The author and historian has kept in touch with Wershe over the years and has studied his case extensively. The FBI, though, wasnt there to send him to prison. 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. 8 items. They were seen stepping out together but Wershe says that the relationship was tumultuous. April 2, 2021 'White Boy' is a true-crime documentary that looks into the life of Richard "White Boy Rick" Wershe Jr. Through him, he gained access to the Curry brothers and their lavish lifestyle. He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment. This was near the peak of the War on Drugs. "He's very frank about who he is and what he did," actor Matthew McConaughey said during a CinemaCon interview. Wershe claims that it was because he had helped the FBI with Operation Backbone, which targeted corrupt police and public officials. Wershe's life story was turned into a true-crime documentary called "White Boy" that was picked up by Netflix. Wershe was arrested but the cop never showed up for the trial. White Boy Rick also has two daughters and six grandchildren. 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. All rights reserved (About Us). They are in relation from previous few years of a strong relationship. He was a kingpin. The case had grown exponentially. Wershe, now 52, spent three. And I thought it was the right thing keep some drug dealers off the street and get paid for it.. Richard Wershe Jr. was arrested in his home in 1988 with 17 pounds of cocaine. Richard Wershe Jr. was born on July 18, 1969, in Michigan to Richard Wershe Sr. and Darlene McCormick. Timeline photos. "FBI Special Agent Gregg Schwarz, who was stationed in Detroit at the time, asks, "Kingpin of what? He was only 14 years old at the time. Young, as well as the allegation about Young's political ally Hill. 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. Source: Instagram. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. 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. . An off-duty cop was in traffic nearby and pulled them over. He notices that the gun has details consistent with Egyptian-made AK-47s, unlike the Russian-made ones the dealer claims he's selling. in early 1988 with the Detroit News Wershe said he and his son became informants after agents helped "get his daughter back Instead, he remained incarcerated in Michigan for 29 years. Thats because White Boy Rick wasnt a drug lord he was an FBI informant. When he was 14 to 16 years old, he worked as an FBI informant. White Boy Rick only knew one way to do it. Keisha Wershe is known to be the daughter of the famous drug dealer Richard Wershe Jr. Richard Wershe Jr. is an American drug dealer and former informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We cant say their name. View more / View less Facts of Keisha Wershe. 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. According to FBI Agent John Anthony, at that time, White Boy Rick was the single most productive informant the FBI had in Detroit. Thats how Richard Wershe Jr. became the FBIs youngest informant. "We were very overwhelmed," she had toldWXYZat the time. I wasnt doing all that well at the time. Copyright 2020 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. Almost all of those who were convicted under the original law have been released. 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. A film based on his life titled White Boy Rick was released Sept. 14, 2018. It was wonderful. According to retired FBI agent John Anthony, White Boy Rick was the most productive informant for the agency at the time. No. After his release, he went back to his long-term fiancee Michelle Macdonald whom he has been dating since middle school. After 32 years in detention, he is back with his long-term fiance Michelle MacDonald, whom he has been dating since high school. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Learn more. -Detroit Free Press. 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. The FBI sent Wershe Jr. there with a fake id and $15,000 so he would continue to do his job as an informant. 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). After he was done working as an informant for the FBI, Richard Wershe started selling cocaine himself. The authorities were equally active. His sister accompanied him. 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. However, by then, Darlene had remarried and Wershe Jr. was not fond of his stepfather. -The Atavist Magazine, This happened when Wershe was 14, well before he could drive legally. 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. All I can give you is my word. Yes, the true story confirms that they separated when Wershe was around six. The siblings were raised by their father with the help of his own parents who lived across the street from them. Later in 2020, he was awarded credits for proper conduct. 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. The information about where Keisha has not been made public. I'm not going to say I helped. Likewise, in July 2020, Richard was released from custody in Florida after completing his sentence with credits for good behavior. Then they had him thrown in prison for life. 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 the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison. He was born into an average family that lived in an area on the east side of Detroit. Wershe is a father of two daughters and a son. Wershe was released from a Florida prison in July, ending his 32 years behind bars that started after a drug trafficking arrest at 17 years old in 1987. Free Richard Wershe Jr Rick S Daughter And Oldest Grandson Facebook He was arrested of a drug crime and spent 32 years in prison.. Advertisement Kiesha Wershe is the daughter of the famous. 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. 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. White Boy, a documentary chronicling the case of Richard Wershe Jr., premiered on March 31, 2017, at the Freep Film Festival where it won the Audience Choice Award. 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. Under the law at that time, it was supposed to cost him the rest of his life, which is just ridiculous. McConaughey plays their father, Richard Wershe Sr., who raised his kids on the east side of Detroit. After he turned 12, he briefly stayed with his mother. They went down and met, and he said he gave Gil ten grand to cover up the kid's murder." Richard was sentenced to life in prison in Michigan under the states 650-Lifer Law. 108 items. 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 end result of three hours of questioning was a ruling in Wershe Jr.'s favor. In 2016, a notorious former Detroit hitman alleged Hill had once tried to commission the murder of Wershe. "I know that the drugs I sold destroyed peoples lives," Wershe said in 2017. Richard Wershe Jr. mugshot for Florida Department of Corrections, Detroit historian: White Boy Rick Wershe prison release way overdue. 