Despite his age, he proved himself to be invaluable to the FBI. Yes, the true story confirms that they separated when Wershe was around six. Rick's daughter and oldest grandson. Wershe barely survived and left the hospital with a colostomy bag. The case had grown exponentially. Cathy Volsan (Johnny Curry's wife who was also the mayor's niece) was eager to get back into the cocaine business and offered the police assistance. No one knows," says Wershe. All I can do is try to be the best man I can from this day forward, Wershe says. And I thought it was the right thing keep some drug dealers off the street and get paid for it.. Therefore, it was a crime convicted while he was still behind the bars. Did I do something wrong? 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. Ever since he was released, Richard Jr has been an advocate for prison reform and works with Team Wellness to help ex-convicts. "Everything went as planned. Though Rick didnt know it, there was a price on his head. It was one reason why Wershe Sr. didn't want to leave the crack-ridden neighborhood. It was a felony charged while he was still behind bars. Hed even taken his girlfriend, Cathy Volsan, the mayors niece. He said, 125,000, Ill make sure you get it as long as that boy is dead. His keyword, Dead. This came from Gil Hills mouth to me.. He was 17 years old then, at the time. His sister accompanied him. After less than a year, his father convinced him to come back to the East Side. A member of Johnny Curry's crew shot Wershe in the stomach with a .357 when Wershe was 15. I cant look back.. 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. Starting at 14 years old, Richard worked as an informant for the FBI, passing on intelligence regarding multiple drug traffickers in the city of Detroit during the 1980s. His dissatisfied daughter, Dawn, leaves their home, leaving Rick alone with his son, Ricky. Johnny Curry was history. After his release, he went back to his long-term fiancee Michelle Macdonald whom he has been dating since middle school. Richard Wershe Jr. (born July 18, 1969), [2] known as " White Boy Rick ", is an American former drug trafficker and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant. Wershe Jr. has stated that although his father knew that he was still meeting with the FBI, he never realised how far the agency had gotten him involved with the Curry brothers. Richard Wershe Jr. mugshot for Florida Department of Corrections, Detroit historian: White Boy Rick Wershe prison release way overdue. -The Atavist Magazine, Yes. The answer could be one that the city still isn't willing to face. After he was shot, Wershe Sr. did not want him to work with the FBI again. 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. When he was released from prison in Michigan in 2017, Wershe walked out of the prison and right into a prison transport van. And what happened? After 32 years in detention, he is back with his long-term fiance Michelle MacDonald, whom he has been dating since high school. Supporters say Wershe's cooperation against corrupt public officials proved to be the reason for a conspiracy of lies to keep him inside. Where is Richard Wershe Jr Now, Kids - Daughter Son . -Crime Watch Daily, On June 8, 2017, Richard Wershe Jr., 47, was granted his first parole hearing in more than 14 years. "You'd have to ask [the Detroit Police Department] that," Wershe Jr. replied. Is it peculiar that he gets released same year that we're makin' a movie that shines a little spotlight on him? 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. Thats because White Boy Rick wasnt a drug lord he was an FBI informant. According to Deadline Detroit, Rich, who is in his 30s, has a white-collar job. The judge, who commented that Wershe looked like the bank robber Baby Face Nelson, went on to say that "as far as the court is concerned, he's worse than a mass murderer." Al Profit/YouTubeNate Boone Craft, the convicted hitman who claims he was hired to kill Rick Wershe Jr. "My fingerprints weren't on the drugs. The Wershes could barely make the ends meet. "We were very overwhelmed," McDonlad said. More. But a lot of people seem to feel and see I had a rough deal. He became sick." Yes. His Girlfriend/boyfriends name is Not Available. 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 Atavist Magazine, When he was no more than 14, Richard Wershe Jr. was becoming familiar with the major players in the Detroit drug world, especially in his neighborhood. He was an FBI informant when he was 14 to 16 years old. 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. So the FBI left Richard Wershe Jr. to fend for himself. The more time he spent with Boo, the more encounters he had with Boo's older brothers, including Johnny Curry. He had previously plead guilty to two felonies related to a Florida stolen car scheme and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2006 on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering. + View More Here. They put up pictures of a criminal hierarchy, and each one showed 17-year-old White Boy Rick at the top of the ladder with every dangerous, hardened criminal in the city listed as his underling. He was very thrilled," McDonald said. Wershe says that he was given new lawyers who had worked for Mayor Coleman Young. Wershe had driven his grandmother's car to a gas station, and his sister Dawn drove another car. Her date of birth and other information related to her family and educational background is unknown. RICHARD Wershe Jr., known as White Boy Rich was an undercover FBI informant in the 1980's. He was born in a working-class family that lived in a neighborhood on the east side of Detroit. He was a kingpin. Cover photos. The FBI even gave Rick Jr. a fake ID and paid for an April 1985 trip to Las Vegas so that he could gather more intelligence on Curry. I have been made to feel welcome and accepted. After his release, he went back to his long-term fiancee Michelle Macdonald whom he has been dating since middle school. He was unanimously allowed parole in June 2017. The same offense today would only carry a max sentence of three years in prison. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. Richard was sentenced to life in prison in Michigan under the states 650-Lifer Law. They were relics of a time when Detroit was booming. He spent over three decades in prison, not getting the chance to spend time with his family. Wershe in fact helped with the largest public corruption case in Detroit's history at the time. Richard was born into a working-class family in a neighborhood on Detroit's east side. In doing so, the director saw potential in Gill and cast him as the tough-as-nails character. His wife, Cathy Volsan (Mayor Coleman Young's niece), 24, began having an affair with Wershe, then 17. Wershe Jr. survived the ordeal and it appeared to the Curry brothers and their associates that he did not reveal anything to the authorities. Wershe spent nearly three decades behind bars in Michigan for a non-violent drug offense. After learning about White Boy RIck, find out about the unjust convictions of Richard Glossip and of Lawrence McKinney, who was given $75 to make up for 31 years of wrongful imprisonment. Voice quavering, Rick Wershe Jr., who as a teen in 1980s Detroit was painted as a murderous drug kingpin, dabbed his eyes recalling one of the last conversations he had with his father, who he'd . In 1987, at 17 years of age, Wershe was arrested for possessing cocaine in excess of eight kilograms (18 pounds). Yes. The former FBI informant at age 14, now starts his life over as an adult. When he was 14 to 16 years old, he worked as an FBI informant. Kiesha Wershe is the girl of renowned street pharmacist Richard Wershe Jr. Richard Wershe is also called White Boy Rick. Richard Wershe is also called White Boy Rick. It was wonderful. Rick dressed in tracksuits and wore pricey Fila sneakers. When he followed up with the FBI, Hughes found out that Wershe was telling the truth. "We were very overwhelmed," she had toldWXYZat the time. He was locked up at the age of 17, to originally serve a life sentence under a law since ruled unconstitutional. He was a witness for the FBI when he was between 14 and 16 years old. "Rick refused, so my dad took the money and threw my ex-husband and Rick out." Copyright 2020 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. During the screening of "White Boy Rick," the Hollywood adaptation of his father's life, back in 2018, he told the outlet that his dad was smarter and more caring than what the movie had portrayed. RELATED: Richard 'White Boy Rick' Wershe officially free after more than 32 years. On paper, they recorded White Boy Ricks tips under his fathers name. The authorities were equally active. Eventually, he began dealing, not under Johnny's watch, but on his own, and his trajectory was set.He started bringing in more and more money from selling drugs, eventually cutting out the middle men and having cocaine delivered directly from suppliers in Miami. Dawn and Rick's grandparents are also in the film. No. About. If you know some information, please comment below. As a result of the FBI sting operation and Wershe's involvement, 18 corrupt police officers and politicians went to prison. However, Leon was not home but the boy and his mom were. White Boy Rick only knew one way to do it. "Today was just it was, you know freedom," McDonald said. He's one of the few people I've met in jail that doesn't say, 'I'm innocent.' document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()), Victoria Persinger Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Net Worth, Fast Facts, Jeremy Hartwell Wiki, Biography, Age, Spouse, Net Worth, Fast Facts. Therefore, this personality is not active on any social media sites including Instagram and Twitter. When he was 15, Wershe told the FBI that a major drug dealer had spoken of paying a bribe to Detroit detective inspector and subsequent city council president and mayoral candidate Gil Hill in order to quash the investigation into a 13-year-old boy's murder. 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. Click On Detroit/WDIVRichard Wersher Jr. during his parole hearing. He needed protection, and he needed money. In 1988, Wershe was sentenced to life in prison in Michigan under the states 650-Lifer Law, a drug statute that penalized those found in possession of more than 650 grams of cocaine or heroin with a stiff penalty of life imprisonment without parole. -Documentary. Richard Wershe, Jr. (Photo: Darlene Carr) The agents decided then and there to make an informant recruitment. He has a sister, Dawn, who is about three years older than him. The law was overturned but he was rejected as a menace to society by the Michigan Parole Board in 2003, despite (or perhaps because of) having assisted the FBI in the 1990s with a sting unsuccessfully targeting Gil Hill and drawing in the relatives of influential city politicians. One gang lord, B.J. Rick Wershe Jr. (Richie Merritt) is a teenager examining some AK-47 automatic rifles for sale and negotiating a price with the dealer. Caption: Keisha Wershes father Richard in the court. [3][4][5][6], Wershe and his working class family lived in a neighborhood on the east side of Detroit about seven miles (11km) from the city center. Richard Wershe Jr. was arrested in his home in 1988 with 17 pounds of cocaine. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). It was embarrassing but getting shot gave Wershe street cred. 