like a car payment. It is. I mean, back, like, what, 10 years ago? That's like a car.

That could still be a car. I think the average car payment in Florida is like $700 or $800 or $80. It is. Yeah, but you're driving a little junker. Paid, it was paid for. But still, $300 was a lot then. Now it might take me a couple days to know that's gone. So I'm going to know my bank's coming for you.

But then $300, I'm in debt. My lights might have turned off. So I go to the bank and I'm like, there's $300 missing. I don't know. Again, I still don't really, I'm not even really knowledgeable on banks and how it works. This is my first bank account. I don't know. I go in there and they're like, okay, when did you notice?

I'm like, I just went to the ATM. They call me in a room. They're looking on the computer and they're like, well, it was withdrawn from your call. And I'm like, what? How? I didn't do it. Right. When they're like, all right, I'm going to show you a video and you have to tell me, do you know who this is?

And I'm like, okay. She's like, and then if you want to prosecute, we'll go further. And she turns the computer and it's my son's father taking the money in the account. I'm like, I'm flabbergasted. I just got robbed with my whole car. And so this is when I realized, like, there is a problem in my household. And I call his mom and I'm like Did you prosecute?

I didn't. Are you fucking serious? I did not. Oh, no. You're not stealing from me. Oh, that was just the beginning. No. Very beginning.

No, we're done. Yeah. Well, I was in love. I love you. We have a son together. We love to get the new guy. What happened to the new? What about the guy?

That's who it was. I thought this was junior. No, no. This is Scotty. This is my son's dad. Oh, did you understand that? Oh, you did? Yeah.

Yeah, son's dad. Oh. You're good. You're good. Catch up. Catch up. I'm sorry. No, it's okay.

This is the good guy. You had hope for him. I had hope for him. He's got a job. He's got a kid. You're moved in. He's great. I'm thinking this is Junior.

He's a scumbag. Yeah. Well, I thought so too. Okay. You're stealing from me. Now, if I tell Junior, he's probably going to beat your ass. Right. Realistically.

So that was the first time I'm like, okay. So I call his mom. I'm like, I'm at the bank. Scotty stole $300. She's like, you know what? Stuff has been coming missing in my house. Jewelry of hers. Little stuff she's noticing gone.

Do you know what's so funny? They're all children. She called the mom. Yeah. She calls mom. I'm calling your mom. At this time, he's like 19, but still. I'm going to tell your dad.

Like, you're still children. Like, you're like 17? Yeah. At this point, 17? 18. He's 19. My God. Oh, no, I'm calling the fucking cops.

I should have. I should have because that would have stopped a lot of later on things that happened. But so we argue, we fight. That's probably the first real big fight. I mean, hands on, I'm fighting you because, again, I'm aggressive, right? And get out. But you only stay out a little while and then I'm home alone and I'm sad. and the kids and all this until you're back in.

Does he explain, he explains that, hey, a drug problem. No, no, no. Oh, I'm going to put it back. I was going to put it back. First he lied. I'm like, I've seen you on camera. Like, you can't lie about this. He's like, that wasn't me.

I'm like, I watched the video. It's you. Like, you did this. No. He's like, that wasn't me. I'm like, okay. So with that. still I'm noticing a lot of things.

And just getting weird. Things he would do, not doing anymore, or I would notice like some days he'll get out there and clean the whole yard, clean the whole house. But then other days you're not getting out of bed or you're calling you to work. I'm like, what is this? I mean, now I know it was a drug problem. You know this sounds like meth. Yeah. And I'm going to work.

I'm going to work. One day I'm at work. and he calls me and he's like, hey, the back door was open. I need to call the cops. Your laptop case is here, but it's open. I'm like, what? All right, I'm on the way. I get a hole.

My back door is like still a little open, but if you came home and the back door's open, you're going to close the back door, if you think anything. But okay. My laptop case is, open and the laptop's gone. But the case is still there?

Who does that? A drug addict. Yeah, yeah. He's staged. But again, I can't pinpoint for sure. And this is before people had cameras all throughout the house, which I don't know why we didn't do that back then. But I can't pinpoint it.

But I know I have a feeling in my soul. Like, you did this. You did this. About a week later, I get a call from one of our homeboys. who sells drugs that he has my laptop. And he didn't know his mind. He just opened it. And he said when I opened it,

all your kid's pictures are on the screen. Where did he buy that laptop? My baby's dad traded it to him for drugs. So that's when I knew for sure. When I went over there, I was like, how did you get this? He was like, well, you're sorry-ass baby daddy. He sold it.

You know, he traded it for drugs. And I didn't know, was yours. I haven't opened it. Like I didn't think to, he said I open it. And there's pictures of the kids. And I'm like, no way. So you would think I was done then, right? A long time ago, but yeah. Nope. So what do we do? We fight. We argue. Get out of my house. And, I brought the laptop back, sat it on the fucking kitchen table and said nothing. Just to wait and see if he came in and be like, uh,

uh, yeah. Yeah. Well, now, I'm thinking back, there's so many other things I could have done. Um, so he gets,

after this happens, he gets a side job, goes in the lady's house, he's doing a job for her, steals her two-carat diamond ring. Brings it to me as a makeup. It's a stolen ring. It's heart's in the right place.

Stolen. So what do I do? Take him back. I don't know it's stolen until his family starts calling me and they're like, hey, there's like a situation where you have people calling. They're saying that Scotty, whatever, have this ring. It's missing. You're like, is it? I'm like this.

Is it a princess cut? Is it too? and a half carrots? He pawns it. He pawns it. Oh, so the pawn, so then they catch him for the pawn shop. Yep. He does six.

I've never pawn anything in my life, but I know it's a mistake if it's stolen. The biggest one. The easiest way to get caught. And you would think that these guys would know multiple people that have been busted or that they would know that it's an issue at this level. I'm pretty sure it's on like first 48 or something too. But they don't. They still do it.

They still go rob a place, steal three flat screens. Well, he's on drugs. Yeah. And this is how we find out. Right. So he's on drugs. And he goes to a program. He gets six months in this program, CDC.

I'm going to see him every weekend with the baby like an idiot. Dumb. But I will say now, because I'm grown and I can. I was cheating on him. It's toxic. I'm not, clearly I'm not happy, right? I'm not happy. This is horrible.

What am I doing? But I love him. He's my son's father. And I'm just dumb. Also, his family helped a lot with my son. So I got to keep that there. The illusion going. It's an illusion.

It's sick. It was sick. I mean, clear his day. It's all jacked up. So he gets out. comes home same toxic relationship

at this time we talk about like he's on drugs he's gonna get clean and all these things that he's not gonna do no so you're gonna go from one drug to what they give you

as another drug to get off drugs which then you're just nodding out because you're on this drug that is supposed to help you get off drugs and it doesn't what is it it's a it's a boxin Methadone. All of them. Oh, yeah, yeah.

They have a, where they have methadone labs. Yeah. So that's what he was doing. So now you're dosing every day. And then, and then you say you're done doing that, but then you're stealing money for me to go dose. Yeah. Yep. So that was the toxic, um, relationship.

It's a horrible story. This is, this is my real life. This is, it gets worse and worse. You're not learning. I'm not learning. Okay. Nope. Not learning.

Surviving. Still trying to survive. It doesn't get any better For years Years? Years? So, many years. So he's still in and out, in and out, in and out?

Well, in and out of my house. He doesn't go back to jail. His family, I can say now, enables him because they would always pay like, oh, let's get an attorney and get him out of it. And he's gotten out of a few things like that, which I think just ended up enabling him. to he still lives at home with his parents where he's 38 oh my god wow enabled enabled so yeah yeah

oh my god i'm such a dick i really want to say something not like your father is paying your rent in enabling your situation but i mean yours is different it's dumb it's all dumb Because I get it. I get it. And not only is my father paying my rent for another man to live under the roof. Right. And not pay the rent and not contribute anything and steal from you. And steal for me and completely turn my life upside down to the point where one Christmas.

Are you kind of keeping this from your father? Oh, yes. Oh, for sure. Oh, we're living a great life. We're good. Except money. Money's tight. Of course, because I got to call my dad.

Your poor dad. My poor dad. It's not funny because it really. really is my poor dad because he he didn't know the half. I couldn't tell him that. We're doing okay. Are we struggling?

Yes. Money's not that good, but. So what about, so one Christmas, one Christmas you were going to say, I'm sorry, I don't know. No, you're fine. He stole from the kids,

which is where I, like, lost it. Took the bikes out of the room and I guess pawned them, sold them. I still don't know until this day what happened to them. That was the line? And, That was the line for me.

Finally. I know. I mean, kind of the line, because we were still talking. So that happens. I am working. I'm taking care of the house, the best again that I know how. And around this time, my step-sister, her son, is having a birthday party. So we all go out to Middleburg where my mom lives now, and we go to my step-nephew's birthday party.

And my sister's there, her baby's dad, my nephews, my grandma, me, the whole family, my kids. I have my son's dad's son also, because he's been around me for years at this point. So he's like my kid, and I have all the kids. And we're all there, family, whatever. my sister's husband or baby's father they did get married later on and then divorce but neither here nor there um he's they're drinking they're intoxicated on god knows what um and as it's time to leave he doesn't want to leave he's like i'm going to stay i don't want to leave and she's like we're going to my moms because we were all going to leave and go to my moms which was right down the

road. And we all get ready to go from this party, and they're all intoxicated. And I get in my car with my kids. My sister gets in her truck. My grandma's in the truck, her husband, my nephews, my brother and his girlfriend, my younger brother. How big is this truck? It's an explorer. Okay. My mom gets in her truck with my stepdad, and we're all driving down the road. Later on, we find out what really happens, but during the drive, my sister's truck flips six times. My older sister was like six people in it? All six people?

