He was unanimously allowed parole in June 2017. An ambulance arrived and blocked them from leaving. 4 4y View 3 more replies Shonda Fisher Nisley Source: Instagram. When he was 15, Wershe Jr. was shot in the stomach by one of Johnnys associates at the latter house. Dawn and Rick's grandparents are also in the film. Johnny Curry was history. Inspector Gil Hill was a minor celebrity. His dissatisfied daughter, Dawn, leaves their home, leaving Rick alone with his son, Ricky. Rick Wershe Jr Daughter Keisha Morris Photos And Names; . -Crime Watch Daily, No. He was 17 years old then, at the time. "It was all about Rick. 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. 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. -Documentary, Yes. McConaughey plays their father, Richard Wershe Sr., who raised his kids on the east side of Detroit. "[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." Moreover, his father was also an FBI informant and first reported to the police and the federal agency alongside him before going also. However, she might be dating or might be married and might also have kids. Wershe claims that it was because he had helped the FBI with Operation Backbone, which targeted corrupt police and public officials. -White Boy Documentary. 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. 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. As described above, this included "the cocaine king" Johnny 'Lil Man' Curry (portrayed by Jonathan Majors in the movie). The law enforcement to which hes referring are the FBI agents who came to his door for his father in 1984. The more time he spent with Boo, the more encounters he had with Boo's older brothers, including Johnny Curry. Pandemonium followed. Wershe Sr. was also known as an illegal arms dealer in the black market. 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. Wershe Sr. was rapidly losing his hold on both of his children. Richard Wershe Jr. is suing FBI agents, Detroit police and others a year after he was released from . He was released from the Oaks Correctional Facility in Michigan in April 2017 and turned over to U.S. Rick hadn't been spending time with Curry yet, but he knew who the operators were in the neighborhood. But according to Dawn, just about all of the family dynamics portrayed in the movie are wrong. However, Wershe feels that his punishment grossly exceeded his crime, as do many others. "I was, I would say, a hustler," Wershe Sr. admitted. Through him, he gained access to the Curry brothers and their lavish lifestyle. He was then transferred to a Florida prison because of a crime he committed while behind bars in Michigan. 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? I go to pay for a meal, and someone recognizes me as White Boy Rick, and they say, I got this.. 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. It was a significant amount, but it wasn't the hundreds of kilos that Detroit's drug kingpins were moving at the time. After he was done working as an informant for the FBI, Richard Wershe started selling cocaine himself. Pretty soon he uncovered a conspiracy that ran through the whole city. However, lets hope Keisha might be living a happy life. It began airing on the Starz network in 2019 and was picked up by Netflix in April 2021. Dawn Wershe, Richard Wershe Jr.'s sister, sat in a row nearby. Did his involvement in helping the FBI expose corrupt cops and city officials lead to him being denied parole for 29 years? Events. 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. White Boy Rick was still a few days shy of his 18th birthday when the Detroit police broke down his front door. "Everything went as planned. I told on the wrong people, Wershe confessed. The FBI had nobody to blame for this new drug lord but themselves. RELATED: Richard 'White Boy Rick' Wershe officially free after more than 32 years. Wershe Jr. got involved in the world of crime through a petty criminal named Terrence Bell, with whom his sister was in a relationship at the time. White Boy Rick, a film based on his life, was released on September 14, 2018. Agent Gregg Schwarz would later admit: We brought him into the drug world. They taught him how to pedal drugs on the street. Moreover, in one of the interviews with WXYZ, Michelle said that everything went as planned and that Richard was happy, healthy, excited, and emotional. Home. "I was on one for a week, and it's the most traumatic part of almost 30 years in prison.". Richard was sentenced to life in prison in Michigan under the states 650-Lifer Law. The biggest confiscation occurred on East Side, where the Curry brothers were in charge. Also, we have no information about his son and daughter. He was locked up at the age of 17, to originally serve a life sentence under a law since ruled unconstitutional. He became sick." He added that Wershe's dad, Richard Wershe Sr., who was played by Matthew McConaughey, was portrayed too positively, almost heroic at times. Keisha is out of the social media world. Hed even taken his girlfriend, Cathy Volsan, the mayors niece. According to both the real White Boy Rick and local drug czar Johnny Curry, homicide detective Gil Hill helped to cover up the murder of a 13-year-old boy named Damion Lucas, who was shot accidentally during a drive-by shooting that targeted the house of the boy's uncle, Leon Lucas. Finally, in July 2020, he was released from care in Florida after completing his sentence with proper conduct credits. Richard Wershe Jr. was born on July 18, 1969, in Michigan to Richard Wershe Sr. and Darlene McCormick. "FBI Special Agent Gregg Schwarz, who was stationed in Detroit at the time, asks, "Kingpin of what? Al Profit/YouTubeNate Boone Craft, the convicted hitman who claims he was hired to kill Rick Wershe Jr. 