Matthew Cox | Inside True Crime Podcast - The Truth About Life After Prison...

Episode Date: February 3, 2024

The Truth About Life After Prison...

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Tickets on sale now. August 1st. The minute when I got out of the bus, I was like, yo, I think I'd rather stay in prison. You know. So you're looking at 10 years. Correct. Right? So, your buddy, so Kevin, I mean, Kevin's already rolling over on you.

Is everybody starting to roll over on each other? Like people are starting to be arrested. The whole, like the dominoes are falling. Like what happens with your lawyer? At what point, you're looking at 10 years minimum. You're thinking about, you said you told me earlier you were thinking about going to trial. Correct. Like obviously, which would have been a horrible idea.

But because you, the fact is in the feds, like you know this and the feds they just get two people to say it you don't have they don't have to be pictures nothing they can get like one or two guys to just sit on the stand and say he was involved he was running it and the jury will convict because the jury thinks well the government wouldn't lie and immediately you could end up with a life sentence so you're already looking at 10 years to was it life yes 10 of life so what ended up happening what was what your lawyer say like people everybody's rolling over on each other like at what point did you say like what did you decide to do well i didn't really decided doing anything but i was kind of i was thinking about going to trial because i didn't

really get caught physical got caught in the house right i was just like driving it was just like it was just like it was just like i was saying yeah that was a guy i worked for kevin's pointing out that he worked for me so that was it you know what i'm saying and they say when it caught me they found like some fucking tape and some cleaning supplies so they know I was going there and they also saw my garage thing so that's why I linked me up to that house

that I was going right so now it doesn't fucking matter it doesn't matter yeah and everybody always thinks that especially in the federal system they always think well they didn't catch me with the drugs it doesn't matter I was done

they got me and that was it yeah you're watching too much law and order if that's what you think you're watching too much law and That's not how it works. So I'm done. They give me two choices. Roll over or fucking take the plea.

I'll go to trial. What was a plea? The plea was like 10. Right. You know, go to trial, go get more. No matter what, I'm starting at 10 years. That's no matter what. If you went to trial, you get life.

Yeah, 10 to life. And the bottom number is 10. Yeah. And you got to in the feds. You got to do fucking. Yeah. There's a mandatory minimum of 10 years. You know, I'm, you can't get less than that.

Yeah, and, you know, maybe through like some good, like, through like a halfway house or some bullshit, drug, they took out like year or some bullshit like that. You still got to do like almost like 10 years. No matter what, you know, you can that. Yeah, there's no, there's no parole. I was love to guys like, can't you get parole? There's no parole. So there's no federal parole.

There's, you get a little bit of time off for, for good time, like 15% off. Like, that's it. That's if everything goes. right that's if you don't lose any gain time guys lose gain time for everything anytime you get in trouble they take away 50 days 40 days you just lost 25 days you just like very few people get all of their good time right so anyway so yeah you're looking at 10 years yeah i was looking at 10 years and um and uh that time when i lost everything uh maybe the first picture i thought was my mom and I'm not going to see my mom no more.

And, you know, it's kind of like, it fucked you up, like, you know, should I snitch, should I cross a fucking line? Should I do this? Should I do that? I got my fucking balls. Like, what are my plans? What are my options? Where are my choices?

And, you know, and there's, like, there's loyalty, and there's also there's, hey, I have a fucking life and this and that. So how do you choose between loyalty and having, you know, having your life? life, you, you, you, you, I'm saying? Because everybody's guilty, you know, we all do. You know, Aaron was guilty because he know what I was doing. Kevin know what I was doing. We all guilty.

We just don't fucking admit shit, you know. And I was like, I was thinking, like, you know, and the cups are pressing me hard. The feds, they're like, you know, we're going to hit your lead of participant, money laundering and all this fucking charges. I had like, bro, what the fuck, man? You know, and my court, my, all my lawyer. It was all I ever deal was like Just fucking, I don't know

Kids, just take the fucking plea To give you this how it is in the feds You know, we've got much time it is And just take it, take it, take it And then I was like, no matter what I'm getting 120 fucking months You know, and I think I was young And I like, I didn't

What kills me the most is Like, I didn't win down For some shit that I did Like I got caught with This is Kevin, he snitch on me So that was my self-defense Like justifications. yeah that was like yeah like oh yeah you know I was like

I'm all fucking snitch on me and this why should I go down like that so that's why I dragged Aaron down because Aaron's the one to introduce Kevin to me and say he was good for it I trust this motherfucker he ain't around stitch you fucking took my whole fucking family down so I was so fucking pissed I thought about that so maybe that was my way out or whatever it is so I didn't roll on on Aaron you know it's fucked up it's fucked up almost fucking cry and try

because that's my friend. But he was cooperating too, right? No, he... Oh, he went to trial? Yeah. But then, like, it was so fucked up that, but he only got like 10 years, so he's out right now already.