Oh, Jesus. Okay. During this accident, my grandma passed away. Yeah. My sister is in a coma. She's bleeding from the brain. They're all sprawled out all over the road. The only person not sprawled out and is able to walk is her baby's father.

come to find out later that he jerked the wheel to try to get her to pull over. And it's top heavy. So when he jerks it, she's trying to keep it on the road. Yeah. It flips. Which my brother was completely aware of, who also ended up in the hospital and had to get skin grafts. So for months during all this with my son's father, I'm now dealing with my sister possibly dying. My grandma just died because of this accident.

somebody who I thought was my best friend caused it, right? My sister's baby's father, who I love, who's like my brother, just caused a massive transformation in my entire life. So my life consisted of for months back and forth to the hospital. Is my sister going to make it? Is she going to wake up? She has to go into this surgery, go into that surgery, my grandma's funeral,

battling with just all these different emotions. I don't know what to do with. So that was where, like, my whole family shifted, whereas we were all close. Like, no matter what we went through, we argue, we fight, but, like, me and my little brother were close, me and my older sister, that's my sister.

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at checkout. That's ghostbed.com slash Cox promo code Cox. Upgrade your sleep with Ghostbed, the makers of the coolest bed in the world. Some exclusions apply. See site for details. Like that was, she was my best friend growing up. Um, because again, it was always just us. We moved so much. we were all we had. And that was one thing my mom always said. Like, you guys, at the end of it all, it's you guys. Like, you guys stick together. I don't care what happens.

And now you're fighting for your life. And the cause of it is your husband. Right. Was he drunk? Oh, he was drunk. He was on pills. He was completely tore up. When they were leaving, he kept saying, like, I don't want to leave.

Yeah, I don't want to leave it. Then he was like, all right, let me drive. And she was like, no, you're not driving. Get in the house. the truck. Just get in the truck. So he was already upset when they left. You know, what's interesting, I don't know if you know this is that, you ever notice, like, drunk drivers a lot of times, they'll get into a car accident and they'll kill like the other family or something and they're okay. And it's because their reaction time is so

slow that they just kind of go along with the crash instead of bracing themselves. Like they survive because they're drunk, you know? It's ridiculous. It's because they're... I wanted to... Because like you said, he's fine. He survives. Other people are in a hospital.

They're all fucked up. He's... My sister's on her deathbed. Do the police come? Do they grab him? So the police do come? They had to get life flighted. So the police are there.

They don't grab him. They're investigating. Right. But does the investigation eventually figure out this guy caused the accident? No. No? So everybody kind of keeps their mouth shut and never says anything? Well, the two people that could say something was my younger brother because he was aware.

Even though he went to the hospital, he was aware. My sister was in a coma. And then his little girlfriend, she broke ribs, but she was also aware. My brother was scared to say anything because he was also close with my sister's husband. And he's like, I don't want him to go to prison. But my grandma's dead. Yeah, grandma's dead. I'm going to miss you, bro.

Are you kidding me? I'll put some fucking, I'll come see you. I'll put some commissary money on. I'm not doing none of that. You're going to prison. Yeah, that's, if I would have been in the car, you got to go. Yeah, I'm saying you, you, you got to go to prison. So, I'll come, I'll write you some letters.

I'll answer the phone. I'll put some commissary money, but you got to do, you got to do some time for grandma. You need to time. So my sister, when my sister came to, because she had to literally learn how to read, write, everything all over again, walk, read, she was, rehab for months. She, it was like, it was bad. Yeah.

Because of that, the first reaction when she woke up was like little bits and pieces of memories. So it was, where's Josh, which it was her husband. Right. And me and my mom were like, no. And we were trying to get her to come with us, me or my mom. We take care of her. We help her.

Right. her husband's, we started a fund from like her school because at this point she was already in medical assistant and she was teaching people how to be a medical assistant. So she was doing schooling and work and they started a fund for her like a go fund me. And he was taking the money out of it. Yeah, he's got to go. You got to go. He should be in prison. So he should be. Still to this day, I agree, till this day should be in prison. And so After this happens, my family's all in turmoil because we're mad at my sister, but we're glad she's alive. But like, we don't want you to go back to him.

He's been stealing your money out of your account. He is the cause of all this. Like, we're begging her. But again, because of where her brain was and her mental, she don't remember a lot of stuff yet. She still has to reprogram her entire brain to walk, to eat, everything. So we were, it put a real pull in the family to where I was mad at my brother for not saying anything. My mom's mad at my sister for going back. My nephews are young and traumatized.

That's traumatic. I'm traumatized. I'm on the scene of this crime where I see my little brother and my older sister on the ground. So for about a year, we didn't really talk any of us. Like, it was just like, I would talk to my mom. They would talk to my mom, but nobody really got together. We didn't really see each other. I didn't see my nephews.

I was more hurt than I thought I ever could be because I'm like, this guy should be in prison. Eventually, because there's, like, road fines and stuff, they're like $50,000. You tore up the road. And because there's no other car, somebody has to pay for this, which is crazy. I didn't even know that was a thing.

My sister was taking the blame for everything. She's like, well, it was my fault. I swirved. I seen a car coming. Nobody else said they seen that. Just taking the blame for all of it to save him, to not go to prison. Because at this point, she realizes, like,

he jerked the wheel. And, like, I've had that conversation, and she's like, I don't remember. Yes, you do. You know. Well, I just know bits and pieces. We were arguing. Yeah. And this is the cause of it. So through all that, it's a lot of turmoil. And like I said, I didn't see them for a very long time until finally, you know, my mom's like, you guys are family. And little by little, we started talking again. At this point, because of what my sister went through, she was addicted to pills. Her and my little brother. there, which I had no clue. He was 14, 15, taking pills to cope. They were, that's, it was traumatic. It wasn't something simple that happens and you just get over it. The grieving process, I think, took many, many years to grieve through. You don't, you don't have answers. You're angry. You're in denial. Everything changes. So they're on pills. They're at this point addicted.

and my brother is back and forth living with my mom and my sister. I think for him it was like the trauma of what happened, wanting to be closer to them to my sister and her husband. So I start coming around a little by little, and it was more because I didn't want the kids to grow up without each other. Like I didn't want my nephews to not grow up around my kids. and again, we're family. Toxic one, but we're family.

And so my daughter's dad, Jr., is still hanging out with them all the time. And I find out that now my little brother's also robbing people, hitting licks and on pills. And I will never forget, I call my mom and I'm like, listen, I just heard some things through the grapevine, and I think you need to go get Brandon, which is my brother. Like, I'm hearing that he's doing this, this, and this. And my mom's like, he don't want to be here. Like, there's nothing I can do. Like, he's been going through it.

That's where he wants to be. Like, all right. I just don't think it's a good idea. So I start, you know, being around them and noticing a lot of things. But the one thing that at that time I noticed that I noticed that I, I guess was good as they were making money. They were making money. They're getting licks.

They're making money. Right. So I want to make some money too. What the hell? I'm tired of this. I have two kids. Are you still working? I was not at the Hilton anymore.

Okay. I was not at the Hilton anymore. After the accident and just all of that. And then my son's dad, it was too much for me. Okay. Sounds crazy now with all that I do, that that was too much for me. You want to make some money?

I want to make some money. Right. So now I'm all in. So as they're telling me different schemes and scams that they're doing and they're going here and they're coming back with this money, I, I'm not working and I'm struggling. So I'm like, I want two kids. I want to make some money. never robbed a person in my life. I think the most I've ever done

was still a lip gloss out of Kmart at this point. I've never hit a lick. And so we were coming up with a plan to hit a lick and make some money. Now, you would have thought I was smarter. I could have came up with a better plan, as they say women are their masterminds. Well, I was not a mastermind.

I was dumb. I've never said that. I was in any. Oh, my judge did. He's like, oh, this is all you. Women are masterminds. They can get men to do anything. And I'm thinking, these guys been doing this.

I have no idea. If I was a mastermind or knew, we would have, like you said, robbed a bank. Going to rob some Mexicans. So there was a place in Jacksonville that is like a trailer park next to this store. It's a known area where all of the Mexicans, a lot of them, even. legal, but they work because they're going to work from son up to sundown. And they all have their little money. They live in 20 deep in a trailer, and it's known to have cash.

They're known to have cash on them because what do they do? Yeah, they don't have bank accounts. Everything's illegal. So at this time, my junior had a scheme that he had this lick that was like all this money, jewelry, and it fell through. So the night that we were planning to go hit that lick, we're like, well, now what? Now what do we do? Because that fell through and we're ready.

Like, my sister's got the kids. We're ready to go. We're ready to go. We're like suited and booted. Ready to go. You got the babysitter. I got the babysitter. We got to go rob somebody.

I got a babysitter. The lick was already mapped out. He's got all this money and jewelry. You know, the spot went to meet, fell through. We can't do that. Now what do we do? Well, dumb, dumb and dumber, because that's what we were. Me, my brother, and junior were riding around, and we were like, all right, we're going to go look at this spot that I was telling you about in the trailer park.

And it's by the S&G in Jacksonville. And it's a known spot. So if you say that to somebody that's from there, they know exactly where that's at. Riding around, riding around, we see this guy come out the store with money. And he's crossing over into the trailer park. And we're like, this is it. gonna take his money. We have no idea. This guy could have $5 or $500. We don't know. Not a clue. And as dumb as it is, thinking back on it, I could have just called my dad for $500, right?

