1 00:00:01,880 --> 00:00:04,880 Speaker 1: The public has had a long held fascination with detectives. 2 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:08,039 Speaker 1: Detective sy aside of life the average person is never 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,119 Speaker 1: exposed to. I spent thirty four years as a cop. 4 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: For twenty five of those years, I was catching killers. 5 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: That's what I did for a living. I was a 6 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:20,560 Speaker 1: homicide detective. I'm no longer just interviewing bad guys. Instead, 7 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,120 Speaker 1: I'm taking the public into the world in which I operated. 8 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:26,400 Speaker 1: The guests I talk to each week have amazing stories 9 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: from all sides of the law. The interviews are raw 10 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: and honest, just like the people I talk to. Some 11 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:34,640 Speaker 1: of the content and language might be confronting. That's because 12 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: no one who comes into contact with crime is left unchanged. 13 00:00:38,159 --> 00:00:40,400 Speaker 1: Join me now as I take you into this world. 14 00:00:46,080 --> 00:00:49,160 Speaker 1: Welcome back to part two of my chat with Lou Velosi, 15 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: a former US federal agent with the ATF who spent 16 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: over two decades working deep undercover. Lou so much to 17 00:00:56,880 --> 00:01:00,160 Speaker 1: talk about. I'm going to throw one thing out that 18 00:01:00,520 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: I heard on the podcast. I think it was on 19 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:04,560 Speaker 1: the real one, but you talked about going into a 20 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:06,959 Speaker 1: bikie clubhouse. I worked gangs for a long time, so 21 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: I know the environment you're talking about. That you went 22 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 1: into a bikie clubhouse on an announced to make some connections. 23 00:01:15,080 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: Do you want to just tell us through that story, 24 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: because it blew me away, the fact that you went 25 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: in there and how you manage yourself in that environment. 26 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:25,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure. You know, it was very early in 27 00:01:25,200 --> 00:01:28,959 Speaker 2: my undercover career. It was actually the first kind of 28 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:33,160 Speaker 2: I guess what you would call organized crime case I 29 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 2: got pulled into. You know, I was only doing up 30 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 2: to that point, I had only done those back alley 31 00:01:40,319 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 2: you know, drug deals and gun deals that we talked about. 32 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 2: So and the only reason I got called into this 33 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 2: was I was the only agent in my field division, 34 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:54,040 Speaker 2: the only other agent that had a motorcycle license. It 35 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 2: wasn't because of any skill or anything I had. I 36 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 2: really knew nothing about outlaw bakers, you know. I didn't 37 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:04,840 Speaker 2: grow up in that environment, huge thing up in New York. 38 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 2: And so there was an undercover agent who was already 39 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 2: somewhat embedded with this gang and his partner, and in 40 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:19,320 Speaker 2: a lot of these cases, very important they have a 41 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 2: partner just for a lot of reasons. His partner was 42 00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,440 Speaker 2: a local cop who was just on the task force, 43 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 2: and when his department saw they were supposed to go 44 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 2: with this gang down to a bike round at Daytona, 45 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 2: which is a big bike rally and all that, and 46 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 2: this was in Atlanta, Georgia. His department were like, listen, 47 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:47,560 Speaker 2: we didn't really sign up for all this. We're going 48 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 2: to pull our guy out this. We're getting in a 49 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:52,799 Speaker 2: little bit over his head, a little bit yeah, a 50 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 2: little bit deep. So ATF, you know, the ATF agent 51 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 2: in there needed a partner, so I got the all again. 52 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 2: The only reason was I had a motorcycle license. And 53 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 2: the only reason I had a motorcycle license was when 54 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 2: I was a kid, like I don't know, maybe seventeen 55 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:11,000 Speaker 2: or eighteen years old, I had a Yamaha for like 56 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:11,680 Speaker 2: three months. 57 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 1: Uh. 58 00:03:13,280 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 2: I was never any good at riding a motorcycle or 59 00:03:15,400 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 2: anything like that, and it never been on a Harley. 60 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,080 Speaker 2: So but I never said no. So when they asked me, 61 00:03:21,120 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 2: I said, I'm in. Let's go. So uh you know, 62 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 2: when I got there, I met the informants, these two 63 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 2: huge biker guys, the undercover, and they gave me. They 64 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 2: gave me this chopper, you know, one of them old 65 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 2: kickstart shovel head Harley's. I didn't I couldn't figure out 66 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 2: how to start it, let alone ride it. Or so 67 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,920 Speaker 2: they were like, hey, let's go follow us. And you know, 68 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 2: driving through the north where North Georgia, driving into Atlanta, 69 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 2: and it was kind of misty, a little bit of 70 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,560 Speaker 2: rain coming down, and these guys drive real fast and 71 00:03:56,920 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 2: I'm trying to follow them, you know, the head like 72 00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:01,560 Speaker 2: the all I can say, our tail light's getting farther 73 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 2: and farther away. And I go around a curve and 74 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:08,160 Speaker 2: I dropped the bike end up in a ditch. And 75 00:04:09,240 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 2: you know if you heard me tell the story before, 76 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:14,440 Speaker 2: but that I'm in the ditch and the bike's still 77 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:17,920 Speaker 2: the bike's still on everything, mirrors are all bent and everything. 78 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 2: And they finally realize I'm not behind him anymore. And 79 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:24,279 Speaker 2: they come back and the big informant says to the 80 00:04:24,360 --> 00:04:27,279 Speaker 2: undercoverage and goes, you want us to bring this fucking 81 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:31,560 Speaker 2: guy into the Outlaws clubhouse. He can't even ride a motorcycle. 82 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 2: And when I when I as bad as I was 83 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,560 Speaker 2: hurting from the fall, when I heard him say that, 84 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:42,040 Speaker 2: I was like, no, help me pick this bike up 85 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:44,920 Speaker 2: and bend everything back as best we could. It was 86 00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 2: still driveable, and so we went to this clubhouse. And 87 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 2: when I walked in, it was it was a shock 88 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:56,480 Speaker 2: for me. You know. I again, I didn't have any experience. 