14:51 Richard Wershe Jr. is about to experience freedom for the first time in his adult life. Craft, years later, told reporters: I was told to kill White Boy Rick. 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. No one knows," says Wershe. Wershe Jr. pleaded to the man to call him an ambulance. "We were portrayed in the film aslow-class dirt poorscuzz bags," she said. Yes. 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. 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. "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." Soon after, he became an informant for the FBI. And, he simply goes by the name Rich W and is a University of Michigan graduate. He's one of the few people I've met in jail that doesn't say, 'I'm innocent.' It was Wayne County Circuit Judge Dana Hathaway who later found no reason to keep Wershe locked up in Michigan, and today emotions were running high after his release. Keisha is the daughter ofRichard Wershe Jr., a drug dealer and former informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. -The Atavist Magazine, Yes. See the events in life of Richard Wershe Jr. in Chronological Order, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gehW0KhK5Y, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSLTpGPrKfU, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SznO2lpacFY, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p14I6X5m1c. In Detroit in the 80s, everyone knew when White Boy Rick was around. Who Is White Boy Rick's Daughter Keisha Wershe? More than a dozen police officers were implicated. Starring Matthew McConaughey, Richie Merritt, Eddie Marsan, Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, White Boy Rick Documentary & Related Videos, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. "It was all about Rick. Curry, Rick found out, had slipped Inspector Hill a $10,000 bribe. Wershe spent nearly three decades behind bars in Michigan for a non-violent drug offense. However, he wasn't a drug kingpin by any stretch, as trailers for the movie label him. The FBI was now involved in mayoral corruption. This all happens almost exactly the same in the movie. 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. -The Atavist Magazine, Yes. "I think everything went really well and he looks forward to everything that he has ahead of him.. 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. "Where did the drugs come from? Young man, Richard Wershe, Jr., 14, begins dealing on the streets. He was forced to find a way to navigate the streets and make ends meet without the FBIs protection, which wasnt easy. Most recently, in Florida, on unrelated charges, Wershe was set free Monday due to good behavior. My palm prints weren't on it." informant at age 14. He and his sister subsequently stayed with their father. RICHARD Wershe Jr., known as White Boy Rich was an undercover FBI informant in the 1980's. "[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." 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). They taught him how to pedal drugs on the street. "Johnny [Curry] placed a call to Gil, put it on speaker. He was making more money than most adults he knew. Courtroom sketches from Rick's trial in 1988. He was looking forward to taking another step toward his final release. 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. He was born in a working-class family that lived in a neighborhood on the east side of Detroit. It began airing on the Starz network in 2019 and was picked up by Netflix in April 2021. In April 1985, Johnny went to Las Vegas, Nevada, to watch the Marvin Hagler vs Tommy Hearns boxing match. 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. "Well, they never really say (what drug it is)," Dawn told WXYZ reporter Carolyn Cliffordwhen asked about the drugs. 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. While the people hed exposed were sent free, Wershe stayed behind bars and spent the bulk of his life in a jail cell. Keisha Wershe is known as the daughter of the famous drug dealer, Richard Wershe Jr. When he followed up with the FBI, Hughes found out that Wershe was telling the truth. 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. I go to pay for a meal, and someone recognizes me as White Boy Rick, and they say, I got this.. 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. Richard Wershe Jr. was sent to prison for life at 18-years-old. Eventually, this was mostly information about the Curry Brothers, including their role in the accidental April 1985 death of a 13-year-old boy in a drive-by shooting and intel on their organization's drug houses. As described above, this included "the cocaine king" Johnny 'Lil Man' Curry (portrayed by Jonathan Majors in the movie). It contains clips from Richard Wershe Jr. interviews and photos from his time as an FBI informant and drug dealer. -Documentary, Yes. 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. Therefore, it was a crime convicted while he was still behind the bars. Ill never commit another crime.. Copyright 2023 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. He went as part of Curry's entourage, there to attend the Hearns vs. Hagler boxing match at Caesar's Palace (like in the film, they never got into the match). "They said, 'Listen, this is what we're going to do. Inspector Gil Hill was a minor celebrity. He's very frank about it. But they worried that if they took action on their findings, the agency would get wind of their all-too-young informant. In addition to driving a Jeep that blatantly referenced his life as an up-and-coming cocaine dealer, Richard Wershe Jr. wore chains and tracksuits, a belt made of gold, a mink coat (given to him by Johnny Curry), and a Rolex with diamonds encircling it. The police took White Boy Rick right to the media. This image released by Sony Pictures shows and Matthew McConaughey, left, and Richie Merritt in a scene from "White Boy Rick." He believes that the Detroit Police Department and city officials were against his release because he had helped the FBI expose dirty cops. And were surprised by that?. Finally, in July 2020, he was released from care in Florida after completing his sentence with proper conduct credits. He was convicted of possession of cocaine. Click On Detroit/WDIV/YouTubeRick Wershe Jr. in court, shortly after his arrest. He now has a recreational marijuana business called The 8th. 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. In addition, Richard is the grandfather of six grandchildren. 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. Public DomainRichard Wershe Jr.s 1988 mugshot. Also, we have no idea about his brother and sister, and we dont know their names either. They even gave him money specifically to buy cocaine so that the FBI could use it as evidence. Should he be there for [29] years for the crime he committed? 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