Like, what are we doing? So I think it was more the thrill, knowing that, again, they'd been getting away with this for so long, robbing people. Really quick. Rewine. One time Jr. robbed his friend, had no idea. He had the key to his house to watch his dog. Next thing you know, the guy's calling all of us, and he's like, somebody broke in my house, but there's no, like, trace, my TV's gone. Well, there's one person that has your key, you idiot.

But that's his friend. So he's like, you know, Junior, do you know, like, anybody that would, and he sold drugs and stuff. He's like, do you know anybody that would want to come in here? The whole time it was Junior, I'm like, you're an idiot. It's your friend that has your key that went in your house and took your TV. Like, so just knowing all the times that they've done this, I think it was like the thrill of they've been doing this and getting away with it. And they're making money.

Like, I can do this too. Yeah, who wouldn't believe that their baby's daddy came in and sold their laptop? Such an idiot. But, you know, you live and you learn. I hear you. And I'm here now and he's still living at home with his mom. So there it is. With that, not throwing shots, but with that, actually, yes, I am, and it's fine.

With that, we decide to go to the trailer park as the guy's crossing the street, and my junior gets out the truck, puts the gun to him, and tries to take his money. Well, the guy starts running backwards. And I guess initially, since he's running, what are you going to do? How are you going to stop him from running? I mean, chase him? Shoot. Shoot him?

Yeah, okay, it wasn't my thought. First thought. I'm trying to not shoot. You've changed your criminal thinking, I see. He shot him right here in the arm. Shot the guy. Now, this is where the dumb, I mean, it's all dumb, but my brother gets out of the back seat and discharges his gun in the air.

But why? But why? It's like the okay corral. It's like the, the, wow, wow. last like that's what it was like no yeah and then me freaking out like what is happening this went bad real we're supposed to just get the money we were supposed to get the money and go right this was not supposed to happen so was the guy hit the ground or does he keep running it's still like a blur like i just see the guy standing there i never seen the guy hit the ground i never seen like blood

I don't recall exactly at that moment what happened. I'm just screaming, let's go. Like, we're going to get out of here. That I'm smart enough about we got to go, except the neighbor wrote down my tag. So we leave. I'm freaking out. Where are we going to go?

What do we do now? What happened to the guy? Did the guy keep running? Did he fall down? He was just there. He was just there. He didn't run. He didn't fall.

Shot in the arm. Later... You guys... Everybody immediately turns and jumps, goes to the car, and the car takes off. Gone. What do you do? You can't stay there. The neighbors are coming out.

You're in a trailer park. There's people right across from a store with a light. It's not like you're on a dirt road where there's no, nobody sees anything. Everybody's seeing everything. I mean, they got my tag like this. Right. So we go to my sister's house, get rid of everything, get rid of the guns, take your clothes off, all this. I get in my truck and leave.

Within two minutes, helicopters and police are everywhere. Everywhere. I don't know if I thought, mind you, they never got caught before. The one time, I'm going to go make some money. Here we are. So I immediately jump out of my truck. I guess I thought I could run. You know, you see the movies?

I watch too many movies. And I'm like, I'm going to run. And I start running. And next thing you know, I was on my neck. And in the back of a police car. On your neck? Yeah. What does that mean?

They caught me. Okay. They bam me. On the ground. All right. Put me in the police car. And I hear on the radio, they're looking for two other people. And they're like asking me questions.

And at this time, I'm not saying anything. And I'm like, being young. and dumb and I'm like, F you, I don't care. Like, leave me alone. Like, whatever. You know, just talking shit being stupid. Making this worse. Right. Than it needs to be.

And they're like, you're going to jail for murder. I'm like, murder. No, this can't be right. Like, this can't be right. The guy was standing up. I see no blood. Like, this can't be right. Because at that time, I didn't know the guy got shot because he was standing there.

So I'm like, I knew. I knew he shot the gun at him. but I was 100% sure, like I said, what happened? They got on the truck and we left. I didn't get out to examine or see if the guy was on the floor, if the guy was standing up. Is he okay? Is he shot?

Is he not shot? Let's flee. So they tell me I'm going down to booking for murder. And they know that there's two other suspects. Am I going to tell them where they are? And I'm like, no. Well, I hear on the radio that they had already got to my sister's house. Now, at my sister's house, my kids are there.

My sister's kids are there. Her husband's there. And my daughter's dad is there. And they're all on the ground. Later on I find out, you know, they went right in the house, put everybody on the ground, even my kids. And God, Jr. My brother left with his friends and was in a car, and they were right down the street. so they also got him.

It was in the matter of... In the matter of minutes, the craziest... So mind you, I'm in Jacksonville where we were the murder capital. Not getting solved. Like, unsolved murder cases, unsolved robberies, unsolved everything. And in five minutes, I'm facing a murder charge. I didn't even make it nowhere.

Nowhere. So they bring us all to the memorial. build in for questioning. We're all in separate rooms, and you know how that goes. Oh, he said you did it. He said you lured the guy. This one said you shot the gun. He said he shot the gun.

They're trying to turn my brother and my baby's dad on each other to find out who shot the gun, who didn't. My brother, my baby's dad automatically put the gun on my brother, which... Not cool. Not cool at all. Not shocked, either of all. He'd been such a good guy so far He's such a good guy He's been robbing getting away with it

Bringing us money Mom's on drugs Dad's on drugs What is your brother say? Nothing How old is your brother? 15. Not a word

Fuck is going on Not one word The 15 year old's the gangster Not one word So when they come to me and say that My baby That my brother That my baby's dad said

my brother shot the gun. My initial thing was, no, he didn't. My brother didn't do that. He did. Right. And not thinking, they're just putting a case together. Yeah. You know, I'm just initially like, no, he's lying on my brother.

So it is what it is. Yeah. But now they have a case. Yeah. I'm like, no. I think they had a case anyway. They had a case anyway. But kind of, because.

But let's just, we just need to clarify. I mean, both of them are fired a gun. Once everybody's charged and talks to their lawyer, some, one of the lawyers is going to be like, this whole not say anything, motherfucker, they'll just charge all of you. They don't care if all three of you go to fucking prison for this. Yeah,

which is eventually how that works. So somebody's talking. Somebody's talking. So initially that's how it went. We went down, you know, we got booked. My brother went to juvenile upstairs.

I'm on the women's floor in Jacksonville. There's only one little floor for us. and the other six floor is all men. So they book us on attempted armed robbery, because again, we have nothing, right? They book us on attempted armed robbery, and we're fighting our case. My mom gets my brother an attorney.

Okay. He's the baby. And my dad is paying and trying to, like, get me a lawyer and paying for a lawyer. and paying for a lawyer, and then this happens, and then he does, there's a conflict because they're in the same law firm, so then I get a conflict-in-interest attorney for a little while because nobody's getting my baby dad an attorney. He comes from nothing.

They don't have the money. So he's getting a public defender, so we all have to have certain attorneys because it's a conflict of interest. Yeah. Well. Real quick, for clarification. First of the Mexican wasn't Mexican. He's Honduras.

He's an illegal from Honduras. Which we don't know yet. Okay. But, sorry. But did he die? Well, we don't know. We think he's dead. Oh, you think he's dead.

At this point. At this point. But they only charged you with attempted, they didn't charge you with murder. They didn't, but they told us he was in the hospital fighting for his life. Oh, okay. Well, initially they said it's murder. And they said you're going to jail for murder. Yeah.

But they wanted us to talk. So after we got booked on attempted armed robbery, they said he was in the hospital fighting for his life. And then the state prosecutor. was like, yeah, they called us all out, you know, trying to get us again to get statements and depositions, whatever. And he was like, you guys killed this guy. But my mom had already talked to my brother's attorney and he was alive. He had a home to the shoulder, not to downplay it, but nothing major. He wasn't. He was fine. Yeah. Plus, you guys are all praying for him to pull through because. At this point, I'm praying. Are you fucking kidding me? These guys

been doing this. They never get in trouble. Here I am. them facing a murder charge. The one time my dumbass is like, yeah, let's go. I want to make some money. Well, people don't, also to clarify is that if you're one of those people that show up and someone dies during a robbery, everybody's responsible for it. It doesn't matter if like, no, no, I was just driving. They got out.

They went seven houses away, kicked in a door, shot someone by accident, and then they came back and got in the car. Nobody was supposed to get hurt. It doesn't matter. Unless you call the police and say, I did not know this was going on, I was with them, but this is what it turned into. Can you please come here now? Yeah. That's the only way.

Yeah. Nobody's doing that in panic. Yeah. No, you're still hoping. Now I will. Don't do it. You're going down. Loud and clear for everybody.

You are going down. I don't even want to talk about crime. Unless it's past tense and you went to prison for it already and did your time because I still steer clear. So at this time, we're not sure if he's dead alive in the hospital going to make it. My mom clarifies that he is okay. So we are fighting our case. Mind you when I got booked. You know, they give you like the baloney bag,

the brown bag. And I'm like, I don't need that. I'll be gone tomorrow. I'm leaving in the morning. I'm bonding out. Not happening. Not a murder. No?

We'll see you in six months to go back to court. What? Six months. I'm sitting here in the county for six months before I go to court. Give me that bologna. Give me that bag. Can I get my bag back? Actually, can I get double bologna, please?

Six months. That's the least time. I ended up actually sitting in the county for three and a half years. Wow. Which was the actual hard time. Yeah, because the county sucks compared to you. Oh, my. And then this is just.