89 00:04:56,560 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 2: I didn't know anything about these guys. It was just 90 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 2: an evil place. And I just got a really bad 91 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 2: feeling in there. And you know, there's these guys and 92 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:10,039 Speaker 2: they're just some nasty fellas. I mean, you guys, you 93 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:13,360 Speaker 2: got them over there. You know, they're some bad guys. 94 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:13,640 Speaker 1: Man. 95 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:19,080 Speaker 2: And I'm in there and I realize, you know, I 96 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:22,159 Speaker 2: don't know how to act. I don't know anything about 97 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 2: these guys. So you know, I'm going to listen to 98 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 2: my partner, my old my old partner, my first partner. 99 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 2: I'm just gonna keep my mouth shut for a while. 100 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 2: And I did. I just I just got I was 101 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:36,080 Speaker 2: a wallflower, man. I just stood against the wall, and uh, 102 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 2: you know, my my my new partner there is you know, 103 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 2: he's interacting with these guys and they're kissing and hugging 104 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 2: and drinking and all that, and I, you know, I 105 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,480 Speaker 2: just stood there, man, and I watched. I watched how 106 00:05:48,520 --> 00:05:52,240 Speaker 2: these guys carried themselves, how they handled themselves. And I 107 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:54,560 Speaker 2: could tell right away who the president was by the 108 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:58,279 Speaker 2: way he was being treated and all. And uh, after 109 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 2: probably close to forty five minutes of not saying a 110 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 2: word and just watching, I made the decision to approach 111 00:06:05,960 --> 00:06:08,359 Speaker 2: the president. I went up to the president. You know, 112 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 2: like I said before, I was real big back then, 113 00:06:11,640 --> 00:06:15,920 Speaker 2: and I you know, so I figured, you know, at 114 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 2: least I got something to offer. I'm a big goon, 115 00:06:18,760 --> 00:06:23,920 Speaker 2: at least young. And I said to the President, sir, 116 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:29,000 Speaker 2: you know, you know, this is my name, and this 117 00:06:29,080 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 2: is my first time here. I'm with SO and so. 118 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:35,800 Speaker 2: You know, I don't I don't know your your rules, 119 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 2: I don't know your you know your culture, and I 120 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:41,920 Speaker 2: certainly don't want to offend you or anybody else. I 121 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 2: just want to learn from you guys because I like 122 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 2: what I see and I want to become one of 123 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,279 Speaker 2: you guys someday. And man, he just ate that up 124 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:51,880 Speaker 2: because he's looking at he's just looking at this goon, 125 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 2: this big goon that that he can mold, you know, 126 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:58,000 Speaker 2: and make you lose, because that's what they do, They 127 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 2: use people, and making the one of his own. And 128 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 2: from that point he just he took a lake into 129 00:07:03,880 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 2: me and took me under his wing. And I learned 130 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:10,320 Speaker 2: such a valuable lesson that day for my future long 131 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 2: term operations. You know, shut up, read the room right, 132 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,920 Speaker 2: and you know, talk very strategically to the right people. Yeah. 133 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,480 Speaker 1: Look, I wanted to unpack that and get you to 134 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: tell that story again because when you started telling the 135 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 1: story that you had a bike license, like, okay, that's 136 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: not going to make you look like you've been born 137 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: on the Harley Davidson be able to rock up to 138 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: a clubhouse and look, look the part and act the part. 139 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 1: So I was laughing with you, but also at you, 140 00:07:43,880 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 1: thinking who the hell's this bloke think he is? He's 141 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: going to pull this one off? Full cu thos to 142 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:50,760 Speaker 1: you after you dropped the bike to get back on there. 143 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:53,800 Speaker 1: But I understand when your pride's being insulted sometimes you 144 00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:57,480 Speaker 1: just got to suck it in. But I was really curious. 145 00:07:57,600 --> 00:08:00,200 Speaker 1: I was really because and if you want to talk 146 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:04,559 Speaker 1: bikes with legitimate bikes are going to catch out within 147 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:08,840 Speaker 1: saying halla if you don't know your way around the Harley. 148 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:11,640 Speaker 1: But the other thing is I was really curious knowing 149 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:14,400 Speaker 1: the atmosphere, and you described it very well. What goes 150 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: on in the clubhouse. It has a sense of menace 151 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: about it. The moment you set foot in there, how 152 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:23,920 Speaker 1: you handle it. And it was a fascinating way that okay, 153 00:08:24,200 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: and I really got an insight into the way that 154 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: you would operate. Like you could have gone in there 155 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 1: and tried to talk as a tough guy and they 156 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: would have smelt you out straight straight away and think 157 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 1: how that this is not adding up? But the approach 158 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:38,120 Speaker 1: you had seemed to just work perfectly for you. 159 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 2: You know, I didn't like it. I never liked the 160 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 2: biker stuff. I only did two of those, which was 161 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 2: which was two more than I wanted to do. I 162 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 2: ended up after the Outlaws in Atlanta, I ended up 163 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:55,079 Speaker 2: going to California maybe maybe three or four years later 164 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:58,559 Speaker 2: and on a Hell's Angels, working under cover on a 165 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 2: Hell's Angels out of San Diego case. And I tell 166 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 2: you I never I never really got much better on 167 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 2: a motorcycle. And just to bring in the story full circle, 168 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 2: I actually, you know, I had an undercover motorcycle for 169 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:16,800 Speaker 2: most of my career, and you know then I just 170 00:09:16,880 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 2: I kind of got into it a little bit, and 171 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:26,199 Speaker 2: I probably owned maybe six or seven Harley's on personal bikes, 172 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 2: and but I never it just wasn't me. I never 173 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:36,000 Speaker 2: was a good motorcycle rider. In about about five years ago, 174 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 2: we were going on a family vacation. I hadn't started 175 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:43,080 Speaker 2: my bike in probably three or four months, so I said, 176 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:45,280 Speaker 2: you know what, let me just let me just ride 177 00:09:45,280 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 2: the bike around the neighborhood just to charge the battery. 