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well we in Detroit to follow the white
boy Rick story closely for years and now
it's going national with both a new film
starring Matthew McConaughey and a new
podcast starring Kevin Dietz who the
defenders my colleague here at local for
can't let me start with a movie it comes
out this coming Friday was interesting
you got to talk to Rick were she in
prison now in Florida about it he
doesn't have a whole lot of interest in
the movie he's no way for him to see it
he doesn't really know what's in it yeah
he really said it's really just no big
deal when you're behind bars he's not
gonna be at those red carpets and he's
not even going to be able to see the
movie but he is grateful though that
people thought enough of his story to
make it into a movie
and he is still hopeful that somehow the
attention from the movie will get now
the clemency board down in Florida to
look in his case take it up and maybe
consider releasing him early movie could
be powerful for him in that sense no
doubt it remains this very compelling
story someone that you've covered now
for years you've put together an
eight-part podcast
tell me about what it took to do that
yeah so we spent the last three months
talking to over 20 people and when you
do a podcast you don't sit down and do a
five-minute interview you sit down and
do a two-hour interview so imagine all
the new stories you get in all the
things you learn in fact as somebody who
has covered this for so many years I
imagine you've still learned a lot of
things you didn't know it was it was
unbelievable some of the things I
learned from the FBI about some of the
sting operations they did there were
sting operations that where she helped
set up that I had no idea that even took
place he was put in prison cells to
learn information about the Mafia in New
York I mean he was they were using him a
lot when they when FBI agent says he was
the best informant we had at the time
they made nationwide anywhere anywhere
yeah and he was an informant at 14 years
old and then he was an informant again
from behind bars at 21 but what was
really interesting was talking to family
members about young Rick were she and
what he was so similar to his father's
father had like 20 different patents he
was an inventor and he he had like five
or six different jobs and all these
different shops you know he's like a
hustler yeah and Rick were she was kind
of the same way he'd buy your bike off
yeah and then clean it up and sell it
for a couple extra bucks he he would go
to
chose with his father who was selling
guns legally at gun shows and he'd give
Rick his own table to sell BB guns and
he could keep the profit off of what he
could sell and scientist an
entrepreneurial spirit that
unfortunately works really well in the
drug world and the underworld sometimes
yeah well you know what happened I think
is that Rick where she's senior I wanted
to be pals with a song and you can
understand that you know but when it
came time to really parent he was more
his friend than a parent and when Rick
went from being an informant for the
police to being a drug dealer he needed
someone to step in and say you can't do
that I'm wondering if after all of the
looking into this that you've done if
you've arrived at any differing
conclusions or even stronger more
strongly held conclusions now about why
he ended up being in jail for so long
given that he did all of what you just
mentioned he was the most effective
informant that the FBI had and yet he
couldn't get out of jail you know I can
see it both ways really some people say
there's this conspiracy that someone had
to have it in for him further otherwise
CBI why is he the last guy to get out
why him you know but you know when you
put the time line out there and he was
up for parole after 15 years and it
could have been a coin toss at that
point and then right after that he gets
involved in stolen car rings so well yet
from jail so you could say that it just
was circumstances but when you look at
the totality of it all you have two
crimes you have a drug crime and you
have a stolen car theft problem yeah and
neither of those are violent crimes and
when you say you're still in prison 31
years later compared to all the people
who get out the people who get out are
involved in violent crimes there's
murderers and rapists and and all those
things that you hear about and they're
doing 15 years should is Rick or she
innocent no she should even gone to jail
absolutely did he bring drugs in the
community yes what is a dangerous kid
yes you know but how long 10 years 15 20
25 I mean you're not 31 years for two
nonviolent crimes and it's you know it's
why movies get made like this last thing
I wanted to ask you it's an interesting
twist that's come along now he's got a
girlfriend who is while you're in prison
which is always a fascinating thing to
me how that happens
but it's somebody who's no
new for Becca's childhood yes it's
probably like the softer side of Rick
you know you hear you're talking to
white boy Rick the drug kingpin
supposedly and and here's now this guy
who's in love and it is fascinating he
he had a girlfriend in eighth grade when
he lived in the suburbs and he has
reconnected with her now last 18 months
the podcast is called shattered white
boy Rick and you can find it at wherever
podcast app store you tend to use and
it's definitely worth the listen eight
episodes and fascinating as always Kevin
thanks very much for being here by the
way quick word about tomorrow Detroit
News and local four releasing a new poll
on where things stand in the political
races in Michigan make sure you're
following local 4 news for that Meet the
Press coming up next have a great week
we'll see you next time
flash
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