You know, but what fucked up is, like, I never lived that life. I was like telling somebody. I live in the fucking, you know, that hood live, oh, you don't tell shit shit. But when the King Cups, when everything is taking, you know, your finance away from you,

family's away from you, every fucking thing's away from you. you. And, you know, you always want to look for somebody to blame and whatever it is. So I kind of like, you know, I blame Aaron why he introduced me to Kevin did all that, but in reality, years later when, you know, right now, I'm thinking, man, you know what I'm saying? Like, I'm sorry. Like, you know, the game played like that, that's how, you know, sometime, that's how it is. You know, like we all fucking guilty of what we do so i feel bad that i told on him but did kevin tell on him did kevin cooperate against him yeah kevin cooperate and kevin's niche me first so right yeah so

kevin Aaron there were the also your family members ended up getting jammed up right so there's a bunch of people that got ended up getting correct okay well so what did how much time is you end up getting well the cops ought to worry about the feds, the main feds, a fucking officer, what's the fucking name is? He wondered, well, how I did this, organized Asians, how I did it. And he wants to know, like, how they were able

to steal all this power because they don't know that. So they want my peace. That's why, like, I got a reduced sentence because of that, too, because I told them myself. That's why I was able to walk in my yard, the yard. People, like, you cannot really walk in it. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah.

So, yeah, so that's how I was like, I really, I told myself, too. Right. You know what I'm saying? They asked how you did it. You explain how you rigged the, uh, the power, the power thing. Yeah, and everything else. So, and I end up serving. I think it was like four years, two months or four years, five months instead of 10 years.

When you say four years, how much are you including your halfway house? That's including everything. I didn't get a halfway house. You didn't get halfway house? get none of that. I thought I was getting deported. Because you know like I used to be, I didn't have a, I'm an American citizen.

So I thought I was getting deported. And I'm American citizen now. Fuck yeah. Right. I won. You know? But I thought I was going to get deported. So as soon as I released me, I thought immigration kind of picked me up and deport me because I Holy shit, that would have sucked.

Yeah, bro. So think about like all the shit I went through. So you know, when I get out, prison, I was like I didn't know where it's to go and since I'm introvert prison was kind of cool because I'm really fucking I could deal by myself I'm really you know what I'm saying right so it wasn't that bad you know my mind if I could I used to yeah I was the same way like I just want to be able to read and walk the yard you know walk the you know walk the lap and work out and just I want to eat my meals and be I want to be left alone like I don't want to I'm not here to

to hang out and play softball and and and and make make a bunch of friends and stuff like it's not you know I had very I had a very small group of guys I talked to yeah very few I knew some guys that were like social butterflies like they they were like hey Jimmy John Bob what's up hey we're all getting together like they're on they're playing softball they're on two softball teams they're playing in handball competitions they're they're going they're they're in the culinary arts classes they're taking ace courses like what the hell Like, these guys are like, it's like college for them. They're loving it.

Yeah. Yeah. Not, I wasn't, I just, I just wrote. Yeah, man. So my story's a little different. That's why my shot caller, I could walk around a yard and be like that because it wasn't like, I crossed boundary, but it wasn't like the bad. It wasn't like I did it myself. It was like somebody, you know what I'm saying?

Right. So that's why I was able to do. Like, I just walked a yard and they just. You know, where'd you get sent? Yeah. I'm in Illinois. So, you know, at that time, it was good. You know, I mean, I went through all that bullshit.

I'm glad the trial's over. All this bullshit was over. Now, you know, I got a few years I want to do. And so I don't know when I get out. So one day, I just get a phone call for my lawyer, but like, hey, you know, we just set it out with the judge. You're going to be released. You know, like, what? what do you mean like yeah we everything is done you got your cut whatever it is you know what I'm saying

so so that day I like two days later after a phone call so you got 10 years yeah how long before you got your sentence reduced four four years and some chain four years and three months oh Jesus my God that's a long time yeah well it come me right away then just fucking they just kick me off the prison so that's why like I wasn't prepared well what most people don't realize is yes so I think if you're someone who's watching, they're like, okay, so you actually, like, you'll get sentenced. So you got 10 years. You're doing 10 years. And then you have to wait. So you cooperated, but you have to wait for the government to file something to reduce your sentence. So a lot of times they might never file it. Like you might cooperate, help them out, do everything you need to do