178 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 2: And so I just drove around my neighborhood and it 179 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 2: had rained like the day before, and I was I 180 00:09:57,040 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 2: couldn't have been going more in two or three miles 181 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,079 Speaker 2: per hour. I mean I was early moving, just taking 182 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:03,520 Speaker 2: a turn. I went over some leaves. I didn't realize 183 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 2: they were wet underneath, and the bike went out and 184 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:10,800 Speaker 2: I fell. I dumped the bike again. And I saw 185 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 2: that bike as soon as we got back from vacation, 186 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:15,360 Speaker 2: and I've never been on one since. 187 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:18,880 Speaker 3: So your bike riding days, Yeah, that was it. 188 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:21,839 Speaker 1: That's a pretty It's a pretty easy way to make 189 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:25,320 Speaker 1: a fool of yourself when you think you're sitting pretty 190 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:28,559 Speaker 1: looking cool, And yeah, you shouldn't have gone over those leaves. 191 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:31,200 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, you pull up and just drop the bike 192 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:33,280 Speaker 1: and can't pick it up. But all these things that 193 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:37,080 Speaker 1: can happen dealing with the pressure. There was another interesting 194 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 1: thing I've heard you say in interviews that you would 195 00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:44,920 Speaker 1: quite often go into boxing gyms or jiu jitsu and 196 00:10:45,559 --> 00:10:49,720 Speaker 1: get lit up by some some boxer, or you get 197 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 1: grappled to the ground and mauled by someone that's a 198 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:55,960 Speaker 1: little bit better. The way that you were talking about it, 199 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:58,160 Speaker 1: you're talking about, well, the pressure that you feel when 200 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: you're getting lit up by someone in the boxing ring 201 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 1: that's better than you and you still got two minutes 202 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:04,920 Speaker 1: ago of a three minute round. That's the type of 203 00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: pressure you need to be able to deal with when 204 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:11,280 Speaker 1: you're you're undercovering the pressure spots. Is that something that 205 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: you would just work for you? Finding pressure, dealing with 206 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:17,240 Speaker 1: pressure that way, that was. 207 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:20,840 Speaker 2: About the only thing that worked for me. And it's funny, 208 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 2: very similar feeling to me to walk into a boxing 209 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:31,439 Speaker 2: gym in some strange city to Spa was a very 210 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 2: similar feeling as walking into that outlaw biker clubhouse, right, 211 00:11:36,720 --> 00:11:40,160 Speaker 2: you know, kind of enemy territory. You know, no one 212 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:42,400 Speaker 2: knows you, but you know, a big guy walking into 213 00:11:42,400 --> 00:11:45,000 Speaker 2: a boxing gym, everyone's going to be looking at you. 214 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:48,000 Speaker 2: You know, you're getting a ring and it is amazing, 215 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 2: you know, when you when you are not a professional 216 00:11:51,320 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 2: fighter and you get into a ring with a pro, 217 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:57,559 Speaker 2: you know, even I'm just talking about these local pros 218 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:01,319 Speaker 2: who just fight club like, you know, the skill difference 219 00:12:01,360 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 2: is just amazing. 220 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 3: And your up block at Christmas str Yeah, totally. 221 00:12:07,440 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 2: And if they ninety nine percent of them are cool, 222 00:12:10,400 --> 00:12:12,599 Speaker 2: you know, but you know there's always one. Sometimes it 223 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:16,679 Speaker 2: goes overboard, but but it to me, it was it 224 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 2: was a mental exercise as much as it was physical exercise, 225 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 2: just to keep me on my toes and keep that 226 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:30,160 Speaker 2: uh you know, that that sense of being uncomfortable, you know, 227 00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 2: getting comfortable with being in an uncomfortable situation, whether it's 228 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:37,480 Speaker 2: you know, whether you're someone's taking your back on the 229 00:12:37,480 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 2: mat in jiu jitsu, you know, or some guys just 230 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:43,280 Speaker 2: just sending body shots into you, you know, in a 231 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 2: in a boxing ring, you know, to be able to 232 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:48,400 Speaker 2: breathe and still keep your head and be comfortable in 233 00:12:48,440 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 2: those kind of situations. So to me, that that was 234 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:56,000 Speaker 2: how I did a lot of guys, you know, would 235 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:58,880 Speaker 2: just go out and drink their asses off, but that 236 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:01,440 Speaker 2: that worked. Not that I didn't do that as well, 237 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 2: but that worked better for me to keep me mentally 238 00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 2: sound during these things. 239 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:11,559 Speaker 1: Yeah, I was fascinated that it came up in conversation 240 00:13:11,679 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 1: with you, and I just I could really relate to 241 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: it because it was a way of sort of separating. 242 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: And yeah, I also sometimes find have a drink and 243 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 1: forget about things, but then you wake up the next 244 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: day's it hasn't got it got any better. So, yeah, challenging, 245 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:31,200 Speaker 1: challenging yourself there, And yeah, when you're walking in and 246 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 1: you would you would have walked in the court. I 247 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: always got nervous before I walked in the court. Didn't 248 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:37,720 Speaker 1: matter that you weren't hiding anything. You knew you were 249 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:40,960 Speaker 1: going to be carved up and carved up very publicly. 250 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:45,240 Speaker 1: That you get a custom to that pressure that you're 251 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 1: comfortable being uncomfortable. And I could really relate to relate 252 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:50,840 Speaker 1: to that, And it's just it's a good way. And 253 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:54,560 Speaker 1: there's other ways you could find that. But let's let's 254 00:13:54,600 --> 00:14:00,319 Speaker 1: talk about the storefront sting, because it's a strategy that 255 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 1: you you became an expert on, like across the country. 256 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:06,480 Speaker 1: And if I'm not wrong, it's yeah, the amount of 257 00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:08,600 Speaker 1: guns and drugs you got off the street from these 258 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:11,760 Speaker 1: operations known there's a store storefront stink. 