When federal agents raided Cathy's townhouse on a Friday afternoon in June 1987, they found Wershe there in bed with her. Wershe was arrested but the cop never showed up for the trial. There was even an assassination attempt on Wershe Jr. by former professional hitman Nathaniel Craft, who later revealed that he was employed by police detective Gil Hill to kill Wershe Jr. to prevent him from speaking about police corruption in Detroit. 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. [3][16], Eminem plays Wershe on the TV show BMF. ", No. Wershe Sr. was also known as an illegal arms dealer in the black market. Wershe is a father of two daughters and a son. 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. 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. However, after Wershe Jr. became an FBI informant, money began to flow in as they paid him for information. View our online Press Pack. He believes that the Detroit Police Department and city officials were against his release because he had helped the FBI expose dirty cops. But according to Dawn, just about all of the family dynamics portrayed in the movie are wrong. Rick Wershe had already taken a bullet to the stomach from another Curry Gang member. All I can do is try to be the best man I can from this day forward, Wershe says. The answer could be one that the city still isn't willing to face. Johnny and other members of his organisation each served 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to several charges. He was an FBI informant when he was 14 to 16 years old. Click On Detroit/WDIV/YouTubeRick Wershe Jr. in court, shortly after his arrest. "I think everything went really well and he looks forward to everything that he has ahead of him.. In Detroit in the 80s, everyone knew when White Boy Rick was around. When he was 14 to 16 years old, he worked as an FBI informant. Wershe Sr. had initially contacted the FBI to seek their help with his daughter, who, by then, had a severe drug problem. The White Boy Rick true story confirms that some of these encounters did occur at the roller skating rink like in the movie. Dawn says that when her dad discovered Rick had $50,000 in drug money, he wanted Rick out of the drug business. Copyright 2020 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. When he was 15, Wershe Jr. was shot in the stomach by one of Johnnys associates at the latter house. He was just aware of what went on around him in his community, a streetwise kid, and the FBI was willing to pay to find out just how much he was aware of. Kiesha Wershe is the daughter of the famous drug dealer Richard Wershe Jr. Richard Wershe is also known as White Boy Rick. Richards was sentenced to life in prison in Michigan under the states 650-Lifer Law. 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. He's not proposing to be a saint. Inspector Gil Hill was a minor celebrity. . He now has a recreational marijuana business called The 8th. "My son became sick on power, the excitement, the prestige, the money, and the glamour of selling. He is seen throughout the film dealing firearms on the street and complying with his son's drug activity. 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. He hawked surplus electronics, satellite TV equipment, sporting goods, and devices to pirate cable TV. The FBI covered their tracks. I go to pay for a meal, and someone recognizes me as White Boy Rick, and they say, I got this.. Richard Wershe Jr. will be staying behind bars longer than he had hoped. After 32 years in detention, he is back with his long-term fiance Michelle MacDonald, whom he has been dating since high school. But, there is no confirmation as nothing about her personal as well as professional life is known. As Richard Wershe Sr. put it: I took the money. Both Wershe Jr. and Dawn chose to live with their father at their small brick house on Hampshire Street at Dickerson Avenue. "Everything went as planned. Matthew McConaughey starred as Richards father, Richard Wershe Sr. More: Former Detroit hitman wants White Boy Rick to be released from prison. His dissatisfied daughter, Dawn, leaves their home, leaving Rick alone with his son, Ricky. 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. Like Matthew McConaughey's character in the movie, Richard Wershe Sr. was a tall, wiry man who came up with different ways to make money, including selling surplus electronics, sporting goods, satellite-TV equipment, and devices to pirate cable TV. Thats because White Boy Rick wasnt a drug lord he was an FBI informant. F.B.I. 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. In 1987, at 17 years of age, Wershe was arrested for possessing cocaine in excess of eight kilograms (18 pounds). The Wershes could barely make the ends meet. He was a witness for the FBI when he was between 14 and 16 years old. Wershe claims that it was because he had helped the FBI with Operation Backbone, which targeted corrupt police and public officials. He was making more money than most adults he knew. They were relics of a time when Detroit was booming. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. "We were very overwhelmed," she had toldWXYZat the time. 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. He was convicted of possession of cocaine. Wershe Sr. was a self-admitted hustler and found numerous inventive ways to earn money. All the things I guess you expect after 32 years.". Keisha is out of the social media world. Richard was born into a working-class family in a neighborhood on Detroit's east side. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. He commented that on the night of his 1987 arrest, police officers seized thirty-four thousand dollars of his cash. "I was on one for a week, and it's the most traumatic part of almost 30 years in prison.". Darlene subsequently moved to the suburbs. The FBI, in turn, began to train the young Wershe Jr. on how to be a gangster. All rights reserved (About Us). 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. White Boy Rick is also a grandfather of six grandchildren. Dave Bartkowiak Jr., Digital Managing Editor. At the age of 14, the FBI taught Wershe how to deal drugs and planted him inside one of the citys most dangerous gangs. Caption: Keisha Wershes father Richard in the court. Yes. It was back in 1987 that Richard was caught having more than eight kilograms (18 pounds) of cocaine. Ricks information had gotten the drug lord locked up behind bars and White Boy Rick began to take his place. The FBI had nobody to blame for this new drug lord but themselves. Wershe Jr. pleaded to the man to call him an ambulance. They even gave him money specifically to buy cocaine so that the FBI could use it as evidence. Richard was sentenced to life in prison in Michigan under the states 650-Lifer Law. 