2009. So the county did, we didn't have tablets. That wasn't a thing back then. We didn't have TVs. We, we had nothing. You had Spades. I'm a master spades player. Give me a deck of cards. I'm in there. That's it. No, what is it? MP3 player? No, we had none of that. We didn't even have radios. Yeah, we got MP3 players in 2000, like, I want to say maybe 11 or 12 in federal prison we started getting them. Boy, that man. That I read. You tell everybody. That shave 30% off my time. For sure. For sure.

They're like, how do you know every word to every song you sing? I'm like, oh, that's all I had. You know, because once they got to prison, they had MP3 players. But at this time, nothing. I have a little window. I could see downtown Duval. And you get one visit a week through a glass. So mind you, I just left a four and a half year old, a one year old.

And my whole life is upside down. I'm facing a life sentence at this point. So we're fighting our case. Everybody has a different story, right? That's how it works anyways. I learned that's majority of any time you have a co-defendant. Is your brother still in jail? He's a juvenile.

My brother's still in jail. Oh, my gosh. Oh, yeah. He's fighting his case just like us. Same case. Okay. He's upstairs. Now, I will say this.

When he, because he had advantage being a juvenile, even though it was rough in the county, they had classes programming. He was able to complete a lot in the juvenile pod versus us. Like the only thing we had was GD. Right. So when he went to court, all the things he was able to do in the county looked good on him. Right.

Versus me, I'm still a rebel. I'm talking in the toilet to the boys passing time. They're catching notes through our mail. That's it. Oh, yeah. No, we could plunge it like this. and it was down. And that was my pastime.

But also those letters that the mail lady would catch would go to court, which I didn't know. They were in my file. So my judge was like, well, you haven't changed. You're over here talking to the boys in the toilet, going to confinement. So I'm sitting in county for a year. It was about a year. And I get called to the chaplain. And they told me that my dad passed away.

Oh, man. Yeah. Oh, that sucks. So I'm facing, I don't know how much time. There's no number on the table. Was he sick? Did you know he was no? Is this just a heart attack?

Yep. How old was he? Fifty-one. Oh, yeah. You have no idea. That's coming. No idea. No idea.

Okay. Sorry. None. So they call me down there and I lost my mind. And so at this one, I have nothing to live for. I don't have my kids. I'm not raising my kids. And my dad just died.

He's my only lifeline out there. I mean, I have my mom, but my mom's mad at me because she thinks that I can save my brother. Because he's 15. I'm 19 at the time. And save your brother in what way. Yeah, like, I need to take the charge. I need to free him. The other guy shot the fucking guy.

Your brother. And he discharged a gun. Right. Your brother and you and your brother need to say what really happened, which was this guy fucking shot the guy. Well, and also. My baby daddy shot him. No, if you would have listened to me, my brother wouldn't even have been in my sisters. So let's just go back to that because I tried to tell you what he was getting.

into. Was it right that I joined? Absolutely not. But I tried to warn you he was in some shit. So she's not the happiest with me, but she answers my call. She has my daughter. My son is with his dad and his Nana and Papa, which is my baby's dad's mom and dad where he still lives. And so my dad dies, I go through it. Like that was the first time that I really was so, or ever thought of self-harm because up until then I've been through plenty of things life wasn't peaches and cream for me I didn't have a silver spoon but even through all of that I just remained living smiling laughing making the best of every day that I could but after my dad died that was like this is it like I don't want to live anymore so I'd play myself in the county jail

and both of my bunkeys went to the pea farm that morning which is another jail if you have a lesser bond and lesser charges, you go there. And I had the cell to myself, and it was floor crew, and I had it all planned out and everything. And then one of the officers, who was my friend until this day, she made one of the girls on the boatbeds get in my room with me and stay with me because she knew I wasn't. I was not okay.

I was going crazy. I wasn't eating. Wasn't coming out of my cell. I didn't want to do anything. which then later on saved my life because I have somebody in myself. What am I going to do? I have a babysitter pretty much. So at that time, I was really going through it.

I was just down, down bad, not wanting to eat, not wanting to do anything. Really, I just wanted to die. I don't want to be here anymore. I'm not going to raise my kids. everything everybody said was going to happen because of like life just being a team mom and doing all this wrong is happening and they're proving it right like it's over for you basically so me and my brother were in communication to a certain level um being able to like pass notes through certain people because they just knew like that's her brother um after you're in the county so long you just build a rapport with officers um, trustees that are on all floors. So we were able to communicate to some sorts or get messages through the toilet, which then I knew that they were trying to offer him a plea deal.

Right. And at that time, we didn't know numbers or what it would be. Um, we just knew that they wanted him to testify and that they would knock time off. Um, So after that, they had asked me a couple of times, and I never did depositions, never, nothing. And then, again, like I said, everybody's story was different. So we're a year in, my sister's amazing baby's dad, who was not with us, but, you know, that's the life he lives also. He caught a charge, possession of firearm by convicted of felon.

So he was in the county also. while he was in the county, he wrote a statement against us. So he jumped on our case. Yep. And wrote a statement against us and told them pretty much everything that would have gave us a plea deal, him a plea deal. Because now they have all the info they need. Okay. So they're not offering us any time.

We've been in here over a year. They're not telling us anything. Court dates are three to eight months in between. They're not weeks. Yeah. And we're setting for trial. So during this, we find out that my victim is illegally here. My state attorney brought his wife from Honduras, and they legalized him.

Oh, okay, just so that he can testify. He can write a statement. Because he couldn't pinpoint anybody. He could not pinpoint a soul. He said it was dark. He doesn't speak English. They were like, we get to a translator. He didn't want nothing to do.

with any of it. Because he had been sending money to his wife, I'm sure. Right. Being illegally here and she's there. They bring his wife over and they legalize him. Well, with that, my baby's father had grounds for a pretty good trial. Because that's illegal. He can't even, he can't even.

It's illegal. And that's all illegal. You can't do that. Right. But it's almost like a bribe. And again, had Trump been in now, like realistically, that would not have happened. Back in Honduras. And I'm not, I am not a fan of what he's doing.

I want to put that out there. Not at all because I have a friend who is going through a very tough situation with that. However, when it comes to this situation, who... However, when it benefits me, I want that dude back in Honduras. He never should have been here. And if you don't send him back, I don't care. Keep them here. But...

Don't bribe him with citizenship. And this is not a crime. Is that what you're saying? They kind of, they're bribing him. He did bribe him. He did not want to come to court. He was not writing a statement, which means that in trial, we don't have a victim. Right.

So now. We win. So, but now he's willing to. Oh, yeah. Hell yeah. Oh, yeah. My wife's coming. So trial was out for all parties.

Trial's out. It's off the table. My brother is working with. with Beyond Scare Trait program from inside. So the state loves him. He's changing lives. He already changed his life. He's doing all the good things.

And he's in programs. And he's the youngest one. And it's got to be our fault because he's youngest. And so that's pretty much where we were at for years. It was just court, pass. I'm in confinement going to court in shackles and my orange or red jumpsuit, whichever one.

And, you know, I'm still battling anger. Now my dad's that I care about nothing. I don't care about life. Like, nothing matters. I don't care. I don't care what the judge says. I don't care what the state is saying. I'm living in a blur and I don't care.

Had I known now how serious, not the crime because I knew how serious thought was or how serious they were taking it. But if I knew now that the things I was doing in the county were going to be held against me at sentencing, I would have handled things different because all of the things that they brought up were fighting in the county, CECs, D.Rs, which are disciplinary reports for getting in trouble. I got to add on charge for violating jailhouse rolls because I had so many DRs for fighting, talking in the toilet. the mail they got. All these things that, again, are held against you. You're not changing if you're doing it in here.

What are these letters that you're sending? They're just letters, just like regular letters. But I can't. Hey, how are you doing? Yeah. What's your favorite color? Like, what the hell? I thought I was going to marry a guy in the toilet at one point.

I was in love with the toilet boy. Yeah. And they're facing life. One of them, one time was on death row. I'm like, no, you're going to make it home. We're going to be together. Same toxic traits. I'm so glad that's gone.

Okay. Thank God. So fast forward. We get three years in, and they amend us on first degree felony attempt to murder. Three. It's only getting worse. It only can, right? It only can.

First degree felony, attempted murder, and just like you said, because you're charged. with whatever the other person's charged with. And because Junior was charged with that, we're all charged with that. Okay. So they put the fire on us. First degree felony, it's had to murder.

They already got my brother's deposition, which does not match my sister's husbands. Two different stories. So now they want mine. So your brother is saying he shot him. The junior is saying, no,

he shot him and you're the tiebreaker. I mean, so you just go. Except to my state attorney, I'm the mastermind. I'm the woman. Okay. Well. Even though they've been living this life. I'm a big fan of women, by the way.

But I haven't seen a lot of mastermind women in crimes. So in Jacksonville, that's their thing. Especially since these guys have clearly been doing this and they're, and Junior's been in trouble his whole life. You haven't been in trouble. Your brother's a child, but so even. Just influenced. Yeah.

But even then, has he been in trouble? But it doesn't matter if he's been in trouble. He's too young. He's too young. He's 15 years old. So I can't see him calling the shot. So the person that I can think putting this whole thing together would be, would be junior. All the time.

This is his lifestyle. But in general. Okay. So you're the mastermind. I'm the mastermind. Right. If I was a mastermind, this ain't it. I'm not really too brilliant then, right?