259 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:14,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, I was you know, I start out by saying, 260 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:18,960 Speaker 2: we did not invent the storefront you know concept that 261 00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:22,480 Speaker 2: you know, the ny PD and LAPD they were doing 262 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 2: these things back in the sixties and seventies, but for 263 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:29,320 Speaker 2: the most part, they were just doing and they were 264 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 2: trying to disrupt these fencing operations stolen goods, you know, 265 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:38,320 Speaker 2: so they would do little pawn shop type places and 266 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 2: to take in stolen merchandise. For the most part, we 267 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:49,200 Speaker 2: took that concept and just blew it up and made 268 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:54,760 Speaker 2: it bigger and bigger. And you know, I fell into 269 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:59,000 Speaker 2: that kind of the same way, you know, I fell 270 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 2: into that bike case. I just got a phone call 271 00:15:02,960 --> 00:15:06,440 Speaker 2: from an agent who in another office, who said, hey, man, 272 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 2: would you uh you know, we have a we're starting 273 00:15:09,240 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 2: up this storefront operation. It's going to be a tattoo shop. 274 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:16,400 Speaker 2: We're doing it in conjunction with the local Sheriff's department. 275 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:20,040 Speaker 2: We need an undercover. Would you do the undercover? I 276 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 2: said absolutely, I'll be there tomorrow. And I didn't even 277 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:27,960 Speaker 2: I didn't really even know what a storefront was. So 278 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 2: I went up there and I saw the setup they 279 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 2: had and it was phenomenal. Man. It was in a 280 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:37,880 Speaker 2: really bad neighborhood, very ghetto, and it was a it 281 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 2: was a ghetto tattoo shop like it was the kind 282 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:43,720 Speaker 2: of place you wouldn't want to get a tattoo for 283 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:47,680 Speaker 2: the most part. And the informant was the tattoo artist, 284 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:50,160 Speaker 2: and he was trying to stay out of prison and 285 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:54,080 Speaker 2: he had already in prison. He had tattooed everybody, so 286 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:59,000 Speaker 2: he knew the players. He knew everybody. And his deal 287 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 2: with you know, with the police and with ATF was 288 00:16:02,680 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 2: he was going to work off his charges by doing 289 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:08,040 Speaker 2: this case. So he was just going to do the 290 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:11,080 Speaker 2: tattoos and bring the bad guys in and it was 291 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:15,720 Speaker 2: my job in my undercover team to engage them. And 292 00:16:16,200 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 2: it was a gang ridden place, gangs everywhere, and you know, 293 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 2: we were to buy the guns, buy the drugs, stolen cars, 294 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 2: whatever they were doing, and and you know, hopefully take 295 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:33,200 Speaker 2: some of these gangs down. So we started and I 296 00:16:33,280 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 2: was the manager of this place, and we had, you know, 297 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:42,240 Speaker 2: we had the tattoo area with the chair and then 298 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 2: there was just like an area where we sold paraphernalia 299 00:16:46,480 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 2: and all the flash on the wall and rolling papers 300 00:16:49,120 --> 00:16:53,080 Speaker 2: and all that stuff. And I didn't really have high 301 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:56,840 Speaker 2: expected I didn't really know what to expect. And you know, 302 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 2: as they started in, you know that people get tattoos, 303 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:07,040 Speaker 2: and we started just having conversations. They had a lot 304 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:11,159 Speaker 2: of good ideas. The Sheriff's department. They said, we're going 305 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:16,880 Speaker 2: to put out a clear box of sharpiees markers and 306 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,320 Speaker 2: the walls were all white, right, they didn't. They just 307 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:22,360 Speaker 2: painted all the walls white. They said, we're gonna tell 308 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:24,160 Speaker 2: these guys they can go ahead and they can tag 309 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:26,720 Speaker 2: all the walls whatever they want, you know, just tell 310 00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:30,879 Speaker 2: them no hateing, keep it sill. So we told that 311 00:17:30,960 --> 00:17:33,760 Speaker 2: and they started tagging the walls and doing all their 312 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:36,840 Speaker 2: gang signs and stuff. And you know, the whole no 313 00:17:36,960 --> 00:17:40,200 Speaker 2: hating thing. That lasted about ten minutes, right, and there's 314 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,399 Speaker 2: their fin me veiled threats and you know, murder threats 315 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:45,600 Speaker 2: and all that, and you know, we actually cut all 316 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:47,399 Speaker 2: that out as evidence, all the drywall at the end 317 00:17:47,400 --> 00:17:51,560 Speaker 2: of the case. But we told these guys when they 318 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:54,879 Speaker 2: would come in, listen, this is neutral territory. Everybody's welcome here. 319 00:17:54,960 --> 00:18:00,199 Speaker 2: No beefing when you're in here. It's neutral. So it 320 00:18:00,320 --> 00:18:02,199 Speaker 2: just started out real small. You know, they would come 321 00:18:02,240 --> 00:18:04,879 Speaker 2: in and they you know, everyone was smoking weed. And 322 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:07,399 Speaker 2: there the informant was smoking weed. He wasn't supposed to. 323 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,680 Speaker 2: All the everyone who was in there was smoking weed 324 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:14,960 Speaker 2: except for us. But you know, there was no ventilation, 325 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:17,520 Speaker 2: there was no I mean, so we were probably high 326 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:23,080 Speaker 2: the whole time, I'm sure. And we just started making 327 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:26,600 Speaker 2: conversation with these guys and inevitably, you know, these guys 328 00:18:26,640 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 2: sell drugs and guns, and it came up and I 329 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:35,000 Speaker 2: let them know that. My side hustle was I had 330 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:38,800 Speaker 2: a moving truck, which we really did, and I would 331 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:42,320 Speaker 2: move people, you know, from place to place. But I 332 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:45,679 Speaker 2: would use that truck when I got enough guns that 333 00:18:45,760 --> 00:18:47,879 Speaker 2: I would sell in New York. And I don't know 334 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 2: what you know about you know, I don't know how 335 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:53,479 Speaker 2: it works in Australia. But you know, every state has 336 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:57,439 Speaker 2: different gun laws here. So it's the whole supplied demand graph, right, 337 00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:00,520 Speaker 2: So in states like New York where the normal person 338 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:04,159 Speaker 2: can't get a gun and carry it, okay, and in 339 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:08,840 Speaker 2: places down south here Georgia, Carolinas, anyone can buy a 340 00:19:08,840 --> 00:19:12,480 Speaker 2: gun and carry it. So that that gun down here 341 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:16,320 Speaker 2: that you can buy for three hundred bucks, is you 342 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 2: can sell in New York for two thousand bucks on 343 