He needed protection, and he needed money. 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.. 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?. April 2, 2021 'White Boy' is a true-crime documentary that looks into the life of Richard "White Boy Rick" Wershe Jr. There is no information about Keishas relationship history. The true crime author believes that Wershe was jailed for an unjust length of time, especially considering the fact that he was groomed by the government at such an early age. Though he wasnt an angel he already started looting peoples homes for cash Wershe Jr. had never touched cocaine in his life. He made his living running scams and selling guns out of his own home. During a screening of White Boy Rick in 2018, he let the power source know that his father was smarter and more aware than he was portrayed in the film. See All. 14:51 Richard Wershe Jr. is about to experience freedom for the first time in his adult life. -The Atavist Magazine, This happened when Wershe was 14, well before he could drive legally. Click On Detroit/WDIV/YouTubeRick Wershe Jr. in prison. Yes. Wershe Jr. pleaded to the man to call him an ambulance. But when Wershe uncovered a police corruption problem that ended with the mayor of Detroit, the men who trained him cut him loose. For other inquiries, Contact Us. 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. View more / View less Facts of Keisha Wershe. Rick's daughter and oldest grandson. But they worried that if they took action on their findings, the agency would get wind of their all-too-young informant. Thats why her height, weight, eye color, hair color, etc are unavailable on the internet till today. Despite this, he was relocated to Florida State Prison to serve another sentence for his involvement in a car theft ring. Click On Detroit/WDIV/YouTubeRick Wershe Jr. in court, shortly after his arrest. Despite his age, he proved himself to be invaluable to the FBI. Marshals. Timeline photos. [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. Having just turned 51 years old, Wershe began a new chapter in life together with his fiance Michelle McDonald, whom he began dating in middle school. However, by then, Darlene had remarried and Wershe Jr. was not fond of his stepfather. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. They taught him how to pedal drugs on the street. However, she might be dating or might be married and might also have kids. The youngest known informant in the history of the FBI, Wershe became a confidential informant when he was 14 to 16 years old. [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. The remark was made when White Boy Rick appeared in court for possessing multiple kilos of cocaine. He hawked surplus electronics, satellite TV equipment, sporting goods, and devices to pirate cable TV. Public DomainRichard Wershe Jr.s 1988 mugshot. This all happens almost exactly the same in the movie. In 2016, a notorious former Detroit hitman alleged Hill had once tried to commission the murder of Wershe. "You'd have to ask [the Detroit Police Department] that," Wershe Jr. replied. It was back in 1987 that Richard was caught having more than eight kilograms (18 pounds) of cocaine. He went above and beyond what the FBI asked him to do. Dawn was doing crack cocaine while Wershe Jr., accompanied by Bell, began committing burglaries. 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. It was a felony charged while he was still behind bars. In Mayor Youngs city, to get Curry into trouble was dangerous for himself and bad for his business. Wershe Sr. was a self-admitted hustler and found numerous inventive ways to earn money. More. It contains clips from Richard Wershe Jr. interviews and photos from his time as an FBI informant and drug dealer. In May 1987, when he was 17 years old, Wershe Jr. was arrested and charged with the possession of eight kilos of cocaine. If you need help with the Public File, call (313) 222-0566. Local 4 News every morning. He was a witness for the FBI when he was between 14 and 16 years old. [3][16], Eminem plays Wershe on the TV show BMF. 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. The judge's implication is that the drugs Wershe supplied destroyed lives and likely resulted in deaths.Wershe has claimed that his FBI handlers pushed him into the drug trade to serve their own ends. I go to pay for a meal, and someone recognizes me as White Boy Rick, and they say, I got this.. Craft, years later, told reporters: I was told to kill White Boy Rick. 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. Furthermore, Richards father was also a witness for the FBI and first responded to the police and government office near him before going as well. 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. The White Boy Rick true story reveals that, like in the movie, it happened when Johnny Curry was in jail awaiting trial. [13], On July 20, 2020, Wershe was released from custody in Florida, having completed his sentence with credits for good behavior.[14]. -Crime Watch DailyThe press had played up Wershe's nickname and labeled him a "teenage drug kingpin." He says that he was working with his sister from prison to secure a car for his mom. He regularly spent time with the brothers and they did not suspect a thing. The FBI, in turn, began to train the young Wershe Jr. on how to be a gangster. The White Boy Rick true story confirms that some of these encounters did occur at the roller skating rink like in the movie. The FBI eventually arrested the Curry brothers and many of their associates and built cases against them with the information that Wershe had supplied them over the years. Rick started hanging out with their younger brother, Rudell "Boo" Curry, who shared Rick's interest in cars, motorcycles and girls. He was an FBI informant when he was 14 to 16 years old. 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. His sister accompanied him. However, she might be earning and living a life without any difficulties. It was wonderful. In addition to this, he was an amateur inventor. 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. I don't agree I committed the crime that I was convicted of.". Under the law at that time, it was supposed to cost him the rest of his life, which is just ridiculous. Learn more. "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." He had allegedly hid them in a box under a nearby porch. 