According to one anonymous FBI agent, the agency was ordered to let the mayor go. 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. Perhaps. In 1984, Rick Wershe is a struggling single father living in Detroit during the height of the crack epidemic and war on drugs. OK? Who?" To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. However, her father is available on Instagram under the username @rickwershe_jr and has gained over 24.9K followers. White Boy Rick was still a few days shy of his 18th birthday when the Detroit police broke down his front door. Should he be there for [29] years for the crime he committed? 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.". Hollywood went to work making a film version of White Boy Ricks life, while an HBO documentary crew moved into the prison to film a tell-all about his story. However, by then, Darlene had remarried and Wershe Jr. was not fond of his stepfather. 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. He was convicted of possession of cocaine. The FBI sent Wershe Jr. there with a fake id and $15,000 so he would continue to do his job as an informant. It wont be easy. A film based on his life titled White Boy Rick was released Sept. 14, 2018. Caption: Keisha Wershes dad Richard and Michelle. Spending 27 years in prison for a drug offence committed when he was 17. Richard Wershe Jr. is suing FBI agents, Detroit police and others a year after he was released from . He was locked up at the age of 17, to originally serve a life sentence under a law since ruled unconstitutional. 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?. Most recently, in Florida, on unrelated charges, Wershe was set free Monday due to good behavior. The remark was made when White Boy Rick appeared in court for possessing multiple kilos of cocaine. We have no more Information about his Father; we will try to collect information and update soon. It was at a time when the hysteria surrounding the War on Drugs in the U.S. was nearing its peak. He was released from the Oaks Correctional Facility in Michigan in April 2017 and turned over to U.S. And were surprised by that?. 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. Wershe spent nearly three decades behind bars in Michigan for a non-violent drug offense. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. After less than a year, his father convinced him to come back to the East Side. Wershe, now 52, spent three. Dawn says that when her dad discovered Rick had $50,000 in drug money, he wanted Rick out of the drug business. It was a felony charged while he was still behind bars. "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.". "I became addicted to the lifestyle," says the real Richard Wershe Jr. "I became addicted to the money. The FBI, though, wasnt there to send him to prison. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. His wife, Cathy Volsan (Mayor Coleman Young's niece), 24, began having an affair with Wershe, then 17. Hed even taken his girlfriend, Cathy Volsan, the mayors niece. In April 1985, Johnny went to Las Vegas, Nevada, to watch the Marvin Hagler vs Tommy Hearns boxing match. Chambers, praised White Boy Ricks climb up to the top: He rose all the way through the ranks. But the news made him bigger than he was because the police were out for blood. Therefore, it was a crime convicted while he was still behind the bars. On paper, they recorded White Boy Ricks tips under his fathers name. RICHARD Wershe Jr., known as White Boy Rich was an undercover FBI informant in the 1980's. 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. 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. In the 2018 film White Boy Rick, American actor Richie Merritt portrayed Wershe Jr. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/richard-wershe-jr--43526.php. 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. Curry, Rick found out, had slipped Inspector Hill a $10,000 bribe. Reporters and the police broadcasted the teenager all over the news with headlines that called him the leader of a drug cartel. Wershe's 30-year-old son sat next to me at a screeening Thursday night in Novi for the . 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. During his trial the judge had no sympathy. 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. The youngest known informant in the history of the FBI, Wershe became a confidential informant when he was 14 to 16 years old. It makes you wonder how many other people might be incarcerated wrongly or unfairly, but because they don't have a light shone on them, they're [not] readdressing their incarceration. The FBI was now involved in mayoral corruption. "We heard that he was tellin', so they said, 'We got to kill that white boy.'" 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. 