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:24,640 Speaker 2: the streets. So gun trafficking is a real thing, very 344 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:27,800 Speaker 2: very common. So I told them, listen, once I get 345 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 2: like two three hundred guns, I just I fill that 346 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 2: truck with furniture and I'll move a family from Atlanta 347 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:35,639 Speaker 2: to New York and I just put all the guns, 348 00:19:35,800 --> 00:19:38,920 Speaker 2: hide them into furniture. Even if I get pulled over, 349 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:41,880 Speaker 2: I say, man, I'm just moving furniture. You know, it's 350 00:19:41,920 --> 00:19:44,240 Speaker 2: not my stuff. And these guys love that. They were 351 00:19:44,240 --> 00:19:46,920 Speaker 2: like right on. So that was my excuse to keep 352 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:52,840 Speaker 2: buying guns. So next thing I knew, man, we are 353 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,200 Speaker 2: asking for more money. We don't even have enough buy 354 00:19:56,280 --> 00:19:59,800 Speaker 2: money we got. We're buying tens of thousands of X 355 00:20:00,080 --> 00:20:05,080 Speaker 2: SEE pills, and we're buying machine guns, sought off shotguns, 356 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:12,200 Speaker 2: stolen guns, every you name it, we're buying it, grenades, 357 00:20:12,400 --> 00:20:17,600 Speaker 2: everything they're bringing in, you know, every drug known to mankind. 358 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:23,320 Speaker 2: And this thing is just spider webbing and without you know, 359 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:25,440 Speaker 2: once the word got out in the street, we didn't 360 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:27,920 Speaker 2: even have to do that much. They were just coming 361 00:20:27,920 --> 00:20:31,719 Speaker 2: to us, and we're having to be strategic with spending 362 00:20:31,760 --> 00:20:34,679 Speaker 2: money because we only want to spend on you know, 363 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:37,879 Speaker 2: get the most bang for the buck, we're actually turning 364 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:44,359 Speaker 2: we're turning people away. And so the success, you know, 365 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:50,320 Speaker 2: twelve months later, it was a twelve month operation. We 366 00:20:50,359 --> 00:20:53,120 Speaker 2: had purchased four hundred and thirty crime guns. 367 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 3: Wow. 368 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:56,440 Speaker 2: And this is a small city. This is Augusta, Georgia, 369 00:20:56,760 --> 00:21:00,359 Speaker 2: not a huge city. And you know drug I mean, 370 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:02,719 Speaker 2: I can't even tell you how much drugs. But we 371 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 2: had one hundred defendants, one hundred federal defense now about 372 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 2: I think we had sixty five federal defendants in about 373 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 2: thirty five state defense. And you know, these are these 374 00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:17,040 Speaker 2: are numbers that AHTF wasn't used to seeing. It was 375 00:21:17,040 --> 00:21:18,240 Speaker 2: a real big it was a big deal. 376 00:21:18,920 --> 00:21:22,359 Speaker 1: As they're coming in, you're recording all the transactions and 377 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:23,400 Speaker 1: keeping the records. 378 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:26,159 Speaker 3: It's and it's basically you've you've got them jammed up 379 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 3: big time. 380 00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:27,000 Speaker 2: Yep. 381 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:29,680 Speaker 1: If if that they've come in there, they've they've come 382 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 1: into your trap and it's going to be very hard 383 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 1: for them to uh wiggle their way out of that 384 00:21:35,680 --> 00:21:37,120 Speaker 1: in the court situation. 385 00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:40,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, it's hard to say it was entrapment 386 00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:43,159 Speaker 2: or anything else when you're on camera driving up in 387 00:21:43,200 --> 00:21:45,760 Speaker 2: your car, walking through the door, pulling a gun out 388 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:46,920 Speaker 2: of your waist and selling it. 389 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:47,160 Speaker 1: Right. 390 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:49,320 Speaker 2: It's a tough one to defend. That's why none of 391 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 2: those cases ever want to trial. The hardest part in 392 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:58,439 Speaker 2: that type operation, we found out was identifying everybody right, okay. 393 00:21:57,640 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 3: Uh. 394 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:00,640 Speaker 2: They would never drive up in a car that registered 395 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:03,879 Speaker 2: to them. It'd be registered to some girl and or 396 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,800 Speaker 2: be a rental and they would be rented by somebody else, 397 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:10,240 Speaker 2: some girl or whatever it was. They'd never give you 398 00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:12,719 Speaker 2: a real name, you know, a lot of times they 399 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:15,440 Speaker 2: were just using burner phone. So we'd get real creative 400 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:18,800 Speaker 2: to identify these guys. Sometimes we would have to have 401 00:22:18,840 --> 00:22:22,280 Speaker 2: cover teams follow them and you know, try and put 402 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:25,439 Speaker 2: them to bed whatever it was, you know, we did. 403 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 2: We did other creative things like giveaways. We found that 404 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:31,840 Speaker 2: these guys never wanted to give out their real name 405 00:22:31,920 --> 00:22:35,119 Speaker 2: or their real number. But if you offered them something free, 406 00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:39,600 Speaker 2: the possibility of a free television or or you know, 407 00:22:40,119 --> 00:22:44,000 Speaker 2: a three hundred dollars cash prize or something, they would 408 00:22:44,080 --> 00:22:46,639 Speaker 2: fill out the little form and they would put a 409 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:49,000 Speaker 2: real phone number or real name or some way to 410 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:50,600 Speaker 2: get a hold of them in case they won. And 411 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:52,560 Speaker 2: I would tell these guys, listen, just fold it at 412 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:54,040 Speaker 2: the corner and I'll make sure I pick you one 413 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:56,639 Speaker 2: because I'm the one who picks the winning So so 414 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:58,360 Speaker 2: we did that a lot, and we would actually give 415 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:01,239 Speaker 2: TVs away whatever it was to keep it real. But 416 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:03,800 Speaker 2: that's and even if they didn't put anything real down, 417 00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:08,160 Speaker 2: we would even have the prints lifted from the little 418 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 2: slip they filled out when they dropped it in. So 419 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:12,040 Speaker 2: we got creative. 420 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:15,480 Speaker 1: I love the creative side of it, like law enforcement, 421 00:23:15,520 --> 00:23:18,000 Speaker 1: and I think that's a part of law enforcement people 422 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:22,200 Speaker 1: see as black and white, but the creative thinking like that. 423 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:25,160 Speaker 1: I'm getting excited just thinking of all the opportunities where 424 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:27,000 Speaker 1: you've got people coming in like that and the things 425 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:28,919 Speaker 1: that you could do. One of the things that you 426 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:31,240 Speaker 1: talk about in the book, and you use a number 427 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 1: of examples, but just give a sense of it when 428 00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:37,680 Speaker 1: you talk street theater, when you've got to get these 429 00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:41,160 Speaker 1: blokes to the people that you're trying to bring in, 430 00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:43,960 Speaker 1: get them to accept you are the genuine bad guys. 431 00:23:44,520 --> 00:23:48,800 Speaker 2: Street theater is my favorite aspect of my career. 