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?. informant at age 14. A merciless 1978 law in Michigan known as the 650-Lifer Law mandated life in prison without parole for being caught with more than six hundred and fifty grams of cocaine or heroin. Both Wershe Jr. and Dawn chose to live with their father at their small brick house on Hampshire Street at Dickerson Avenue. He's not proposing to be a saint. OK? The White Boy Rick true story reveals that, like in the movie, it happened when Johnny Curry was in jail awaiting trial. 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. This plays out a little differently in the movie, with them running out of a restaurant and shooting at the carjacker while standing the parking lot. Click On Detroit/WDIVRichard Wersher Jr. during his parole hearing. View our online Press Pack. He has a sister, Dawn, who is about three years older than him. Rick Wershe Jr Daughter Keisha Morris Photos And Names; . [3][16], Eminem plays Wershe on the TV show BMF. It took 30 years for Richard Wershe Jr. to win his freedom. 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. His connection with the Curry family immensely helped him in his pursuit to gather more and more information on the drug activities in his neighbourhood and the city at large. Local 4 News every morning. White Boy Rick was certainly involved in drugs, and he definitely moved cocaine. Richard Wershe, Jr. (Photo: Darlene Carr) The agents decided then and there to make an informant recruitment. He essentially had two choices at the time, go back to school or hit the streets. Wershe, the police claimed, was a dangerous cocaine godfather known to his underlings as "White Boy Rick." Though Rick didnt know it, there was a price on his head. Thats why her height, weight, eye color, hair color, etc are unavailable on the internet till today. He was only 14 years old at the time. In doing so, the director saw potential in Gill and cast him as the tough-as-nails character. We cant say their name. 8:08 am. "He's no saint. I was brought into this life by law enforcement, Richard Wershe Jr. reported to Vice, I was taught it, they left me alone, and a year later Im busted and put in jail for life.. Also, he has a middle class job. Moreover, his father was also an FBI informant and first reported to the police and the federal agency alongside him before going also. Rick went out in mink coats wrapped up with a belt made of solid gold and a diamond-encrusted Rolex on his wrist. 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. 9 items. 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.. While his father did not recognize them, Wershe Jr. did. He's one of the few people I've met in jail that doesn't say, 'I'm innocent.' After the collapse of the Curry brothers criminal empire, the FBI was done with Wershe Jr. as well. He commented that on the night of his 1987 arrest, police officers seized thirty-four thousand dollars of his cash. Did I do something wrong? "But that's what we're all assuming,that's the drug of choice just by the way she acts, and I have never done heroin in my life.". After all, Richard Wershe Jr. went to prison when he was only 17 years old. However, Leon was not home but the boy and his mom were. Hes healthy. Richard Wershe Jr. is an American convicted drug dealer and former informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 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. It began airing on the Starz network in 2019 and was picked up by Netflix in April 2021. Date Published: 5/10/2022. White Boy Rick was arrested in 1987 for possessing cocaine in excess of eight kilograms and sentenced to life in prison. Richard Wershe is also called White Boy Rick. 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. If you know some information, please comment below. Inspector Hill and Mayor Young, though, would walk away free. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. The parole board was well-aware of the Matthew McConaughey movie, which had been filming in Las Vegas the night before the hearing. [13], On July 20, 2020, Wershe was released from custody in Florida, having completed his sentence with credits for good behavior.[14]. It contains clips from Richard Wershe Jr. interviews and photos from his time as an FBI informant and drug dealer. It was at a time when the hysteria surrounding the War on Drugs in the U.S. was nearing its peak. To put a 14-year-old boys life at risk wasnt exactly FBI protocol but White Boy Rick as Wershe then began to call himself was too useful to let go. However, lets hope Keisha might be living a happy life. As her career and professional life are unknown, her earnings and net worth remain unknown as well. This is in addition to trying to get his numerous inventions off the ground. Wershe Jr. was a weight man, not a full-fledged kingpin. Who is Keisha Wershe? Caption: Keisha Wershes father Richard in the court. Johnny Curry was history. Cover photos. 