I go to pay for a meal, and someone recognizes me as White Boy Rick, and they say, I got this.. (He's) happy, healthy and excited (and) emotional. Wershe had driven his grandmother's car to a gas station, and his sister Dawn drove another car. It turned into a stolen car ring, and Wershe pleaded guilty to protect his sister and mother from criminal charges. He looks great. Then they had him thrown in prison for life. According to Deadline Detroit, Rich, who is in his 30s, has a white-collar job. Wershe barely survived and left the hospital with a colostomy bag. I am sayin' I do believe there is something to the fact that this case and this movie was going to reopen a dialogue about a sentence that was an odd law. Leo was loud and flashy, while Johnny was the clear-headed businessman who didn't use drugs and even avoided being in the same room as the ones he supplied. In the summer of 1984, FBI agents came to their house and started showing pictures of the Curry brothers and their associates. The film starring Academy Award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey tells the fact-based story of Richard Wershe Jr., a Detroit teenager who became an undercover informant for the FBI during. When he was five years old, his parents decided to separate. When the FBI carried out Operation Backbone, an elaborate sting operation targeting public corruption in Detroit, Richard Wershe Jr. assisted them. It was journalism that saved him. The White Boy Rick true story reveals that, like in the movie, it happened when Johnny Curry was in jail awaiting trial. I don't agree I committed the crime that I was convicted of.". Photos. Likewise, in July 2020, Richard was released from custody in Florida after completing his sentence with credits for good behavior. BoogeyMan Ben/YouTubeInspector Gil Hill was a minor celebrity. I have been made to feel welcome and accepted. -The New YorkerHowever, Wershe maintains that they weren't his drugs and that the corrupt cops planted them there. Most were black and at least a decade older than him. He was released from the Oaks Correctional Facility in Michigan in April 2017 and turned over to U.S. Every drug dealer was impressed. Wershe in fact helped with the largest public corruption case in Detroit's history at the time. His information helped uncover one of the biggest corruption cases in police history. Starring newcomer Richie Merritt and Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey, the film tells the incredible true story of Richard (White Boy Rick) Wershe, Jr., the longest-serving non-violent juvenile offender in the American prison system. In July 2021, Wershe sued the FBI, saying in the lawsuit that: "Had I not been an informant for the task force, I would never have gotten involved with drug gangs or criminality of any sort", and that the FBI's actions amounted to child abuse. Wershes attorney argued the vans are dangerous and inhumane, as Wershe had made the trip to Florida by prison van once before. Wershe is a father of two daughters and a son. It began airing on the Starz network in 2019 and was picked up by Netflix in April 2021. They controlled the drug operations in Wershe Jr.s neighbourhood in Detroits East Side. According to one anonymous FBI agent, the agency was ordered to let the mayor go. During his trial the judge had no sympathy. He is working to enjoy the life he never had due to his conviction as a teenager, but hes still wondering why he had to spend so much time in prison. -Documentary. magazine.atavist.com. He left his keys in the ignition and went in to buy a soda. 349 5 shares Like Most relevant Ashley Hissong How many kids does he have 4y Most Relevant is selected, so some replies may have been filtered out. Pandemonium followed. Ever since he was released, Richard Jr has been an advocate for prison reform and works with Team Wellness to help ex-convicts. The bullet tore through his large intestine. "We were very overwhelmed," she had told WXYZ at the time. Dawn was doing crack cocaine while Wershe Jr., accompanied by Bell, began committing burglaries. Events. When he was asked what t will be like when he hangs out with his father after his release he responded: "Honestly, I don't know, we've got some catching up to do.". It was embarrassing but getting shot gave Wershe street cred. He was 17-years-old. Also, he has a middle class job. They went down and met, and he said he gave Gil ten grand to cover up the kid's murder." This part of the movie unfolds in almost exactly the same way.Richard Wershe Sr. was registered as the official FBI informant, but most of the intelligence was coming from his son. "Everything went as planned. White Boy Rick is another name for Richard Wershe. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. He essentially goes by Rich W and is a graduate of the University of Michigan. 2020 THE SUN, US, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | TERMS OF USE | PRIVACY | YOUR AD CHOICES | SITEMAP, Richard Wershe Jr is a dad of three children and a granddad to six grandchildren, White Boy Rick was released from prison in July 2020, after serving 32 years, McDonald's worker slammed after serving 'half-eaten' burgers and 'ruining' food with too much sauce in TikTok video. As Richard Wershe Sr. put it: I took the money. Source: Instagram. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. Therefore, she has stayed away from the public and has made a low-key lifestyle. Wershe is now engaged to his longtime girlfriend. After he was done working as an informant for the FBI, Richard Wershe started selling cocaine himself. He took up with the Curry Gang, the foremost drug slingers in Detroit at the time, and made friends with dangerous criminals so that he could get better information. The White Boy Rick true story reveals that, like in the movie, it happened when Johnny Curry was in jail awaiting trial. You tell me how its right that I served 32 years for a non-violent crime and someone who has raped or killed walks free in a few years, he told the Daily Mail. And to the 14-year-old Richard Wershe Jr., it was an adventure: What kid doesnt want to be an undercover cop when hes 14, 15 years old?. The former FBI informant at age 14, now starts his life over as an adult. It makes you wonder how many other people might be incarcerated wrongly or unfairly, but because they don't have a light shone on them, they're [not] readdressing their incarceration. It was back in 1987 that Richard was caught having more than eight kilograms (18 pounds) of cocaine. (Scott Garfield/Sony/Columbia Pictures and Studio 8 via AP)(Scott Garfield). He might have been a pimple-faced teenager who struggled to pull off a mustache but he came out in style. In 2014, freelance writer Evan Hughes read Wershes outlandish claims about a conspiracy that had put him behind bars and started to look into whether they were true. The guy who pulled the trigger was an acquaintance and swore that it was an accident, but Wershe wasn't completely convinced, especially since Curry had likely caught wind that he was an informant. The audience for the hearing packed the biggest room available in the state system. The author and historian has kept in touch with Wershe over the years and has studied his case extensively. The order came down the pipe that the nation didnt want to deal with another news story about a corrupt mayor: Washington didnt want another Marion Barry, the Washington D.C. mayor who had recently been caught dealing crack. For the first time in 30 years, White Boy Ricks name was back in the headlines but this time, the real story was printed underneath. After Richard Wershe Jr. is paroled in Michigan, he'll immediately be transferred to prison in Florida, where he's expected to spend the next 3 years and 8 months. Johnny was one of the most powerful drug lords in Detroits underworld and Wershe Jr. constantly provided information on him and his criminal empire. If you know some information, please comment below. However, Richard is known to have two little girls and a boy named Richard Williams. Soon after, he became an informant for the FBI. We have no information about his girlfriend/boyfriend. He notices that the gun has details consistent with Egyptian-made AK-47s, unlike the Russian-made ones the dealer claims he's selling. Hollywood went to work making a film version of White Boy Ricks life, while an HBO documentary crew moved into the prison to film a tell-all about his story. Both Wershe Jr. and Dawn chose to live with their father at their small brick house on Hampshire Street at Dickerson Avenue. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. (He's) happy, healthy and excited (and) emotional. Who?" I wasnt doing all that well at the time. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. While the people hed exposed were sent free, Wershe stayed behind bars and spent the bulk of his life in a jail cell. -Detroit Free Press. Timeline photos. Based on the information Wershe Jr. provided, they cracked down on the drug dealers and seized hundreds of weapons, kilos of cocaine, and millions of dollars. Hed roll up in a white jeep he was too young to legally drive, with The Snowman emblazoned on the back. He also sold illegal guns. She eventually remarried. It was at a time when the hysteria surrounding the War on Drugs in the U.S. was nearing its peak. Moreover, in one of the interviews with WXYZ, Michelle said that everything went as planned and that Richard was happy, healthy, excited, and emotional. Dawn blared her horn to alert Wershe, who came out of the store and got into the passenger seat of the car Dawn was driving. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. Contrary to popular belief, Rick was not brought down on a kingpin statute, racketeering, (or) a continuing criminal enterprise statute -- Rick was arrested when he was 17 years old at a routine traffic stop where they found cocaine, Burnstein said. "You'd have to ask [the Detroit Police Department] that," Wershe Jr. replied. He was unanimously allowed parole in June 2017. Wershe's life story was turned into a true-crime documentary called "White Boy" that was picked up by Netflix. The mothers name is Not Available. It didn't help that Rick's father would leave the kids alone to go out of town to do business.The reigning drug operation in Rick's East Side neighborhood was run by twin brothers Leo 'Big Man' Curry and Johnny 'Lil Man' Curry, who lived just across the I-94 from the Wershes. He commented that on the night of his 1987 arrest, police officers seized thirty-four thousand dollars of his cash. All I can give you is my word. The Curry gang was upset that Leon, who had promised the Curry crew tickets to the Hearns vs. Hagler fight in Las Vegas, didn't follow through (White Boy Rick was in Vegas with the Curry crew). Wershe spent nearly three decades behind bars in Michigan for a non-violent drug offense. How White Boy Rick Uncovered The Largest Corruption Case In Detroit History And Got Life In Jail, Mark Oliver is a writer, teacher, and father whose work has appeared on The Onion's StarWipe, Yahoo, and Cracked, and can be found on his, The Death Of Grigori Rasputin, History's Most Unkillable Man, Croatian Village Plagued By 100 Gigantic Sinkholes Following Massive Earthquake, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. He directly bought cocaine from a Miami-based supplier named Art Derrick. No. The man who shot him had claimed it was an accident but Rick had his suspicions that there were people out to get him. Chambers, praised White Boy Ricks climb up to the top: He rose all the way through the ranks. In addition to this, he was an amateur inventor. Fathers name is Not Available. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. "I was on one for a week, and it's the most traumatic part of almost 30 years in prison.". Yes. "My fingerprints weren't on the drugs. Rick Wershe Jr Daughter Keisha Morris Photos And Names; . White Boy Rick knew this was because Johnny Curry was connected to Detroit Mayor Coleman Young; in fact, the king of Detroit crime, Johnny Curry, dated the mayors niece Cathy Volsan. Caption: Keisha Wershes father Richard in the court. His Girlfriend/boyfriends name is Not Available. My palm prints weren't on it." -Crime Watch Daily, Wershe, who was 17 at the time, was arrested for possession with intent to deliver more than eight kilograms of cocaine. Richard Wershe Sr. didnt have any answers but his 14-year-old son, Richard Wershe Jr., knew every name. For other inquiries, Contact Us. However, she might be earning and living a life without any difficulties. Rick says they robbed somewhere around 20 homes together (not shown in the movie). F.B.I. He was convicted of possession of cocaine. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. -Crime Watch DailyThe press had played up Wershe's nickname and labeled him a "teenage drug kingpin." Rick bought a house down the street and kept selling drugs, mainly crack cocaine. They were relics of a time when Detroit was booming. Agent Gregg Schwarz would later admit: We brought him into the drug world. The police took White Boy Rick right to the media. "I was, I would say, a hustler," Wershe Sr. admitted. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Rick Wershe Jr Daughter Keisha; Born: Richard John Wershe Jr. [1] July 18, 1969 (age 51) Status: released on July 20, 2020: Known for: F.B.I. He attended a local high school but abandoned his education in 1985, right before his 16th birthday. Cover photos. Rick's daughter and oldest grandson. Wershe Jr. first became acquainted with Rudell "Boo" Curry, the younger brother of Leo and Johnny. Home. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Richard Wershe Jr. is an American convicted drug dealer and former informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As stated in the White Boy documentary, one of those lawyers went on to become one of the officials who petitioned to deny Wershe's chance at parole in 2003, his one and only hearing until 2017. They lived there during a period from the mid 1980s to early 1990s when Detroit and many other major American cities were gaining widespread reputations for crime and violence, largely due to an influx of cocaine and the emergence of the crack cocaine epidemic. He was locked up at the age of 17, to originally serve a life sentence under a law since ruled. He essentially had two choices at the time, go back to school or hit the streets. He hawked surplus electronics, satellite TV equipment, sporting goods, and devices to pirate cable TV. Wershe, now 52, spent three. But Richard Wershe Jr. is ready to try. Rick started hanging out with their younger brother, Rudell "Boo" Curry, who shared Rick's interest in cars, motorcycles and girls. "I think everything went really well and he looks forward to everything that he has ahead of him.. A carjacker with a gun in his hand jumped into Wershe's car. Nate Boone Craft, a hitman with thirty confirmed murders under his belt, claims that Inspector Gil Hill offered him a small fortune to kill the teenaged boy who knew too much. A member of Johnny Curry's crew shot Wershe in the stomach with a .357 when Wershe was 15. He was looking forward to taking another step toward his final release. But where is the equity in a system that puts non-violent criminals away while killers walk free?, Read more: White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. to return to Metro Detroit after release. He became a drug dealer. Richard was sentenced to life in prison in Michigan under the states 650-Lifer Law. In April 1985, Johnny went to Las Vegas, Nevada, to watch the Marvin Hagler vs Tommy Hearns boxing match. They are mostly portrayed as aloof and out-of-touch by Bruce Dern and Piper Laurie, despite living across the street from Richard Wershe and his kids. Young, as well as the allegation about Young's political ally Hill. He's not proposing to be a saint. "Everything went as planned. His sister accompanied him. Richard Wershe Jr. will be staying behind bars longer than he had hoped. This is in addition to trying to get his numerous inventions off the ground. He was an FBI informant when he was 14 to 16 years old. This picture of him is a still from his role in the movie. By the time he turned 15, he was skipping school by the day and spending the nights at the clubs, gathering Information for the FBI. Copyright 2020 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. Free Richard Wershe Jr. Albums. -The New Yorker. In 1998, his case was revisited and he was granted the chance of parole. Other Curry gang members arrived to the home before the ambulance and attempted to load Curry into the backseat of a car, possibly to dump him somewhere. Now hes a 51-year-old man free from prison and back in Michigan. The gun jammed. Publicity about the case in 2017, by which time he had spent nearly three decades behind bars in Michigan as a nonviolent drug offender whose offense was committed when he was 17, led to him being paroled, but directly to US Marshals who took him to begin serving five years in Florida State Prison on a 2008 car theft ring conviction (crime committed behind bars). "I don't know what other words to use, not the way it was.". In doing so, the director saw potential in Gill and cast him as the tough-as-nails character. Despite his age, he proved himself to be invaluable to the FBI. It was one reason why Wershe Sr. didn't want to leave the crack-ridden neighborhood. 9 items. A close childhood friend of Rick's said that in the case of Rick's father, the almighty buck ranked above morals. On the one-year anniversary of his release from prison after 32 years, Richard Wershe Jr. filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing former FBI agents, ex-Detroit police officers and former federal. Ricks information had gotten the drug lord locked up behind bars and White Boy Rick began to take his place. OK? The FBI covered their tracks. Fact-checking the White Boy Rick movie confirmed that he had dropped out of high school by the spring of 1985, prior to his sixteenth birthday. [9][10][11][12] In 2019, his application was denied by the Florida clemency board. And oldest grandson together ( not shown in the stomach with a.357 Wershe... Wershe stayed behind bars and spent the bulk of his 1987 arrest, police officers seized thirty-four dollars. Began committing burglaries named Richard Williams than eight kilograms ( 18 pounds of! In 2019, his parents decided to separate well at the time Oaks Correctional Facility in Michigan under states. 8 via AP ) ( Scott Garfield ) ) emotional Wershe had made the trip to by! The mayor go be staying behind bars in Michigan for a non-violent offense. 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