432 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:50,920 Speaker 3: I reckon it would be a bit of fun. 433 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:53,919 Speaker 2: The most fun I ever had my whole career was 434 00:23:54,240 --> 00:23:57,320 Speaker 2: doing street theater. And you know, I again, I take 435 00:23:57,359 --> 00:24:00,080 Speaker 2: no cared. I didn't invent it was gays before for 436 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:03,119 Speaker 2: me who were doing it, But basically the principal was 437 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 2: and we did it for several reasons, but the main 438 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:12,600 Speaker 2: reasons we were doing it the street theater in these 439 00:24:12,640 --> 00:24:18,080 Speaker 2: storefronts was to show the bad guys, you know, in 440 00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:23,680 Speaker 2: this community we were in that we were moving the product, right, 441 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:27,960 Speaker 2: because who just keeps buying drugs and keeps buying guns 442 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:32,320 Speaker 2: like NonStop cops. Okay, you wanted to show them that, 443 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,600 Speaker 2: you know, we had on our own hustle and ongoing operation. 444 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:37,680 Speaker 2: You know, we were buying this stuff and we were 445 00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:40,080 Speaker 2: selling you know, whatever happened to be, the guns and 446 00:24:40,119 --> 00:24:44,920 Speaker 2: the drugs, stolen cars, whatever. So we would do what 447 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:51,160 Speaker 2: we called street theater operations where we would hire Usually 448 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:53,200 Speaker 2: we would hire one of the local gangs we were 449 00:24:53,240 --> 00:24:58,119 Speaker 2: dealing with as security for the deal, and then we 450 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,919 Speaker 2: would call in other undercover agents from different cities who 451 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:05,160 Speaker 2: wouldn't be known there to come in and we would 452 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:09,199 Speaker 2: do a deal, a fake deal between ourselves. So I 453 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 2: would for instance, I in this one instance where we 454 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:17,720 Speaker 2: did a store for an operation that was a military 455 00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:22,320 Speaker 2: surplus store with a shooting a three lane three lane 456 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:25,320 Speaker 2: shooting range attached to it. It's one of my favorite ones. 457 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:27,560 Speaker 2: So we had these gangsters coming in and they could 458 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:30,760 Speaker 2: blast their guns, convicted felons with our guns, shooting in 459 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:35,359 Speaker 2: our in our shooting. So this local, a local street 460 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:38,919 Speaker 2: gang we were dealing with. I told these guys we 461 00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:41,080 Speaker 2: had been buying a bunch of guns off these guys, 462 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:45,800 Speaker 2: and I said, listen, I have to deal with this 463 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:51,280 Speaker 2: crew out of Miami. I don't know them, and they're 464 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 2: going to come in here and we're selling them a 465 00:25:55,560 --> 00:26:00,199 Speaker 2: bunch of machine guns. I need I need security. Can 466 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:02,720 Speaker 2: you you know? Can you can? I hire you for 467 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:06,920 Speaker 2: to day? And they were like, that's what we do, right, 468 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:09,320 Speaker 2: And I never told I would never tell any of 469 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:11,119 Speaker 2: them to bring your gun. I would just hire that. 470 00:26:11,119 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 2: I'd say this, I'll give you a couple hundred bucks, 471 00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,919 Speaker 2: whatever it was. And but I would always have to 472 00:26:15,960 --> 00:26:21,919 Speaker 2: give them very specific instructions. Don't do anything unless I 473 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 2: say to do something. Right, you don't have to do anything, 474 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,360 Speaker 2: just stand there, because I didn't want any of these 475 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,439 Speaker 2: guys getting over sell this and pulling guns. And you 476 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:33,840 Speaker 2: know what I mean, I can say that that, yeah, 477 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:38,840 Speaker 2: this is all fake. So so these guys would show up. 478 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:40,960 Speaker 2: We would never set the deal too early because it 479 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 2: was always hard to get them to show up on time. 480 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:45,359 Speaker 2: They would show up and we would have all this 481 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:48,480 Speaker 2: scripted and worked out before with the undercovers. So in 482 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:51,840 Speaker 2: this particular deal, we had this this incredible guy named 483 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 2: Richie zaias a Cuban Cuban guy out of South Florida 484 00:26:57,040 --> 00:26:59,880 Speaker 2: showed up with this big bear, this huge guy who 485 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:04,320 Speaker 2: look like a pirate on steroids, hair and all that. 486 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 2: That was his bodyguard. And we were selling them ten 487 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:11,399 Speaker 2: machine guns. And uh, you know, they show up and 488 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:12,879 Speaker 2: we would do that. I would like be on the 489 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:15,680 Speaker 2: phone and you know, the guys. I would set these 490 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:19,040 Speaker 2: guys up around around the business. I'd have two guys 491 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:21,879 Speaker 2: at the door, one guy post you know, next to 492 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:24,840 Speaker 2: me at the counter, you know, maybe one guy at 493 00:27:24,880 --> 00:27:27,320 Speaker 2: the other side of the business. And I would tell 494 00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:29,720 Speaker 2: them again, listen, don't do shit unless I say to 495 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 2: do shit please, all easy money. So so so the 496 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:38,080 Speaker 2: the fake bad guys would show up in like a 497 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:40,600 Speaker 2: you know, a panel van and get out and you 498 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:45,879 Speaker 2: know they always you know, be looking badass, you know, incredible, 499 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:49,000 Speaker 2: And I just specifically remember this one. So much because 500 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:53,439 Speaker 2: because Richie was wearing these these fake Nike shoes that 501 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:57,359 Speaker 2: had Tony Montana on them, you know, the from the 502 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:02,680 Speaker 2: movie Scarface, and uh, you know, he just heated crazy hair. 503 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 2: It's just a good look. And so they walk in 504 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,359 Speaker 2: to the business and uh, you know, we kind of 505 00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 2: interact in a non friendly way, and uh, I break 506 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:16,639 Speaker 2: out one of the machine guns, and he calls a 507 00:28:16,640 --> 00:28:20,640 Speaker 2: big guy over and he says, hey man, I told him. 508 00:28:20,640 --> 00:28:22,040 Speaker 2: I said, listen, we got a place you can shoot 509 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:26,560 Speaker 2: it right there. So he tells, you know, his partner there, 510 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:28,480 Speaker 2: hey man, you know, take that gun in there and 511 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:30,960 Speaker 2: make sure it's a machine gun. So I send one 512 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:33,159 Speaker 2: of you know, one of the gang members to go 513 00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:36,359 Speaker 2: in there too, and and you know, the ATF agent 514 00:28:36,400 --> 00:28:38,880 Speaker 2: undercover goes in there and blast the machine gun off, 515 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:42,960 