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. I go to pay for a meal, and someone recognizes me as White Boy Rick, and they say, I got this.. Fathers name is Not Available. Did his involvement in helping the FBI expose corrupt cops and city officials lead to him being denied parole for 29 years? Public DomainRichard Wershe Jr.s 1988 mugshot. The FBI investigated Gil Hill's possible role in the cover up, but no charges were ever brought against Hill. Other than that offense, he has been described as a model prisoner. Events. This picture of him is a still from his role in the movie Beverly Hills Cop. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines. He was making more money than most adults he knew. In the spring of 1984, FBI agents knocked on the Wershes' door, intending to gather information from Rick's dad. Richard Wershe Jr. was good at what he did. 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. BoogeyMan Ben/YouTubeInspector Gil Hill was a minor celebrity. He also sold illegal guns. Community. Richards was sentenced to life in prison in Michigan under the states 650-Lifer Law. Richard Wershe Jr.'s daughter, Kiesha Wershe, is a well-known drug dealer. After his release, he went back to his long-term fiancee Michelle Macdonald whom he has been dating since middle school. They are in relation from previous few years of a strong relationship. The audience for the hearing packed the biggest room available in the state system. White Boy Ricks new fame changed his life. There is no information about Keishas relationship history. They controlled the drug operations in Wershe Jr.s neighbourhood in Detroits East Side. -The Atavist Magazine, Yes. Rick Wershe Jr. in court, shortly after his arrest. RICHARD Wershe Jr known as White Boy Rich was an undercover FBI informant in the 1980s. Rick hadn't been spending time with Curry yet, but he knew who the operators were in the neighborhood. The Wershes could barely make the ends meet. Kiesha Wershe is the girl of renowned street pharmacist Richard Wershe Jr. Richard Wershe is also called White Boy Rick. Wershe Sr. was also known as an illegal arms dealer in the black market. For the first time in 30 years, White Boy Ricks name was back in the headlines but this time, the real story was printed underneath. -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. She shared with 7 Action News by phone what that moment meant to them. Wershe claims that it was because he had helped the FBI with Operation Backbone, which targeted corrupt police and public officials. He did not, but his girlfriend soon arrived at the house and after realising what had transpired, quickly called for help. 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. Also, he has a middle class job. 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. 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. This picture of him is a still from his role in the movie. He was born into an average family that lived in an area on the east side of Detroit. Richard was born in a working-class family that lived in a neighborhood on the east side of Detroit. Wershe is a father of two daughters and a son. All I can do is try to be the best man I can from this day forward, Wershe says. "We were very overwhelmed," she had told WXYZ at the time. "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." It began airing on the Starz network in 2019 and was picked up by Netflix in April 2021. And, he simply goes by the name Rich W and is a University of Michigan graduate. 108 items. 9 items. 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. The law enforcement to which hes referring are the FBI agents who came to his door for his father in 1984. "I think everything went really well and he looks forward to everything that he has ahead of him.. Keisha is out of the social media world. "I'm sorry to tell ya that the legend of White Boy Rick is just not true." Later in 2020, he was awarded credits for proper conduct. 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. No. Who is George Osborne's fiance Thea Rogers? When he was five years old, his parents decided to separate. -The Atavist Magazine, Yes. So the FBI left Richard Wershe Jr. to fend for himself. 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. Despite the Michigan Parole Board voting unanimously to grant Richard Wershe Jr. his freedom in 2017 after spending 29 years in prison, the then 47-year-old still had time to serve in Florida for a separate offense. How White Boy Rick Uncovered The Largest Corruption Case In Detroit History And Got Life In Jail, Mark Oliver is a writer, teacher, and father whose work has appeared on The Onion's StarWipe, Yahoo, and Cracked, and can be found on his, The Death Of Grigori Rasputin, History's Most Unkillable Man, Croatian Village Plagued By 100 Gigantic Sinkholes Following Massive Earthquake, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. 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. Rick befriended Bell, who lured him into the world of petty crime. After the collapse of the Curry brothers criminal empire, the FBI was done with Wershe Jr. as well. Now, his relationship is perfect. -Documentary, Yes. 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