that they ask you to. And they go, eh, we disagree. It didn't really help us. And then that was what happened in my case. Right. Like I cooperated twice. And both times they tried to not give me anything. Yeah. But so you've done four years and then one day you get a call from your lawyer saying they're cutting your sentence. Yeah. Okay. So and yeah. And, and. Because that could never come. No, I didn't. I was, like, I was expecting that. And the thing was, I was, I was adapting to prison life. Right. I was adapting. I had my own house. So I was slaying serious. I bought a year and these two. I was just, you know, I was like, I was a compound yard pick, trash picker. Right. So I was going like dorm or dorm. But like, yo, you know what I'm serious? And I was

picking up shoes from the cops, you know what I'm saying? Like, let's be chews out. I'll pick the mom and say, out to this motherfucker. Oh, like, I have, yo, yo, this prison shit, all right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it's a whole thing. Yeah, the cops will throw the cigarettes down. You pick up the cigarette butts and then they'll break up little pieces.

Because you were staying a book. $7, bro. Yeah, $7. They should pay ridiculous money, ridiculous money for, yeah. Yeah, Matt. Good stuff. Good stuff. Um, yeah, uh, oh, there's so many hustles, guys will fold clothes, guys will wash clothes, guys will make people's food, guys will make your bed, guys will clean your rooms, guys will, there's just tons of, they, they cut hair. The barbers in prison cut better hair than the guys out here cut.

Correct. Um, and, and better than the barbers at the barbers shop who had the actual correct tools would cut. I mean, there's a, there's a ton of, of just different hustles. Like, I, I taught the ace course. I taught the real estate course and I sold certificates So you don't have to like you know They they want you The your counselors want you to get certificates You get for certificates And then they'll recommend you supposedly

For more halfway house if you get certificates We want you to constantly be taking an ace course Yeah Well guys don't want to take an ace course They don't want to take the fucking real estate course They don't want to take the fucking real estate course They don't want to come and some of the guys are like Look I don't want to learn how to do real estate

Like I'm getting out to sell drugs again They're like, I just need the certificate So I can get more halfway house And so they come to me I say, great, give me two coffees and two creamers I'll fill out all the tests I'll put down that you came to every class You'll get your certificate

Yeah And so you'd always have five or ten guys So I always had tons of coffee and creamers Cramed into my In my locker So I never had to pay for coffee creamer Yeah man That's the thing man

Yeah the guys draw They draw portraits Like there's some great artists Some dude with Mick Purches and stuff too I sent my daughter like some purses bro yeah wallets to wall it all kind of leather wrap walets was real lizard bro yeah real lizard skin like gators and all that so um i always love the old gangsters like there's some old gangster who's like 60 years old who's like been in

state prison and murdered three people and he's he's got a life sentence for for selling coke or crack or something and they'll be sitting there knitting like they're the old schoolers yep knitting like a like a teddy bear for some guy's daughter it's like what it's going on there crocheting croaking oh man you know ridiculous yeah man you see some hardcore guys so so so you were in so you were in prison and one day you get the phone call and boom how long before after that call for you like two days two days did you think you were going to ice I thought I was I thought I was immigration is going to pick me up because I'm an immigrant and uh your immigration is you got a felony there to deport you

you. Right. So that's what happened. I thought I was going to get deported. So, and I wish I didn't, thank God. So when I get out, I don't know where to go. I mean, they send me back to Nebraska because that's what my case said. And I was like, shit. So I know family. I got an ex-wife live in Nebraska. And I just basically, I don't, you know what I was there? Everybody moved. So I'm like, fuck. So the minute when I got up the bus, I was like, yo, I think I'd rather stay in prison. You know, and then I called my ex-wife up, and she was nice enough to give me in a basement. I live in a basement. I'm an ex-wife's house. A fucking embarrassment. What is, what it is. I just got done telling you, almost 18 months, for I think 16 months, I stayed in my ex-girlfriend's spare room. Her son had to move out of his room with her husband, her and her husband and her two kids, and I moved in there 14 months.

And listen, when I left, none of them wanted me to leave. I'm doing all the odd jobs that the husband doesn't want to do. The two kids love me. Like, they still text me to. I got a text yesterday from one of them. And they text me all the time. They call me. Like, we were, but that was 14 months later.

The first month or two, horrible. Embarrassing. You're just, it's humiliating. It's an, oh, it's got to be, it's the worst. It is worse. So, luckily, I still have my old car. is 90. The Ferrari? No.