Speaker 2: and you know art, you know, the gang members like 516 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 2: holy shit, right, and uh yes, oh yeah. So we 517 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,120 Speaker 2: come back and uh, you know, the big guy goes 518 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:53,600 Speaker 2: out and gets a gets a suitcase full of money, 519 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:55,400 Speaker 2: brings it in. We do the deal, They take the 520 00:28:55,440 --> 00:28:59,360 Speaker 2: machine guns and leave. And I always when they would 521 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:01,280 Speaker 2: give me the suit some money, I would always turn 522 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:02,880 Speaker 2: to one of my partners and say, hey, man, go 523 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 2: take this to the spot, and he would leave with 524 00:29:04,960 --> 00:29:07,560 Speaker 2: the money because I never wanted that crew to know 525 00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:09,840 Speaker 2: I had a suitcase of money there because they would 526 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:12,840 Speaker 2: rob me. You know, there's no on thieves. Even though 527 00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:15,520 Speaker 2: I hired them, you know, they'll still put a gun 528 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:16,400 Speaker 2: on my face and rob me. 529 00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:21,719 Speaker 1: That's where you're vulnerable throughout, like all the stages of 530 00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 1: your every time you're dealing with the bad guys at 531 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:28,200 Speaker 1: you're targeting, you're a potential victim as well. So you've 532 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 1: gotta have that, yeah, like whether are they going to 533 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:33,200 Speaker 1: do a drug grip on you or if you've got 534 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:35,040 Speaker 1: all these guns stored here on that way, we can 535 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:35,600 Speaker 1: get that. 536 00:29:35,520 --> 00:29:38,400 Speaker 2: And always that's why we always let these dudes know. 537 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:40,480 Speaker 2: Would we would show our guns all the time and 538 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 2: let them know that we had guns because we knew 539 00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:45,920 Speaker 2: they did because there is no honor among thieves. And 540 00:29:45,960 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 2: no matter how friendly they were with you. You know, 541 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:51,920 Speaker 2: we had guys coming into the storefronts that we would 542 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:54,320 Speaker 2: do a deal with them a drug. They would come 543 00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:57,720 Speaker 2: back that night and burglarize our place. I mean we'd 544 00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 2: recognize and we could see him on the security cameras. 545 00:30:00,080 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 2: We just dealt with them and they break in at 546 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:05,440 Speaker 2: night and steal all our shit, so you know, and 547 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 2: you know, as an undercover, your fear is not it's not, oh, 548 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:15,920 Speaker 2: they're gonna they're going to find out that I'm a cop. 549 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 2: That's not the figure because if they find out you're 550 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:22,440 Speaker 2: a fed any of these organizations, they're just going to 551 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,360 Speaker 2: put as much distance between themselves and you as they can. 552 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:27,320 Speaker 2: They don't want to draw any heat on themselves at 553 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:31,960 Speaker 2: the organization. That's not the fear. The fear is that 554 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:33,920 Speaker 2: next deal is going to be a rip and they're 555 00:30:33,920 --> 00:30:36,240 Speaker 2: going to kill you. They know you're showing up to buy, 556 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:39,160 Speaker 2: you know, a ki low and you're showing up with 557 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:42,440 Speaker 2: fifteen thousand dollars. So this time, even though they've dealt 558 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:44,560 Speaker 2: with you four times already, on the fifth time, they're 559 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:48,080 Speaker 2: gonna shoot you and take your money. That's the fear. 560 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: That that would be the real real risk with it 561 00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:53,440 Speaker 1: when you do take them down on those sting operations. 562 00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:56,480 Speaker 1: And yeah, that was your career, A large portion of 563 00:30:56,600 --> 00:30:58,680 Speaker 1: your your career was built on that, and you became 564 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:03,080 Speaker 1: an expert and was going across the country advising other people. 565 00:31:03,800 --> 00:31:06,880 Speaker 1: When you do take them down, there was one and 566 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:09,080 Speaker 1: I talk about this, and this is more talking on 567 00:31:09,080 --> 00:31:13,640 Speaker 1: the emotional level from being an undercover agent when you 568 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:16,160 Speaker 1: do take them down a lot of people. I would 569 00:31:16,160 --> 00:31:19,240 Speaker 1: imagine you've built strong relationships with the long you're in there, 570 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:23,880 Speaker 1: and you seem to be a guy that understands human nature, 571 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:25,920 Speaker 1: and I dare say because of the person you are, 572 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,920 Speaker 1: but the nature of the work. There was one particular 573 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 1: one that you mentioned in the book where you had 574 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:35,080 Speaker 1: to go in and front the bloke, and a bloke 575 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:37,400 Speaker 1: that in fact invited you out I think for his 576 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:42,520 Speaker 1: fortieth birthday to celebrate because he trusted you, of all 577 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:45,640 Speaker 1: people to trust, and couldn't trust his trust his friends, 578 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,840 Speaker 1: and you were there when he got taken down and 579 00:31:48,880 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 1: had to front him. Do you want to tell people 580 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:51,840 Speaker 1: about what happened there? 581 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:54,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, that was a tough one. It was in Chicago. 582 00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:57,600 Speaker 2: He was a member of the Outlaws motorcycle gang and 583 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:02,080 Speaker 2: he was also a member of UH, an Italian mafia 584 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:06,160 Speaker 2: family Lisaro in Chicago. They called the outfit, that's what 585 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:10,280 Speaker 2: they call the mafia, the Italian mafia. So they figured 586 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 2: they had figured this was a joint case of that 587 00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:17,239 Speaker 2: atf and the FBI, that UH the the mafia was 588 00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:20,960 Speaker 2: hiring the bikers to do some of their dirty work, 589 00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:24,800 Speaker 2: and this guy had done a bombing, a big bombing. 590 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:28,640 Speaker 2: It all revolved around these video poker machines that the 591 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:32,960 Speaker 2: mafia was making all the bar owners and restaurant owners 592 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:36,000 Speaker 2: put in their businesses, and if you didn't want to 593 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,880 Speaker 2: play ball and put their machines in there, they'd blow 594 00:32:39,920 --> 00:32:44,880 Speaker 2: your place up. So so this guy was one of 595 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:47,840 Speaker 2: those guys who and I'm sure you've run across these 596 00:32:47,920 --> 00:32:51,840 Speaker 2: kind of guys in your career. No one could no 597 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:55,280 Speaker 2: one could get this guy. He was really smart. He 598 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:58,640 Speaker 2: was not a convicted felon, uh and he there was 599 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:01,360 Speaker 2: no crime he wasn't into. He was just really smart 600 00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:07,560 Speaker 2: about it. And the FBI had sent in three informants 601 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:13,480 Speaker 2: to get him, two of them were dirty cops, childhood friends, 602 00:33:13,640 --> 00:33:15,480 Speaker 2: and he sniffed them all out. He was just a 603 00:33:15,480 --> 00:33:21,840 Speaker 2: sharp guy. So I went in cold on this. It 604 00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:25,720 Speaker 2: was just a really strange case. I went in as 605 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:27,920 Speaker 2: my covers. I was a kind of a down and 606 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:32,040 Speaker 2: out MMA fighter up and I was just moved to Chicago. 