Well, but however, how did you guys get to the trailer park? Well, we were going to do something else. It fell through. And my sister suggested this. I drove. I drove. Okay. And they're both basically saying.

So that's where he's probably getting that. Yeah, I'm the driver. I'm a getaway driver. I'm the mastermind. They can't get there without me. I have the car. Okay. So they first grade felony time murder, trials off the table.

because guess what, the victim's coming now. They get... You can't even rely on ice. Can't rely on ice. There's nothing, right? We're doomed. And the only thing that we could do now is a PSI, pre-sentence investigation,

and have everybody that we know that can speak good things, right? Right, but you do get, you do go in for a deposition and say, Junior's the one that I saw fire. I do go in for a deposition. Me and the state, attorney, do not get along. That was an epic fail about three times. I'm not even going to lie.

It was just, he hated me. This guy loved my brother, hated me. My judge, somebody just asked me on TikTok, do you think it was personal with your judge? Well, somebody in his family was robbed. So I think at some point it was personal. His dad was a judge. He was a judge. armed robberies were the worst case to go in front of this judge. Everybody knew that. Do I think that he personally just had a vendetta out for me? No. But do I think because of that charge and what was taking place?

Yeah, he didn't like me much. I'm going to court. I'm not, oh my God, I'm so sorry. Remorseful. I'm like 19. I don't care. I've lost everything. What are we doing?

Like, what's the next court day? Right. You know, not really playing it smart. I didn't play smart. at all. So what happened? So the district attorney is not a fan. So you go to, so you plead guilty. Plead guilty. So when, what do you plead to? After this happens, so it's an open play. Oh my God. I've never heard a good open plea. My points were five years probation. My points. I've never been in trouble. These are my points. I can't get over that, right? Well, when my attorney, I had a

conflict of interest attorney at this time. When my attorney comes, he says, Moody is the state attorney. Moody is not going for anything other than double digits. And I'm like, okay, well, tell him 10, obviously. If he's going for double digits, then I'm going for the 10. I've already done three and a half in the county. Let's run it.

10. Better than less. Yeah, I'll be home soon. So my brother, same thing. Double digits. 10. We sign, okay, state attorney is on board for 10 for both of us. He's going to go, but it's an open plea, so it goes to the judge. But the state attorney saying 10 for both, does he recommend that? Yes, he does. So on sentencing day, they fucked me. Obviously,

that's what they do. But they sentenced me with my brother, same day, same courtroom, who had, all of this good stuff that he was able to do because he's a juvenile. I'm not. Right. Yeah. Those plans aren't available to you. So you already... I got your GED.

I got my GED. Okay. I got my GED. Actually, I got my high school diploma because in county, it's considered a high school diploma because it's by the city school that comes in. Okay. I got my high school diploma. What else can I do?

Right. Talking to toilet. I can't do anything else. I don't have any other options. You're not. giving me any. This is not rehabilitation. I'm in the county jail. I'm fighting for my life. I have to kick out my bunkeys every other day. They're coming in here. They're freaking withdrawing and all this crazy stuff. Like, I'm just surviving. Okay. Like, I don't want to be

here, right? I don't want to be here. So they fuck me. They do sent this thing with my brother. My brother has all this good stuff, all these letters and good behavior in the county. And he was on Beyond Scared Straight Wall in the county. And he did this program and that program and this, that, and a third. And then you get to me and it's like, well, she's been in trouble. She hasn't changed. So they send us me first also. So I go up.

Not only did my judge tell me, your kids are not a mitigation. Your dad dying is not a mitigation. basically I don't care about any of that. None of that is a mitigation to your sentence. What is at hand right now is that you guys shot an innocent man. The end. Didn't care about any of my PSI stuff, didn't care about any letters that were wrote that were sent to him,

did not care. I am sentencing you to 15 years in Florida State Prison. 15! When I signed this plea, I knew I was getting 10. If the state says 10, the judge goes with the state. 99% of the time, right. 99.9, except this 1%.

They go with the state. I'm getting 10. 15. 15 years in Florida State Prison. So they take me out. They sentence me. They take me out. You know, have a great day.

I hope everything works out for you is what they say. Have a great day. Oh, have a great fucking day. So I'm in the holding cell. After my brother gets sentenced, he walks out and, you know, they're shackled. And I'm like, how much time did you get in the window? And he says, 10. Right.

You discharge the damn gun. Right. So now I'm angry because not only did you discharge a gun and got less time than me, but I just was set up for sure. I don't even think that my state, I think my state told the judge give me more time and was going with the tent in the whole group to get me to sign that plea deal to get my brother the tent. But I think he knew the whole time. I wasn't getting 10 years.

Okay. I'm almost positive. So we're sentenced. My baby's dad is not sentenced yet. He doesn't know what's going on yet. He cops out of trial because he's still set for trial technically. They tell him that I'm getting five years probation. He signs a plea.

Thinking he's going to get, what, 10, five or 10? Yep. And what does he get? Or thinking that, okay, she's really at that time, he's thinking she's going home with probation. He doesn't care. Right. Like, they're good. He gets 40 years, 20 mandatory.

20 mandatory, 40 years total. Wow. So he doesn't even get gain time until he's done day for. day, 20 years. Yep. Yep. For an attempted armed robbery, attempted murder. Talk about justice.

He did shoot the guy. He did. But 20 years. Mandatory. That's like murder. 40 years? Yeah. 40 years is not.

That's. And the guy got citizenship out of it. Really, he did a favor. That's what I said. That's what I say. We did you a favor. I mean. Do they think like that?

No. No. God. Right. If that happens today, would they think like that? Oh, yeah. We'd be hard. I'm a hero.

Yeah, they'd be like somebody shoot me. I'm a hero. In the shoulder. Yeah. Try not to get the bone. Exactly. So, with that. Which one of you gringoes is the best shot?

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where every story takes you deeper into the criminal underworld that we know you crave. So I get sentenced to 15 years in prison, and I leave in the matter of two weeks, and I go to the worst, I repeat, the worst women's prisoner is low. So what is your charge? What is your... First-degree felony attempted murder, and first-ery felony attempted armed robbery. Listen, that's a no offense. I mean, I'm not trying to downplay this.

That's a gangster charge you show up with. You know, like I show up with like, fraud. You know, you show up with attempted murder. Oh, yeah. You're like, yo, bro, like, you need anything from comments? Like, I got you, bro. Sure, you can have the bottom bunk. Fucking dudes here for attempted murder.

Yeah, she's crazy. She's the crazy white chick. Yeah. Which I got that name in the county just from fighting all the time. Because remember, I fought growing up. That's what I did. We weren't soft. So thank you, Mom.

For now, now that I'm in prison, thank you, Mom, because I can survive. I'm not going to get chewed up and spit out. So what, hey, by the way, I like to point, so how tall are you? I'm like five, four and a half. Okay, by the way, you have heels on. By the way, I like to point out that when she showed up, walked in the door, and I walked up and said, oh, hey, what's going? Hey, you know, Angela, I put my hand out to shake in, and she goes, God, she says, I had no idea you were this short.

But I didn't. Not even polite about it. No tact. at all, I was like, fuck. Wait, wait. Did you want to put me out just like your ex-wife? Man.

Get the fuck out. That was brutal. I was shocked. I apologize. I was shocked because I really did think you were taller than that. She kind of bent over, she hunched over slightly. Yeah, I'm in heels.

Hey, little fella. I'm in heels. So I'm like 5'8 right now. And I'm like, oh, shit. The big guy Matthew comes his four foot. Is it a loose? I'm 5-6, by the way. It's AI.

I knew the shit was AI the whole time. Just mean-spirited. No, I'm very nice now, actually. I haven't experienced that. But yeah, okay. I hear you. Okay, the initial engagement we had. It doesn't count.

I was in shock. I apologize. So you get off the bus in prison and you tell it, you scream out there's a new sheriff in town. I never attempted robbery. No. No. The initial thing was that, okay, so in the county, I had a girlfriend. Of course.

Typical. You have like. I get it. Listen, my wife did five years. I hear you. Okay. I had a girlfriend. She ended up getting a life sentence.

So she's at low of life. So my thing on this bus, I have got to find Bear, right? It's her name, Bear. Oh. Bear got me. Like, we had already wrote, like, yeah, I got sentenced. I'm going to prison. So she knew I got sentenced.

And the thing is, word travels so fast from prison to prison. It's crazy. You would think they had social media. And so I'm going to prison, so she knows. So it's even crazier. At that time, Lowell was building a new reception. reception center, which was FWRC now. So when you get sentenced, you go through FWRC first. At this time, they were in the transition. My reception and orientation, I didn't go through that.

I went straight into maximum security, lull, no orientation dorm. When I got there, I told one of the orderlies, I was like, I need somebody to get a message to, bam. and tell her her wife is on the compound. Nikolaazi is on the compound. Like this is real life, like now. And she's like, oh my God, okay, bear, I'll get a word to her. Okay. So now here's all the traumatizing stuff, right?

Strip, cough, squat and cough. You're not coughing loud enough. I'm ready to already go to confinement. Like, I'm ready to show my ass. They make you shower and wash your hair. My hair was longer than this, but no shampoo and conditioner. It's just wet. So you're like a wet dog, squat and coughing.

Just the first day is probably the most traumatizing day ever. I'm at the worst compound ever, ever. Life erst, maximum security, horrible. Officers were known for killing inmates on this compound. fighting inmates on this convent. I need to find bear. Is Bear like a, like a war daddy? Like, is Bear like a, what do they call?