108 items. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. "I think everything went really well and he looks forward to everything that he has ahead of him.. "I was on one for a week, and it's the most traumatic part of almost 30 years in prison.". The man who shot him had claimed it was an accident but Rick had his suspicions that there were people out to get him. Richard was born into a working-class family in a neighborhood on Detroit's east side. They went down and met, and he said he gave Gil ten grand to cover up the kid's murder." Absolutely. Published: July 20, 2020, Deadline Detroit, September 07, 2016, Allan Lengel, Last edited on 15 February 2023, at 08:20, "Newcomer Richie Merritt Lands Title Role in 'White Boy Rick' Opposite Matthew McConaughey", After 32 years behind bars, White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. to be released Monday, ONE-TIME DETROIT SUPER COP GIL HILL DIES OF LUNG DISEASE, FAMED CRIME FIGHTER NEVER SHOOK MURDER COVER-UP CLAIMS, Past Detroit Hit Man Claims Gil Hill Wanted Him To Kill Richard Wershe Jr, "Who is White Boy Rick? Find out about Keisha Wershe and White Boy Rick Weve definitely figured out that Keisha Wershe is Richard Wershe Jr.s girl. Source: Detroit. Reporters and the police broadcasted the teenager all over the news with headlines that called him the leader of a drug cartel. Is it peculiar that he gets released same year that we're makin' a movie that shines a little spotlight on him? Almost all of those who were convicted under the original law have been released. 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. 4 4y View 3 more replies Shonda Fisher Nisley Yes. 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 is a father of two daughters and a son. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Kiesha Wershe is the girl of renowned street pharmacist Richard Wershe Jr. Richard Wershe is also called White Boy Rick. Events. In researching the White Boy Rick true story, we learned that Wershe's activities as an off-the-books confidential FBI informant were kept under wraps at the trial, which ended with him being given a life sentence. At that time, this personality was just 17 years old. The author and historian has kept in touch with Wershe over the years and has studied his case extensively. The mothers name is Not Available. Wershe was arrested but the cop never showed up for the trial. According to Deadline Detroit, Rich, who is in his 30s, has a white-collar job. He attended a local high school but abandoned his education in 1985, right before his 16th birthday. Wershe spent nearly three decades behind bars in Michigan for a non-violent drug offense. Source: Instagram. 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). The explanation could be for welfare or safety reasons. Public DomainRichard Wershe Jr.s 1988 mugshot. That's a longer discussion. It was a bit of stretch. In May 1987, when he was 17 years old, Wershe Jr. was arrested and charged with the possession of eight kilos of cocaine. Johnny was one of the most powerful drug lords in Detroits underworld and Wershe Jr. constantly provided information on him and his criminal empire. Wershe and his sister Dawn remained with their father, Richard Wershe Sr. (Matthew McConaughey in the movie) in the small brick house on Hampshire Street at Dickerson Avenue, seven miles from downtown. [9][10][11][12] In 2019, his application was denied by the Florida clemency board. Wershe's son, Richard Williams who goes by simply Rich W is a University of Michigan graduate. See All. Ever since he was released, Richard Jr has been an advocate for prison reform and works with Team Wellness to help ex-convicts. Fact-checking the White Boy Rick movie reveals that the FBI agents portrayed by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Rory Cochrane are not directly based on real people, though they were inspired by the agents who handled Wershe as an informant. Though he wasnt an angel he already started looting peoples homes for cash Wershe Jr. had never touched cocaine in his life. 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.". His wife, Cathy Volsan (Mayor Coleman Young's niece), 24, began having an affair with Wershe, then 17. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. 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. Spending 27 years in prison for a drug offence committed when he was 17. The 14-year-old wasnt a drug dealer or a gangster. Dawn was doing crack cocaine while Wershe Jr., accompanied by Bell, began committing burglaries. 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. He was a kingpin. -The Atavist Magazine, Rick's sister Dawn was dating a small-time criminal named Terrence Bell and she had become involved with crack cocaine. After less than a year, his father convinced him to come back to the East Side. He went above and beyond what the FBI asked him to do. 