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. It was a significant amount, but it wasn't the hundreds of kilos that Detroit's drug kingpins were moving at the time. But where is the equity in a system that puts non-violent criminals away while killers walk free?, Read more: White Boy Rick Wershe Jr. to return to Metro Detroit after release. 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. Even now, the only trade Wershe knows is crime. He became the longest-serving nonviolent juvenile offender in Michigan history. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 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. Wershe Jr.s father saw this as an opportunity to keep food on their table. I told on the wrong people, Wershe confessed. His sister accompanied him. The FBI investigated Gil Hill's possible role in the cover up, but no charges were ever brought against Hill. Even though he was dreading the transport process, Wershe said he wanted to start as soon as possible. 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. 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. The guy's girlfriend came home and called 911 when she saw Wershe writhing on the floor. 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. Should he be there for [29] years for the crime he committed? And what happened? I cant look back.. He was released from the Oaks Correctional Facility in Michigan in April 2017 and turned over to U.S. Ever since he was released, Richard Jr has been an advocate for prison reform and works with Team Wellness to help ex-convicts. Pandemonium followed. Spending 27 years in prison for a drug offence committed when he was 17. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. After the collapse of the Curry brothers criminal empire, the FBI was done with Wershe Jr. as well. 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. 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). White Boy Rick was arrested in 1987 for possessing cocaine in excess of eight kilograms and sentenced to life in prison. In May 1987, when he was 17 years old, Wershe Jr. was arrested and charged with the possession of eight kilos of cocaine. 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. "We were portrayed in the film aslow-class dirt poorscuzz bags," she said. 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. Marshals. At the time he landed the role, he was also the head of the Detroit Police Department's homicide division. They controlled the drug operations in Wershe Jr.s neighbourhood in Detroits East Side. Wershe's days as a major drug dealer lasted only about a year before he was arrested. Thats why her height, weight, eye color, hair color, etc are unavailable on the internet till today. Find out about Keisha Wershe and White Boy Rick Weve definitely figured out that Keisha Wershe is Richard Wershe Jr.s girl. He added that Wershe's dad, Richard Wershe Sr., who was played by Matthew McConaughey, was portrayed too positively, almost heroic at times. At the age of 17, Wershe was arrested for possession of 8kg of cocaine and he was sentenced to life imprisonment. A member of Johnny Curry's crew shot Wershe in the stomach with a .357 when Wershe was 15. 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 made his living running scams and selling guns out of his own home. Photos. While the people hed exposed were sent free, Wershe stayed behind bars and spent the bulk of his life in a jail cell. He was born into an average family that lived in an area on the east side of Detroit. "Today was just it was, you know freedom," McDonald said. 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. An off-duty cop was in traffic nearby and pulled them over. [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. [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. 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. One of the first scenes of the film, which is also featured in its trailers, shows a strung-out Dawn fighting with her father in the street in her underwear. Keisha is the daughter ofRichard Wershe Jr., a drug dealer and former informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. British actress Bel Powley portrays Dawn in the film, which hit theaters nationwide on Sept. 14. Inspector Hill and Mayor Young, though, would walk away free. 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. They came with an envelope full of pictures and hoped that Richard Wershe Sr. would recognize the faces. 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. He did it just as big as me, the Curry brothers, Maserati Rick whoever you want to name.. View: 9187. Richard Wershe Jr. mugshot for Florida Department of Corrections, Detroit historian: White Boy Rick Wershe prison release way overdue. In Mayor Youngs city, to get Curry into trouble was dangerous for himself and bad for his business. 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. At that time, this personality was just 17 years old. While his father did not recognize them, Wershe Jr. did. Dawn and Rick's grandparents are also in the film. 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. However, by then, Darlene had remarried and Wershe Jr. was not fond of his stepfather. BoogeyMan Ben/YouTubeInspector Gil Hill was a minor celebrity. The FBI sent Wershe Jr. there with a fake id and $15,000 so he would continue to do his job as an informant. Publicity about the case in 2017, by which time he had spent nearly three decades behind bars in Michigan as a nonviolent drug offender whose offense was committed when he was 17, led to him being paroled, but directly to US Marshals who took him to begin serving five years in Florida State Prison on a 2008 car theft ring conviction (crime committed behind bars). We have no more information about his spouse. It was a bit of stretch. Now, his relationship is perfect. Before he went, he told both the police and the federal agency about him. 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