Well, no, they call, oh gosh, Jess said, a stud. She is not a stud. She is a dominant femme. However, Bear is a lifer. So they have clout. Bear is doing life for allegedly beating somebody with a pipe to death. and throwing them in a dumpster. So, with that...

She's a gentle soul. She, actually, she's like, this sounds even crazier. You probably think I'm crazy this morning. She's one of the nicest people I've ever met. She is so kind, and we'll give you the shot of her back, which is crazy because that situation is just when,

if you don't know she's in there for that, you'll never guess. Right. She's always happy, smiling, like helps people, mentors people, like it's crazy. So you're not going to mess with Fair. And you're not going to mess with Bear's wife. So with that, I just need to get there.

Which I knew God was with me because at this time, like I said, there's no orientation dorm. So usually in orientation, everybody knows you're new. You got this, they want your hydines or whatever from the county that you're bringing in. They're trying to like get over on you. They know you're going to call your family to get money to drop because you just got to prison and you want to buy stuff. So they're like on you. I happen to go right into the dorm with bear. This whole compound, I go in my dorm with bear.

How many inmates are there on the compound, roughly? I think Loll has like $1,600. Okay, that's a big compound. It's like the largest women's facility. Yeah, I end up on her quad. And I still don't know, like, did she tell us money? But there was no beds because they were in the process of doing the R&O dorm. So my whole group of girls, we went to my dorm, which is maximum security.

You're behind a fence, behind another fence, behind a gate, behind another door. Because they're all closed custody and lifers. So I end up in the dorm with her. Thank God because she taught me the ropes for, like, washing my sheets, what not to do, what to do. And a lot of the lifers took me under their wing, me being a baby to them. and knowing bear. So they taught me how to cook in prison, how to make noodles,

and heat up the water and do this and don't do that and stashed your toilet paper. Lowell at this time was in a shortage of tissue. I don't know if you heard about that, but it was like a big thing, and then they put on the news, they weren't giving inmates tissue. People were wiping their ass with socks.

Like it was bad at this time. Lowell was horrible. We didn't have tablets, so you had to wait on the phone. If the phones were broke, then you couldn't get a phone call. out. It's horrible.

Food was horrible. It was bad. So she worked in the kitchen at that time. So she would like make my food and bring it back because I didn't even want to go to the trial hall. Like I'm, I'm just like acclimating to I actually just got 15 years in prison. This is my life right now.

So I'm trying to figure out how to live. So. She would get me out the dorm, bring me to, like, wellness and stuff, because she, again, has it good with the officers and just kind of move around. Well, my custody was a three, which means that I can be transferred, and I have 15 years and under, which means I can go to another compound. Because this compound, again, it's for R&O, and they transfer you out to other compounds. Well, because I'm with there, I don't want to transfer.

So I'm like, what do I do to not go? Do I need to go to confinement? Do I need to up my custody? And these are the things I'm thinking of. And then Barry told me, she was like, you have an opportunity that I don't have. Gadsden is a private facility. They have a lot of programs, school, dog program, horticulture, Cosmo, all these opportunities.

If you go to Gadsden, stay there and do the right thing. Like you have an EOS state. You have an end date to go home. I don't. Like, don't try to stay here. As much as I want you here, don't try to stay here when you have another opportunity. Yeah. She has a reasonable expectation of the rest of your life that you don't actually have.

I can't. She's more concerned about your, she's more concerned about your future than you are. It's 2012 and my EOS date is 2022. I mean, I get it. I can't. You can't see that far away, but she can. Because she doesn't have a date. Yeah.

Yeah, she's looking at everything in a form of decades. You're looking at it in like weeks. So I. I get, well, that night, I went to classification, and they did, like, fingerprints again. She's like, they're putting you on the bus. If they call you, that means something didn't go through, but they need it to go through because you're leaving in the morning.

It's a Gadsden run. And I'm like, I don't want to leave. Like, this is, I'm safe. I don't know what's going to happen in another prison. I'm safe right now. Like, I don't have to do anything. You cook. Yeah, yeah.

I'm under all the lifers wings. I don't want to leave. And she's like, they're going to. Just go. Like, do the right thing. Stay out of trouble. Like, all of that. And about 3 a.m., pack it up.

I went to Gadsden. And I did five years at Gadsden. And at first, initially, I wanted to get back to Lull, which is crazy to say anybody who gets out of Lull does not want to go back to Lull. I hit a girl with a tray in prison. My first few weeks there, I was working in the child. because that's where they put you initially. And I was on Swill, and she called me a pussy-ass bitch.

You were on Swill? What's that? It's like where they put all the food when you're done. Okay. So when you bring your tray up because you're done, they put it in the window. And I was working outside the window, grabbing the trays, dumping them, and then putting the trays in the window. So it's called Swill. Okay.

They were known for, like, feeding that to the pigs. Okay. Oh, okay, okay. So I was working outside swill. And I was getting the trays and she was like, something about me being a puss ass hoe. I was like, me? For no reason? For no reason.

You don't know me. Right. Me? Are you talking to me? Oh, I'm going to show you and I hit her with a tray and I went to confinement. And that was my first encounter in confinement. I'm like, oh, good. They're going to up my custody and I'm going to get back to a lull.

But that did not happen. Right. So after that, I really just started seeing Gads, for what it was and like I have a second chance at life like I need to take advantage of all these programs they have life skills they have toastmasters they have down to crocheting I took it um and I got in the wellness program and started working out all the time and found that working out was an outlet for my anger I'm not angry anymore like okay if I do get a little upset I go work out I feel great.

Like, wait a minute. I think I found a way. So I started working in wellness and teaching step aerobics and just making the most out of my time. Mind you, my brother's in prison. He got 10 years. So during him doing his time, he was still working with the state attorney

doing Beyond Scared Straight Program. He got to go back to court. The state attorney brought him back court and he went home two years early. So you have 10 years. We do three in the county and you leave two years early. He did five. And I'm doing roughly 10 more to go. I have 10 to go. Yeah. I have 10 to go. Which it was all still rocky because you have to remember after the accident, we didn't talk for a while. And then we just got back to where we're talking caught this case. everybody's kind of against each other in a sense of we all want freedom.

I'm mad you got 10 and I got 15. At the end of the day, I'm pissed about it. I think rightfully so. But when my brother got out, he came to see me one time and then did nothing for me. and I know you're establishing your life, and now I know after getting out, it's not that easy. But I also think it's an excuse

because my friends that are still in prison, I keep money on the phone until this day. Yeah. It was an excuse. And he just left me in there. And so I do not talk to my brother after doing all that time. While I was in prison,

I took, like I said, every class there was. I got a state certification for PC support. I took life skills. I was in Toastmasters. Wellness. Got certification for wellness. Oh my God, I have a folder this thick, if you can only imagine, 10 years of just putting in the work. And so I really just started thinking about my future, which was something I didn't even think about before prison because I was surviving.

I never thought about, oh, I can complete this course and do this. I took small business. I can start a business. I never thought that was even an option, nor was the seed ever even planted in my brain that I could do that. Other than when you're a little kid and you're like, oh, I want to be a doctor, a lawyer. Right. That was not like, okay, but these are the steps and the plans for you to do that. It was just finished school.

Then what? Prison. So that was it. Right. There was no. It wasn't paved. It wasn't planned. So I never had that plan. So now that my thought process was changed in prison after taking life skills a thousand times and finding the root of the issue and the anger and the, you know, realizing that my mom did her best not to be angry with her and that learning emotional intelligence and that I cannot. have control over every situation and learning to communicate with people because that wasn't a thing.

We yelled, right? So learning communication skills, leadership skills, everything that I have now, I learned in prison because before prison, we were just in survival mode. All right. So I took those tools with me out. Now, was prison peaches and cring? And it was just all that. No.

No. I think girlfriends are the number one fights that happen in prison. Right. Even my own. And there's still the people that don't get it that you have to live with. They're not trying to better their assault. So they don't care. Or they're in and out.

It's a revolving door. They're going to be coming here forever. It is their life. This is part of my life. I go out. I commit crimes until I get caught. I go to prison. I do that time.

I get out. I start committing crimes again. And they have to be your bunkey. So you have to deal with that. So then dealing with that and trying to do the right thing, it can be very, I mean, it's not easy. Especially when you come up from fighting and being angry, you want to revert back to that. What happened with Bear? Bears in prison, still serving a life sentence.

She's been kind of distant because I think that with me being home and us talking, it's really hard. Like you're out there, you're living your life. Opposed to my other friend who gets out next year. Girlfriend? No. That's just a friend. No, I'm done with that. Okay.

I'm done with that life. I don't want a girlfriend ever again. Never again. Actually, when I got out, me and my girlfriend that were in there together, my last girlfriend, we were coming home, we were going to be together. Epic fail. I don't. And that's not.

even what I want. It was, it really was a prison thing. Even though I do have a girl tattooed on me. I need that removed immediately. You said you were messing around with the correctional officer? So I was at Gadsden five years. They did a population adjustment transfer. When they did this transfer, they sent me to a faith-based compound, Hernando. Hernandez was It was like a privilege to be there Like you had to be good

Because it was open compound So you had to have a certain amount of time Like you couldn't have over a certain custody Because it's free compound When Count clears doors are open You're outside It's not like walking this line Maxim Security they're watching you

There's no towers There's none of that It was just It was like a college campus pretty much When I got shipped there Well, when Gatsa did their population adjustment, they sent me to FWRC, which is the R&O now reception. When I got to reset, you know, they don't keep you there. So they sent me to Hernando.