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. This is certainly a valid argument, especially since they didn't stop using him as an informant or offer to put him into witness protection after he had been shot and nearly died. In Mayor Youngs city, to get Curry into trouble was dangerous for himself and bad for his business. The notorious teenage FBI informant known as "White Boy Rick" spent three decades in jail cells. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. She shared with 7 Action News by phone what that moment meant to them. This picture of him is a still from his role in the movie Beverly Hills Cop. The White Boy Rick true story confirms that some of these encounters did occur at the roller skating rink like in the movie. He attended a local high school but abandoned his education in 1985, right before his 16th birthday. After spending 32 years incarcerated, Wershe was released from prison in Florida, on July 20, 2020 having completed his sentence with credits for good behavior. We were ridin' around in Johnny's BMW. Wershe Jr. first became acquainted with Rudell "Boo" Curry, the younger brother of Leo and Johnny. 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. The FBI had nobody to blame for this new drug lord but themselves. All the things I guess you expect after 32 years.". Instead, he remained incarcerated in Michigan for 29 years. DETROIT -"White Boy Rick" has hit the big screen. Spending 27 years in prison for a drug offence committed when he was 17. It contains clips from Richard Wershe Jr. interviews and photos from his time as an FBI informant and drug dealer. Love Island fans' horror as axed Olivia handed power to destroy TWO other stars, Frogmore eviction shows King's drawn a line with Harry, Strictly star bags life-changing EastEnders role as part of new family, Baby's body found after huge search as cops quiz Constance Marten & lover, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. [7] Wershe's father was also an FBI informant and first reported to the police and the federal agency alongside him before going solo. 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. Nate Boone Craft, the convicted hitman who claims he was hired to kill Rick Wershe Jr. Richard Wersher Jr. during his parole hearing. All rights reserved (About Us). Wershe claims that it was because he had helped the FBI with Operation Backbone, which targeted corrupt police and public officials. Ever since he was released, Richard Jr has been an advocate for prison reform and works with Team Wellness to help ex-convicts. Public DomainRichard Wershe Jr.s 1988 mugshot. In September 2018, Local 4 shared a special documentary report on the life of Wershe, the now infamous figure in Detroits drug scene in the 1980s. 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. Courtroom sketches from Rick's trial in 1988. Wershe didn't have a drug gang, he didn't have crack houses, he didn't control any parts of the city, and there's no evidence that he ever killed anyone or ordered anyone to be killed. He had been assigned to show the movie's director, Martin Brest, around Detroit. He is seen throughout the film dealing firearms on the street and complying with his son's drug activity. Hes healthy. Richard " White Boy Rick " Wershe Jr. is speaking out for the first time since his release from prison this summer. This image released by Sony Pictures shows and Matthew McConaughey, left, and Richie Merritt in a scene from "White Boy Rick." He made his living running scams and selling guns out of his own home. He moved tens of kilos. White Boy Rick, aka Richard Wershes Daughter Now The whereabouts of White Boy Rick, aka Richard Wershes daughter, has not been revealed. I became addicted to that life." Absolutely. [9][10][11][12] In 2019, his application was denied by the Florida clemency board. "[The film] said that my dad couldn't handle us kids and that he had Rick sell drugs because he couldn't cut the mustard to pay the bills, and that's the farthest thing, farthest thing from the truth." Date Published: 5/10/2022. Richards was sentenced to life in prison in Michigan under the states 650-Lifer Law. He was paroled in 2017 after more than 30 years in prison but was immediately sent to a Florida prison to begin serving a 3-year, 8-month sentence related to a car theft. Dawn was doing crack cocaine while Wershe Jr., accompanied by Bell, began committing burglaries. Even though he was dreading the transport process, Wershe said he wanted to start as soon as possible. He also bought and sold firearms, selling guns illegally on the black market, often out of his house. He vouched for an undercover FBI agent who posed as his supplier from Miami. When federal agents raided Cathy's townhouse on a Friday afternoon in June 1987, they found Wershe there in bed with her. She eventually remarried. Under the much-criticized 650-Lifer Law, Richard was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, despite being a non-violent offender. [15] He commented that on the night of his 1987 arrest, police officers seized thirty-four thousand dollars of his cash. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, 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, was released from prison in Florida, on July 20, 2020, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). 16Th birthday taken his girlfriend, Cathy Volsan, the true story confirms some! Sale and negotiating a price on his head his supplier from Miami 14 to 16 years old then at... Say, ' I 'm innocent. Mayor Youngs city, to get Curry into trouble dangerous. 32 years. `` convinced him to come back to his long-term fiancee Michelle,! Action News by phone what that moment meant to them the truth since ruled unconstitutional `` were! 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