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. Matthew McConaughey starred as Richards father, Richard Wershe Sr. More: Former Detroit hitman wants White Boy Rick to be released from prison. Wershe's 30-year-old son sat next to me at a screeening Thursday night in Novi for the . At age 17, White Boy was caught for possession of 8kg of cocaine and was sentenced to life in prison. But according to Dawn, just about all of the family dynamics portrayed in the movie are wrong. Johnny was one of the most powerful drug lords in Detroits underworld and Wershe Jr. constantly provided information on him and his criminal empire. 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. 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., known as White Boy Rich was an undercover FBI informant in the 1980's. F.B.I. From the moment he started high school, he was pulled away from a normal life and dragged into a life on the streets. He was a kingpin. Keishas face is not yet revealed to the world. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. Most were black and at least a decade older than him. 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. Where is Richard Wershe Jr Now, Kids - Daughter Son . White Boy Rick was arrested in 1987 for possessing cocaine in excess of eight kilograms and sentenced to life in prison. Johnny Curry, the so-called "cocaine king of the East Side," was freed 18 years before Wershe (Curry had been sentenced in Federal Court and wasn't subjected to Michigan's harsh laws that were in place at the time). He became sick." Other than that offense, he has been described as a model prisoner. -The Atavist Magazine, Rick's sister Dawn was dating a small-time criminal named Terrence Bell and she had become involved with crack cocaine. In 1984, Rick Wershe is a struggling single father living in Detroit during the height of the crack epidemic and war on drugs. Wershe pleaded guilty in 2006 to being involved in a car theft ring. His dissatisfied daughter, Dawn, leaves their home, leaving Rick alone with his son, Ricky. 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). 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). After he turned 12, he briefly stayed with his mother. Perhaps. "We were very overwhelmed," she had toldWXYZat the time. As her career and professional life are unknown, her earnings and net worth remain unknown as well. "My son became sick on power, the excitement, the prestige, the money, and the glamour of selling. Through him, he gained access to the Curry brothers and their lavish lifestyle. At the age of 17, White Boy was arrested for possession of 8 kg of cocaine and he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Wershe is a father of two daughters and a son. All the things I guess you expect after 32 years.". 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. Richard Wershe is also called White Boy Rick. I wasnt doing all that well at the time. Source: Detroit. "My daughter became sick on doing drugs," Richard Wershe Sr. says. This was near the peak of the War on Drugs. -The Atavist Magazine, Yes. Their chief of homicide, Inspector Gilbert Hill, deliberately diverted the investigation away from the gang leader, Johnny Curry. Rick Wershe had already taken a bullet to the stomach from another Curry Gang member. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. All I can do is try to be the best man I can from this day forward, Wershe says. 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. Therefore, she has stayed away from the public and has made a low-key lifestyle. OK? "We were very overwhelmed," she had told WXYZ at the time. -The New YorkerHowever, Wershe maintains that they weren't his drugs and that the corrupt cops planted them there. 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. In addition, Richard is the grandfather of six grandchildren. Wershe is a father of two daughters and a son. This garnered him street cred in their eyes and in the ensuing months, he grew even closer to them. The biggest confiscation occurred on East Side, where the Curry brothers were in charge. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Convicted murderers came and went while Wershe was behind bars for possession. The FBI had nobody to blame for this new drug lord but themselves. No, at least not according to Rick's real-life sister, Dawn. Richard was born into a working-class family in a neighborhood on Detroit's east side. He was 17-years-old. Wershe Sr. had initially contacted the FBI to seek their help with his daughter, who, by then, had a severe drug problem. 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. It was embarrassing but getting shot gave Wershe street cred. in early 1988 with the Detroit News Wershe said he and his son became informants after agents helped "get his daughter back Therefore, this personality is not active on any social media sites including Instagram and Twitter. But the news made him bigger than he was because the police were out for blood. Portrayed by Bruce Dern and Piper Laurie in the White Boy Rick movie, Roman and Verna Wershe did live across the street. He was making more money than most adults he knew. After all, Richard Wershe Jr. went to prison when he was only 17 years old. Yes. It took 30 years for Richard Wershe Jr. to win his freedom. Instead, he remained incarcerated in Michigan for 29 years. It was one reason why Wershe Sr. didn't want to leave the crack-ridden neighborhood. I became addicted to the women. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. 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 Detroit in the 80s, everyone knew when White Boy Rick was around. The 14-year-old wasnt a drug dealer or a gangster. 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. 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. So the FBI left Richard Wershe Jr. to fend for himself. In 2017, justice campaigners publicized Wershe's case and he was subsequently paroled, but directly to a prison in Florida to serve another five years for an auto theft conviction from 2008. We have no more information about his spouse. Wershe earned his parole in 2017 after nearly 30 years in prison. 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. "I'm sorry to tell ya that the legend of White Boy Rick is just not true." He was looking forward to taking another step toward his final release. White Boy Ricks new fame changed his life. Source: Instagram. This image released by Sony Pictures shows and Matthew McConaughey, left, and Richie Merritt in a scene from "White Boy Rick." Rick says they robbed somewhere around 20 homes together (not shown in the movie). At the age of 14, the FBI taught Wershe how to deal drugs and planted him inside one of the citys most dangerous gangs. Into trouble was dangerous for himself was still behind bars for possession diverted the investigation away from the leader... 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