I was in wellness in Hernando. And, well, first, I was in the chapel. You have to do faith-based programs. So you have to follow whatever classes you enroll for the program. You have to do those classes. That's what you do. classes. Well, then just from teaching Seperobics and Dance Fitness at Gadsden, I wanted to start it at Hernando. So I wanted it to be a part of their curriculum. So I spoke with classification about it,

and she gave me the wellness job. After that, I had to see her quite often because she ran the compound pretty much, and I had a girlfriend on the compound, but because it's faith-based, they were trying to keep us separated. So I would go to her and be like, hey, can you, like, move so and so into my dorm? They keep separating us. Like, if it's a classification move, then they're not going to mess with her. And she did it. And I'm like, hmm, she does all this for me.

So one time I went to her office because I used to just be able to go to her office. And I went in her office and she kissed me. And I was like, whoa, not expecting this. When she got to the door, I just wasn't expecting that. And I was like, oh, I got her in the bag. Like this is what I needed. This is what I could do whatever I want. I can get whoever I want.

Shipped here, there, whatever job, whoever I want to work with me can get in wellness and work with me. Because at a time, I wanted the girl that did dance class with me. She was not in wellness. And they wouldn't put her in wellness. And I'm like, I need her with me working. So she can get out the door when I get all the day. the door, teach class. And I just started having my way. Yeah. And I was, and it was head of classification. How long did this go on? Oh, some months. Some months until it was like kind of

getting noticeable. Like, why does, she does. There's no reason for you to go there that often. She does everything for the clausie. Like I got, so like I said, you can't get in trouble, but the officers will try to get you in trouble because they know it's faith base and they know they can push you more than on another compound. Because on another compound, you cuss them out, and it is what it is. But on this compound, if you cuss them out and you go to confinement, you have a lot to lose. You're living pretty, the most freedom you're going to get. You always say it's, you know, you would think from the outside, you would think that

the guards at a camp or a low would be super polite to the inmates. And at the medium, they'd be a little tougher. and at the pen they'd be really tough. But the truth is, at the pen, they're extremely nice to the inmates because they can't get away with it. Because if you're rude to the inmates in a pen, 90% of them have life sentences or 40 years.

They have nothing to lose. I don't care. Right. Like, you're not going to talk to me like that. All they have is respect. And so the guards are super nice to them because it could go bad. Medium, they're a little less night,

nice. And then at the lows, they basically talk to you, like shit. And at the camp, they talk to you like you're an absolute fucking dog. And it's like we're doing the most. You have to take it. You have to. Or you can go back to Lowell.

Right. I don't want to go back to the medium or the pin. You're eating like shit at Hernandez. We ate good. We had like this guy he took pride in the food he put out. I'm talking about like, they'll be like, hey, tonight we're having pizza bagels and they're making a certain dessert just special because it was a smaller compound too. Right.

So what? 400? 500 of us? I don't even know. It was really small. So he took pride in cooking for us. And so you have that versus this big compound feeding. You're like, I don't want to go back to that.

You get to go to canteen every day at Hernando where I was at. Canteens open all day while you're outside. You just go up to the window, get ice cream, whatever, versus wool. You're in line. You're on a list. If this person wants to pay this person, they're bucking your spot. Like, you don't have to deal with all that. Right.

And because the rules were in place the way they were, you just followed them. I mean, there's always those couple people, but for a majority, so yeah, the officers would push me and poke my buttons and they knew how to grow up her from, but they kind of knew, like, wait, she gets her way a little bit too much. And so things were getting a little out of hand. This one lady was bullying her bunky, and I was pissed. I'm like, there's no bullying. Like, it was an older lady, and she was bullying her.

and somebody came to me and was like, I don't know. I feel like you have the power to do something. I'm not sure. I can't just say this, but this is what's going on, and I'm really tired of seeing it. And once I started seeing how bad it was,

I went to classification. And I was like, you need to ship her. Like, you need to put her on the next bus. She's bullying older people. and like she got shipped. Well, when she got shipped, one of her friends was pissed, pissed, because she don't have her bully buddy buddy anymore. And they started spreading the word.

And it was just like, okay, well, I can't really do that anymore. And I'm, so I was not eligible to go to work release because of my charge. But this classification officer fought for me through Tallahassee because she used to work there in Tallahassee to approve me. because even though I had that charge, my statue was a different statue. It was one number separate from the statue that tells you that you cannot go. And because that one number was different, she got me approved for work release, which I didn't end up getting pulled.

But with that, I really couldn't get in trouble because now I have work released on the line. And so she had to ship me. She was like, I have to ship you. Like, it's just getting too crazy. This girl is writing. She can lose her job. She can lose her job. I can end up in confinement.

I can lose work release. She can be charged for something. She could be charged. Technically. But yeah. She could be charged. And it just got really crazy. And then the girl was constantly writing dropping requests in drop boxes.

And then the officers that don't like me or don't like that I have so much pull were trying to get at me. You know what I'm saying? Because they're reading the requests. So it was too much to lose. So she transferred me. She told me where she was transferring me. Well, she asked me where did I want to go?

And I was like, well, I want to go to FWRC reception because I had a lot of friends there. And I knew I didn't want to go to Loll. I know. I started my sentence wanting to go there. But once you live the good life in prison, you don't want to go back there. So I went to reception and I started the wellness program. So I get transferred to FWRC and I'm waiting to. to be pulled or at least do my paperwork for work release.

But in that time, I was like, working out was my entire life. I worked out every day, all day. I taught classes. So I started the wellness program at FWRC, wrote up an entire proposal and got the officer, the wellness officer to help me get equipment. I got volleyball donated, volleyball nets. I used to be able to go, I had like a card where I can go on every yard and teach classes.

So that became really my life. At this point, my brother's home, and I don't talk to him. My older sister was in and out my entire sentence, which I feel like... Your older sister was in and out of prison? No, in and out of my life. Oh, okay. I was like... In and out of my life.

She would go through it with her now ex-husband and be there. And then whenever she needed to vent or talk, she was there. But when I needed her, she was not there. So it created a really rocky relationship. And then you have to think all these years, I'm healing. I'm learning who I really am because I was young and I was in survival mode and I was 19. All of my 20s up until 30, like I'm growing. I'm evolving.

I'm learning who I am, what I want, that there's a different life, all of these things. So with that, I just really started cutting that whole life off. And this was in prison before you even got out. In prison. In prison. I decided I don't want to be a part of my brother's life. You got out and just left me here. When I came home, I did call him one time because I wanted to be in Jacksonville where my kids were. And I was living in Indiana with a friend.

And I was like, listen, I have money because I was working. I just need a place to stay for like two weeks so I could find a place. I'll pay you. He was like, I have to ask my girlfriend. Okay. I just did a whole bid. We just did a bit. Like, what?

So there was just, I just outgrew that. And then them, like my sister would say on Facebook, like, oh yeah, my sister is a fighter. And I'm like, no, please don't post that. I'm not that anymore. You don't know who I am because you've been gone. I've been gone. I grew.

I'm not her anymore. So please don't, like, don't say that. Don't say those things. And it was always like, I didn't want a handout from anybody because I've already, I've equipped myself enough while I was in prison to get out here and be successful. That was not even a guess. What I was going to do, how I was going to do it, if I was able, if I was going to make it. It was, I'm going to make it. I have the tools now.

So with that, I knew that anything from the past that didn't grow and wasn't where I, am had to be cut off and so my brother my older sister she still texts me all the time like i miss you i love you i want to see you but it's like okay but you're stuck on the 19 year old girl instead of taking the time to get to know me a little bit maybe you don't want to do that you want to just dive in and realistically that's that can't happen so i do still talk to my mom it's very periodic um I talked to her the other day. It's just they're still stuck in the old mentality. And I am here.

Right. I'm a new person. And they're stuck on the old me. So I started cutting all of that off before I even came. Purging, purging. My son's dad. Real quick. What year did you get out?

I got out in 22. Okay, cool. Go ahead. Yeah. May 13th of 2022. So in May it's four years. All right. So you, you, so you said you slowly kind of decided, hey, I got to cut off some of this.

I don't have a choice. Right. Or I'm going to get out here and either I'm going to revert back to what I knew because that's where you guys still are. Or I'm going to, all of the healing that took place that I healed from and grew from, I'm just going to go backwards. Like, I'm going to undo all of that. and while I was healing by myself, you guys weren't there. So I had no choice but to do that. My daughter was going through a lot of stuff in school.

My mom ended up going through a divorce. Imagine that with my stepdad. As that took place, which, you know what? Granted, he was cheating on her, so I don't fault her. But my daughter went through a little rocky area, and I called my sister and was like, Can you get my daughter? That's the only thing I need you to do. Like, I need to just make sure my baby's okay to like I'm home.

And she didn't get her, nor do anything for her. So I just, those are just things that I would have never done to them that I can't undo. And I can't expect anybody to do or think like me. But there's just- But she don't need to be around anybody who doesn't. I don't need to. I have a choice now. Like, I used to.

to think because they were family that I had to. But I learned in prison especially that blood does not make you family. Because some of my friends that got out that kept money on the phone that waited for me, that brought me clothes, that brought me a pair of draws because my family didn't. That's my family. If I'm stuck on the side of the road, they're coming. You're right. So I just detached from everybody from my past pretty much. And I have one friend that I've known since I was like 15, he's still a great friend of mine. And we talk periodically. But I, again, that lifestyle is dead. That person, that angry, besides saying you were short, I apologize. That didn't come from a place of anger that came from a place of shock. I only see you sitting down.