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. He now has a recreational marijuana business called The 8th. 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. 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. I wasnt doing all that well at the time. "FBI Special Agent Gregg Schwarz, who was stationed in Detroit at the time, asks, "Kingpin of what? Marshals. Instead of helping him, they made sure he was sent away for life. They were seen stepping out together but Wershe says that the relationship was tumultuous. Wershe Jr.s father saw this as an opportunity to keep food on their table. For other inquiries, Contact Us. -The Atavist Magazine, Yes. . Young man, Richard Wershe, Jr., 14, begins dealing on the streets. According to Deadline Detroit, Rich, who is in his 30s, has a white-collar job. Click On Detroit/WDIV/YouTubeRick Wershe Jr. in court, shortly after his arrest. Wershe in fact helped with the largest public corruption case in Detroit's history at the time. -Crime Watch Daily, No. Thats because White Boy Rick wasnt a drug lord he was an FBI informant. He notices that the gun has details consistent with Egyptian-made AK-47s, unlike the Russian-made ones the dealer claims he's selling. "Where did the drugs come from? 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. It turned into a stolen car ring, and Wershe pleaded guilty to protect his sister and mother from criminal charges. However, by then, Darlene had remarried and Wershe Jr. was not fond of his stepfather. He hawked surplus electronics, satellite TV equipment, sporting goods, and devices to pirate cable TV. When he followed up with the FBI, Hughes found out that Wershe was telling the truth. 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. 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. He was forced to find a way to navigate the streets and make ends meet without the FBIs protection, which wasnt easy. "Rick refused, so my dad took the money and threw my ex-husband and Rick out." -The New Yorker. They controlled the drug operations in Wershe Jr.s neighbourhood in Detroits East Side. The FBI, in turn, began to train the young Wershe Jr. on how to be a gangster. While Michigan repealed the 650-Lifer Law that handed Richard Wershe Jr. a life sentence, he was still in prison long after other offenders were released. White Boy Rick also has two daughters and six grandchildren. "I cant take it back." Hes energetic.". This page was last edited on 15 February 2023, at 08:20. "I think helping the FBI with Operation Backbone was the biggest mistake of my life," says Wershe, "because it created enemies I couldn't even imagine." Burstein even served as a consultant for the White Boy Rick film. The audience for the hearing packed the biggest room available in the state system. The same offense today would only carry a max sentence of three years in prison. It was embarrassing but getting shot gave Wershe street cred. I cant look back.. Ricks information had gotten the drug lord locked up behind bars and White Boy Rick began to take his place. White Boy Rick is another name for Richard Wershe. 7 facts about the 14-year-old FBI informant", "White Boy Rick's Parole Hearing and Drug War Lessons Unlearned", "Here's Where White Boy Rick Is Now, Years After His FBI Involvement", Rick Wershe Jr. released from prison after more than 30 years, "Former informant 'White Boy Rick' sues FBI for $100m", "See Matthew McConaughey fail tragically as a dad in exclusive 'White Boy Rick' trailer", "Eminem Set to Play White Boy Rick in Starz's 'Black Mafia Family', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Wershe_Jr.&oldid=1139467193. "You'd have to ask [the Detroit Police Department] that," Wershe Jr. replied. 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. Wershe had driven his grandmother's car to a gas station, and his sister Dawn drove another car. Richard White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. is speaking out for the first time since his release from prison this summer. Wershe Jr. survived the ordeal and it appeared to the Curry brothers and their associates that he did not reveal anything to the authorities. Dawn and Rick's grandparents are also in the film. magazine.atavist.com. However, after Wershe Jr. became an FBI informant, money began to flow in as they paid him for information. Thats how Richard Wershe Jr. became the FBIs youngest informant. Further investigate the White Boy Rick true story by watching the Richard Wershe Jr. documentary below. Supporters say Wershe's cooperation against corrupt public officials proved to be the reason for a conspiracy of lies to keep him inside. This came up at Richard Wershe Jr.'s 2017 hearing. He did what the FBI taught him to do. However, Wershe feels that his punishment grossly exceeded his crime, as do many others. 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