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. He notices that the gun has details consistent with Egyptian-made AK-47s, unlike the Russian-made ones the dealer claims he's selling. To them, he was too young to be an informant. Ever since he was released, Richard Jr has been an advocate for prison reform and works with Team Wellness to help ex-convicts. -The Atavist Magazine, Yes. He was a witness for the FBI when he was between 14 and 16 years old. They gave chase and Wershe got off two shots using the cheap .22 revolver that Dawn had in her purse. As a result of both the impending film and the White Boy documentary that had just been released, interest in Wershe Jr. had been on the rise, so much so that a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections was on hand doing live TV interviews before 7 a.m. on the morning of the 9 a.m. hearing. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. The gun jammed. It took 30 years for Richard Wershe Jr. to win his freedom. Spending 27 years in prison for a drug offence committed when he was 17. Wershe, who was caught with more than eight kilograms in his possession, was way past that mark.In 1998, the law was amended to retroactively allow for the chance of parole. Both had worked for Chrysler for four decades. 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. Though he wasnt an angel he already started looting peoples homes for cash Wershe Jr. had never touched cocaine in his life. Therefore, it was a crime convicted while he was still behind the bars. However, by then, Darlene had remarried and Wershe Jr. was not fond of his stepfather. Thats how Richard Wershe Jr. became the FBIs youngest informant. He might have been a pimple-faced teenager who struggled to pull off a mustache but he came out in style. 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." Before he went, he told both the police and the federal agency about him. Kiesha Wershe is the girl of renowned street pharmacist Richard Wershe Jr. Richard Wershe is also called White Boy Rick. Free Richard Wershe Jr. Albums. Even now, the only trade Wershe knows is crime. 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. Richard Wershe Jr has filed a $100m (73m) lawsuit against former FBI agents and prosecutors, alleging child abuse in connection with his time as an informant. He was looking forward to taking another step toward his final release. At the age of 17, Wershe was arrested for possession of 8kg of cocaine and he was sentenced to life imprisonment. After his release, he went back to his long-term fiancee Michelle Macdonald whom he has been dating since middle school. His mom, Darlene, left Detroit's East Side and moved to the suburbs. British actress Bel Powley portrays Dawn in the film, which hit theaters nationwide on Sept. 14. Therefore, this personality is not active on any social media sites including Instagram and Twitter. Who is George Osborne's fiance Thea Rogers? . After his release, he went back to his long-term fiancee Michelle Macdonald whom he has. Wershe Jr.'s parents opted for a separation when he was five years old. Rick says they robbed somewhere around 20 homes together (not shown in the movie). A Florida clemency board has denied an early prison release for the man known as "White Boy Rick," once one of the FBI . Dawn goes on to say that her family was never consulted for the film, but McConaughey did visit with Wershe Jr. at Oaks Correctional Facility in Manistee in March 2017 for more than 4 hours to prepare for the role. He was born into an average family that lived in an area on the east side of Detroit. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. In one of the meetings with WXYZ, Michelle said that everything went according to plan and that Richard was happy, solid, full of energy and enthusiastic. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. He believes that the Detroit Police Department and city officials were against his release because he had helped the FBI expose dirty cops. Coleman Young, the Detroit mayor who was allegedly involved in the police corruption scandal exposed by Rick Wershe Jr. Steve Garagiola, ClickOnDetroit 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. [7], The name "White Boy Rick" was not a street name that Wershe used himself, nor was it one he was ever called by those with whom he associated. Supporters say Wershe's cooperation against corrupt public officials proved to be the reason for a conspiracy of lies to keep him inside. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. White Boy Rick only knew one way to do it. Hes healthy. He was born into an average family that lived in an area on the east side of Detroit. However, Richard is known to have two little girls and a boy named Richard Williams. Fathers name is Not Available. The FBI, though, wasnt there to send him to prison. Wershe's son, Richard Williams who goes by simply Rich W is a University of Michigan graduate. His Girlfriend/boyfriends name is Not Available. All rights reserved (About Us). The explanation could be for welfare or safety reasons. Richard Wershe Jr. was arrested in his home in 1988 with 17 pounds of cocaine. Now hes a 51-year-old man free from prison and back in Michigan. Rick Wershe had already taken a bullet to the stomach from another Curry Gang member. 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. Young man, Richard Wershe, Jr., 14, begins dealing on the streets. He has stayed quiet for weeks, but that changed when he spoke to the Daily Mail about his past month as a free man. However, Leon was not home but the boy and his mom were. (He's) happy, healthy and excited (and) emotional. [15] Dawn says that when her dad discovered Rick had $50,000 in drug money, he wanted Rick out of the drug business. They even gave him money specifically to buy cocaine so that the FBI could use it as evidence. While the people hed exposed were sent free, Wershe stayed behind bars and spent the bulk of his life in a jail cell. At the age of 14, the FBI taught Wershe how to deal drugs and planted him inside one of the citys most dangerous gangs. He became a drug dealer. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 8:08 am. [7] When Wershe was 16 the FBI, having secured 20 convictions through his infiltration of a violent drug gang, ceased to employ him as an informant. However, after Wershe Jr. became an FBI informant, money began to flow in as they paid him for information. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. It was a bit of stretch. -The Atavist Magazine, Yes. He vouched for an undercover FBI agent who posed as his supplier from Miami. Rick Wershe Jr. began to see the corruption when a 13-year-old boy was shot by the Curry Gang and the Detroit police did nothing about it. 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.. They were seen stepping out together but Wershe says that the relationship was tumultuous. 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. The parole board was well-aware of the Matthew McConaughey movie, which had been filming in Las Vegas the night before the hearing. Likewise, in July 2020, Richard was released from custody in Florida after completing his sentence with credits for good behavior. He was born in a working-class family that lived in a neighborhood on the east side of Detroit. + View More Here. No. Convicted murderers came and went while Wershe was behind bars for possession. He became the longest-serving nonviolent juvenile offender in Michigan history. Wershe Jr.s father saw this as an opportunity to keep food on their table. They controlled the drug operations in Wershe Jr.s neighbourhood in Detroits East Side. Furthermore, Richard's father was also an FBI . View: 9187. This image released by Sony Pictures shows and Matthew McConaughey, left, and Richie Merritt in a scene from "White Boy Rick." He essentially goes by Rich W and is a graduate of the University of Michigan. In 1998, his case was revisited and he was granted the chance of parole. Instead of pulling him out, the FBI used his newfound cred to push him in deeper with the Curry gang. Later in 2017, he was again sentenced to five years in prison in the Florida State Jail for a 2008 auto theft conviction. 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. In 1984, Rick Wershe is a struggling single father living in Detroit during the height of the crack epidemic and war on drugs. Campaigners for Wershe have suggested to reporters that the length of his incarceration may have been connected to him having provided the FBI with information leading to the arrest of family members and associates of former Detroit mayor Coleman A. 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. Photos. "He's very frank about who he is and what he did," actor Matthew McConaughey said during a CinemaCon interview. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. He now has a recreational marijuana business called The 8th. "It's hell on wheels," Wershe said. He was a kingpin. Timeline photos. He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment. The real White Boy Rick did conspire with major players in the local Detroit drug trade. Marshals. Kiesha Wershe is the daughter of the famous drug dealer Richard Wershe Jr. Richard Wershe is also known as White Boy Rick. Later in 2020, he was awarded credits for proper conduct. He essentially had two choices at the time, go back to school or hit the streets. Caption: Keisha Wershes father Richard in the court. She eventually remarried. They were seen stepping out together but Wershe says that the relationship was tumultuous. Wershe, the police claimed, was a dangerous cocaine godfather known to his underlings as White Boy Rick.. Wershe is a father of two daughters and a son. Even though he was dreading the transport process, Wershe said he wanted to start as soon as possible. magazine.atavist.com. He regularly spent time with the brothers and they did not suspect a thing. White Boy Rick is another name for Richard Wershe. 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