Yeah. The Maroon. You didn't have the Ferrari? No, I know. I left that. It was my sister's car. So it's under my sister. I gave it to my sister.

It was like her. But I never delivered a goddamn car because I got busted. Right. So a brother ended up driving. This car was like an apple candy red. You know, like you. Yeah. You know, it was sick.

And it was like I had TVs and sisters. But I was before like I went in prison. Well, again, I was prison. I was like, this motherfucker like shit. And then I'm start. So I'm like, oh, man, I go have to go, like, try to fix this motherfucker up. So now I got a car, a piece of shit car that I'm embarrassed. Drives.

And he drives. You know what I'm saying? And I was like, I was working for DaVenji's, deliver pizza. And then after that at nighttime, I was a bouncer for a black club. Right. Fuck. A black club imagine me being a bouncer. You know, be like shooting shit.

My motherfuckings got beat up and just, it's a hood, bro. It's a hood club. Right. You know what I'm saying? And one day, one day I just kind of like, talk to my pen pal, which I'm currently married to right now. She's my wife. We have a 40-year-old son together.

So while you were in prison, yes. There's like pin-pal services, right? Was it a service? No, it was like, I know on her, like, way back. and we're just friends. Oh, okay. So you started writing this, just a chick that you did,

you knew pretty. So you started writing her. Okay. Yeah. And when I came out, I went over Massachusetts and I started working as an instruction guy. And that's it.

And after that, I found out my company, Tough Hands, Tough Hands Glove.com. So you married the girl. Yes. You have another son. Yes.

So now you have two boys. boys and you started and at the same time you started a company because you were working construction correct and you started a company does uh that designs gloves that are like cut resistant gloves okay because I worked for I worked for a select demo and I was a labor and I look at the gloves it was kind of I didn't like how the glove is so I just want to create more on product but I was inspired by the president of the company he's a young Ken's name is Ryan Denver. He's a high school dropped out. What happened is now he owns like nine companies. I was inspired. You know, I lost my fire after prison. I just want to be

a regular fucking guy, get my, you know, go to work 40 hours a week and just be like that. But when I met that guy, he was like, he did what? What? Inspired me to be that driven again, that fire again. So, you know, after that, I work union for, uh, for, uh, um, you know, after that, I work, uh, union for, demolitions and in the morning I said I cut resistant gloves too so I was involved more stuff now than before because of that so okay so you design the gloves like and you have a manufactured yes so I make the gloves I designed the gloves and I had a made overseas and sent over here tough hands T-U-F-F-H-A-N-D-S tough hands because like it's cold tough hands because you know guys like

us get out of prison with felons we can't we have no options and we have to work our way up again just to be normal like everyone fucking else all right so I live you know everything's fucking tough for us that's why I call tough hands like with these fucking tough hands I'll build my fucking empire again

shit like that right it's a thing that you know so I trademarked that I own our brand right all right and you're and you're and you're selling the gloves and you're yeah you said you told me earlier you were selling you sell them the construction companies and the demolition companies companies and just different companies that have basically you wear gloves.

This is funny because, you know, that in Coleman, they made, all the guards had to buy gloves. They made gloves that were like cut resistant because of cut and, oh, and puncture resistance. No way. Yeah. And there was a whole, there was a whole thing. It was on the news because the guards wanted the gloves. They wanted the prison to pay for it. They didn't want to pay for it.

And the guards complained and they did a, they were like, oh, it puts them in danger. Like, what if they get attacked? where somebody's got a knife. So they put a hand in somebody's pocket and the person has like a high metal and stuff. So they ended up making them buy those gloves. Interesting. Thank you.

Might want to think about going to different states. The feds are obviously taken care of. Maybe the states. Yeah. Might want to contact the states and say, hey, these are cut resistant. Something to think of out. Anyway.

Yeah. Yeah. So you live with your wife and your kids. and yeah that's everything's back to normal nowadays I got married by the house live with my kid have a decent life everything's like I'm a normal it's pretty normal life is pretty normal nowadays you know it's not that bad like I mean sometimes when I reminisce about a past it fucks me up a little bit but I just try to be like go through it every day but it still hunts me

at night going through like my case and the years and this and that I have no regrets just no fucking regrets or you know whatever happens it happens because at the end of the day I have a beautiful sun now so I have no regrets I'll do it again how long you've been out I've been out like five years I think okay five years and something cool so the it's fine it's so if you like the video hit the like button no hit the like button yeah hit the like button subscribe hit the bell leave a comment share the video and i appreciate you guys checking it out and see you