You act like I was a like I'm a midget or something. You're wearing like four inches heels or five inch heels. No, they're like three. But I thought, because you're always sitting down, I didn't know your feet were dangling. You didn't show me that part. You didn't show me that part. Oh, my God, that's so mean. I didn't see that. So other than that, I have grown.

Oh, my God. That just reminds me of cook. I used to be in the TV room, and I would sit in the chair, and if I sit in the chair, if I sit all the way back in the chair, my feet would actually just skim the. See? And I would dangle, I would do this with my feet, and Cook would be like, listen, Cox, I can't. Please stop. I can't take that serious.

I just cannot take it serious. Out all. Cannot. So here I am now. I started, okay, so I lived in Indiana and worked with a friend. And it was just too far from my kids. And when my kids, I flew my kids out to see me while I was in Indiana, when they left. I just felt defeated.

Like I did all this time in prison to get home to not be a mom. And that's not the goal. Like I am going to instill in them what was never instilled in me. And even though I've been gone, I still have a chance to show them. So that's why I wanted to go to Jacksonville. But when I got, I did end up going to stay with a friend in Jacksonville and roommateing. And I was working at Longhorn. and I was, I just remember sitting in there and I was like, I can't do this.

I cannot live in Jacksonville. I cannot. I just can't. I can't. It's just all the old everything. People places. People places things. Must change.

And that was something I learned in there that I take with me and teach now. People places things. I came to Tampa for a weekend. My friend lived down here, a friend from prison. She was here. And I came down here and I was like, I love it here. It's so nice. And my roommate was in a toxic relationship with her boyfriend.

And I was like, I don't want anything to take place where I could possibly get in trouble. Right. Because they're toxic. Like they're fighting. They want to call the cops. And I'm like, I can't do this. So my friend that was living here, she was like, I'm coming to get you. Came down here.

And the same day I came down here, I got a job at Ford's Garage. And I was like, if I get a garage. Yeah. I still work for their company. but I bartend now at Yeomens downtown. So I was like, if I get a job, I'm staying, like, I'm going to get myself, whatever, and she came and got me, and I've been here since. And I started just really networking in the community because I was like,

I know there's more, I need to be doing more, I just don't know what, and I know that there's a little girl out there in survival mode, or dating the wrong guys, or thinking that they can find the love they're not getting from their parents in a guy, or lost because they're not being taught, really. they're only doing what they know that I can impact. And I started going to like echo meetings, community meetings. I would just look up like what's going on in the community.

And I worked with a girl at Ford's and she was like, my mom wants to open a like a golden girl's elderly house. And I was like, no. I was like absolutely not. She was like, but I think you guys could like do some sort of business because I know you want to start something. I met with my business partner now, Dory, and we sat down, and I was like, I would love to house inmates reentry. Because when I got home, I know how hard it was. My own brother went and let me live with him. And had I been in the same mind frame I was in the past and I didn't grow from prison,

I could have ended up with the wrong guy again on the wrong couch or whatever. We don't know. So we started a reentry home, finished while housing, where I get women that are coming out of prison, and I get them in programs, contracted into programs, house, get them food, clothes. We do donation drives all the time. We have a garage full of clothes for them. And I am contracted with A. Brown in Operation New Hope, so they get them program. They fund their bed fee and just give them second chance.

And a lot of these girls I already know because I did time with them. So I know like who put in the work in prison who's ready to get out here and really grind and change their life. So we started doing that a little over a year ago. And then I wanted to so my daughter was living in Lake City and she was living with her boyfriend. And then she decided they didn't want to be together anymore. And I started a cleaning business and I was like I wanted her to run the business. Like you could have your own business because she didn't finish school. And she was working, making really good money, but not saving properly, not being taught, right?

Because again, I was in prison. So now she lives here with me and I'm able to show her and she runs my cleaning business and just show her another way that I wasn't taught or shown. And I bartend full time at Yelman's downtown. So I stay pretty busy. But my biggest thing that I learn in prison is like impact, right? because I didn't have that. I didn't have anybody saying, like, if you do this, this will happen. Other than my mom, don't do that, don't do that, don't do that.

But you think you know everything when you're younger. So your mom saying it is just like, eh, right, whatever. You're young, you blow it off. Exactly. But having the impact from somebody else that has already experienced it, that can at least try to shine a light or show you another way. So right now that's really the goal. So that aggressive, angry little girl is dead.

She died. When you say you opened this, the reentry thing, did you guys like buy a house? We have a house. We have like five rooms in it or ten rooms or three? We house 13 women. Are some of them in the same room? Yes. Okay.

So are these bunk beds or? No, they're single beds. So they're like two women in each room? And the master has three. It's huge. And they have their own bathroom in the room. And did you buy it in like a with like a homeowners association or is this just a house? Just a house.

Okay. So that way. It's in a really nice neighborhood we chose. So the other thing with transition houses is there in these neighborhoods that are set up to fail, right? You walk outside and the dope boys right outside. Yeah. Trashing neighborhoods. It's a mistake.

The guys are sneaking in the window. Yeah. We wanted the complete opposite in a really nice neighborhood where there's jobs that are felon friendly right there. walking distance because that's another thing. They don't have transportation getting out. And so we picked a house that was in a nice neighborhood, right by any job that public's, Dunkin Donuts, all felon friendly jobs that they can walk to. And then the programs pay their bed fee. One program does six months. One program does three months if they do their program. And how the programs work, you go to their program every day, Monday through Friday, for

A. Brown is six weeks. Operation New Hope is three weeks, but they still pay your bad fee because you're still a part of their program, up to six months. Okay. So you go for three weeks, but they continue to pay for six months. One program pays for three months. One program pays for six months. Okay. Because they're two separate programs. Are these faith-based programs? No. No. Just ready for work. Ready for work programs. And these are state programs? Oh, cool. Okay. Yep. They do job mock interviews. Get your resume. All of the things you need getting out, especially after doing time. Do they need more?

Like basically, are your beds ever empty? Yes, I have empty beds right now. Okay. I do have empty beds right now. One of them is actually being held for a lady that I know personally, who is getting out that I promised to hold her a bed because she is amazing and she's done amazing. And she's in the reentry program at Gadsden. so I want her to have the opportunity to have a good start.

And then we have a couple of other empty beds. I will see this. Like they say, you're picky about having people on your show on your podcast. I'm picky about who comes in the house because if you are not ready to work, stay clean, because I do UA's. I do random drug tests.

If you're not ready to be clean, you're not ready to get up and work, you're not ready to take the program seriously or follow the rules, then I'm not even going to waste my job. time or your time. So, and I pretty much know, if I knew you in prison, I know, I pretty much know. And even those that I don't, were you just in confinement 30 days before you got out for fighting? Okay, well, you're not going to bring that to this house.

Well, who's sending you these people? DoC. The prisons. So it's so funny, one of the classification officers, not that one, another one. She was my classification officer at Gadsden, Miss Allen, and she always used to say, like, you have a bright future. Like, you need to just lock in, lock in. Like, and she now calls me, and she's like, hey, Nogelazi, I have so-and-so. Can you house her? And I'm just like, okay, this is, this was my purpose. This is what I'm supposed to be doing because she was my classification officer.

And then I'll send the application over. They'll fill it out. I'll look it over and we'll decide if it's a good fit. So, well, I have one more question because I know you've got to go. When when people leave the state, are they typically leaving the state and going to a halfway house? Because in like the federal prisons, like 99% of these guys are getting some time in the halfway house. So you have to have some time in the halfway house. But I've heard guys from the state say, oh, no, they just kick you out.

They kick you out. And there's no. There's nothing. To not have it. To me, that's such a. Oh, it's set up to fail. Yeah, you're set up to fail. Like, oh, there's such a high recidivism rate.

You fucking drop this guy off for $30. at the bus stop. You hadn't seen anybody in 12 years. Yep. That's exactly what it looks like. I had a girl, her halfway house or whatever failed. It fell through last minute. And then she had nowhere to go.

And they call me and they're like, I know it's a week. She has nowhere to go. I'm like, I'll pick her up from the bus. And I pick her up on the bus, ticket to Walmart out of my pocket. We're not funded. Except those programs. I don't have grants. We're not like majorly funded.

We're just making a work. And I pick her up from the bus, take her shopping with my money, take her to get her stuff. Because if not, she's going to fail. It's not a, she's going to fail. Recidivism rate says that. So I picked her up. She's doing great now. But it's like, had I not, she had nowhere to go.

Right. Last minute, no family, no nothing. And it's like, had I not picked her up, what would have happened? So, yeah, I get a lot of that. And the state, if you had money in your commissary in the last, I think it's like, 60 days of getting out, they don't even give you the $50 and the bus pass. Because you had money or a commissary. Whoever sent you that money, whatever.

Joe from North Carolina could have felt bad and just sent it. He don't even know me or whatever. They expect that to be their responsibility. They don't even give you the $50 to go home with. But if you didn't have money, then they give you $50 and a bus ticket. That's it. Nothing else. 50 bucks can't get you.

It won't get you a room. Won't get you nothing. You're doomed. And the majority of people coming out of state are. That's why they end up back. Their first mind is, how do I get money? Rob the Honduras guy. I was going to say, yeah, you go right back to what you know.

You go right back to what you know. Sad. Hey, you guys, I appreciate to watch and do me a favor. Hit the subscribe button at the bell. So you get notified videos just like this. If you want to donate to Angela's Finish Well Housing, we're going to leave a link in the description. You can go there and you can donate, like, you can donate like,

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