607 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:37,800 Speaker 2: And it took months and months and months to get 608 00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:41,560 Speaker 2: in with this guy and get his trust when I 609 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:45,760 Speaker 2: finally did, the case kind of picked up. I was 610 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:50,120 Speaker 2: buying stolen merchandise from him. One of his many crimes. 611 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:56,200 Speaker 2: He was fencing stolen electronics, flat screen TVs, surround sound systems. 612 00:33:56,280 --> 00:33:58,920 Speaker 2: And I don't mean just I mean they were knocking 613 00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:03,640 Speaker 2: off eighteen wheks, like in these deals where the driver 614 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:06,000 Speaker 2: would get out and walk away and they would get 615 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:11,560 Speaker 2: in and mafia type deals. So so I, you know, 616 00:34:11,600 --> 00:34:13,960 Speaker 2: I started buying that from him, and then the case 617 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:19,960 Speaker 2: went along very well. Like like you mentioned, he called 618 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,560 Speaker 2: me out one night, had me out to a strip 619 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:25,440 Speaker 2: joint and he sits down and he looks me in 620 00:34:25,480 --> 00:34:27,600 Speaker 2: the eye and he tells me listen. He was, I 621 00:34:27,920 --> 00:34:30,719 Speaker 2: can't trust the people I grew up with, you know, 622 00:34:30,800 --> 00:34:34,279 Speaker 2: I can't trust the people in my neighborhood that I 623 00:34:34,640 --> 00:34:37,920 Speaker 2: that I grew up with. He said, so, I really 624 00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:42,640 Speaker 2: appreciate your friendship. And we did a toast and he goes, 625 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:46,240 Speaker 2: it's my fortieth birthday. I didn't even know that. And 626 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:48,319 Speaker 2: and and again I'm thinking to myself, because you know, 627 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:50,560 Speaker 2: I met his wife, I met his kid, and he 628 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:53,480 Speaker 2: was a good father. He had like a ten year 629 00:34:53,560 --> 00:34:56,640 Speaker 2: old kid, And I'm thinking, man, you know that's u. 630 00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:02,239 Speaker 2: She hadn't trusted me like that kind of you know. 631 00:35:02,800 --> 00:35:07,719 Speaker 2: And anyway, their idea, they really wanted to flip this 632 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:09,879 Speaker 2: guy to flip on the mafia, and they took him down. 633 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:12,520 Speaker 2: I knew from spending a year with this guy there 634 00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:15,960 Speaker 2: was no way he was going to flip. I just 635 00:35:16,040 --> 00:35:19,440 Speaker 2: knew I'd gotten to know him. But you know, they 636 00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:23,760 Speaker 2: didn't want to hear that, so they had me lure 637 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:28,680 Speaker 2: him to the Hilton Hotel at the O'Hare Airport in Chicago. 638 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:31,120 Speaker 2: He thought he was going to meet Hoyst Gracie, this 639 00:35:31,239 --> 00:35:38,359 Speaker 2: famous MMA fighter, and he shows up. I walk him, 640 00:35:38,360 --> 00:35:41,040 Speaker 2: We go up the elevator and we walk him into 641 00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:44,719 Speaker 2: his room, and instead of Hoyst Gracie, they've lined up 642 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 2: the whole room with boxes of evidence. Okay, like they're 643 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:51,680 Speaker 2: making a big show to get him to flip. There's 644 00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:55,440 Speaker 2: the ATF and the FBI agents, and so you know, 645 00:35:55,560 --> 00:35:59,840 Speaker 2: I walk them in. They get him and sit him down, 646 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:03,280 Speaker 2: and you know, he refuses to believe that I'm a cop. 647 00:36:04,719 --> 00:36:08,439 Speaker 2: He's not talking, he's not giving him anything. So they're like, hey, 648 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:10,960 Speaker 2: you need to go in there and show him your 649 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:15,240 Speaker 2: badge and get him to talk. And that's the last 650 00:36:15,239 --> 00:36:17,560 Speaker 2: thing I wanted to do. You know, in my mind, 651 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:21,600 Speaker 2: I'm thinking, listen, I did my job and it sucked, 652 00:36:21,680 --> 00:36:24,120 Speaker 2: but I did it. And now I don't mainly do 653 00:36:24,239 --> 00:36:28,279 Speaker 2: this right. But you know that's the job, right. So 654 00:36:28,360 --> 00:36:30,600 Speaker 2: I walk in there and I show him my badge 655 00:36:30,640 --> 00:36:33,400 Speaker 2: and I tell him, listen, this this is my assignment. 656 00:36:33,440 --> 00:36:36,400 Speaker 2: It's my you know, this is my job what I do. 657 00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:39,040 Speaker 2: And I want you to know that this wasn't personal. 658 00:36:39,120 --> 00:36:40,960 Speaker 2: And he looked at me and he goes, it wasn't personal. 659 00:36:42,120 --> 00:36:44,759 Speaker 2: Everything you've told me up to right now has been 660 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:48,399 Speaker 2: a lie. You've met my family, my wife, my kid, 661 00:36:48,680 --> 00:36:54,720 Speaker 2: my friends, and you haven't told me anything that's true 662 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,640 Speaker 2: this entire time. You're going to tell me that that's 663 00:36:58,680 --> 00:37:03,400 Speaker 2: not personal. And you know, for once once in my life, 664 00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:09,759 Speaker 2: I had no witty response. I had no retort. I 665 00:37:09,880 --> 00:37:11,759 Speaker 2: just kind of looked at him, shrugged my shoulders, and 666 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:15,120 Speaker 2: walked away. I never saw him again too. He was 667 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:17,200 Speaker 2: sitting in the defendant's chair at the trial. 668 00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:20,200 Speaker 1: I feel it it would be hard and you know, 669 00:37:20,440 --> 00:37:23,960 Speaker 1: as you say, you're doing your job. But I think 670 00:37:24,000 --> 00:37:26,840 Speaker 1: he sort of nailed it when he said it's not personal. 671 00:37:26,880 --> 00:37:30,520 Speaker 1: Of course it's personal to him anyway, So yeah, that's a. 672 00:37:30,640 --> 00:37:31,440 Speaker 3: That's a hard hit. 673 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:35,839 Speaker 1: Another aspect that comes out, which I've always found fascinating 674 00:37:35,920 --> 00:37:39,600 Speaker 1: in police work is dealing with informants, And I just 675 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:43,040 Speaker 1: want to mention one of your informants, Ray, at one 676 00:37:43,040 --> 00:37:45,560 Speaker 1: of the sting operations. He's referred to in the book 677 00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:51,040 Speaker 1: as Ray, and I just thought, I've a lot of 678 00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:54,719 Speaker 1: work I did in my policing career. I had informants, 679 00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:58,400 Speaker 1: became close to them and respect them for what they 680 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:01,759 Speaker 1: were doing. But I've also so and I've had informants 681 00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:04,359 Speaker 1: like Ray that feel part of the term and they 682 00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:06,680 Speaker 1: in fact become part of the team and get excited 683 00:38:06,719 --> 00:38:10,080 Speaker 1: about being involved in the operation. I just had put 684 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:11,840 Speaker 1: a smile on my face. How he wanted to be 685 00:38:11,880 --> 00:38:15,080 Speaker 1: involved in all the takedowns and was telling the technical 686 00:38:15,080 --> 00:38:16,440 Speaker 1: blokes what they should be doing. 687 00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:21,319 Speaker 2: Yeah, he was definitely. You know, his father was a 688 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:26,839 Speaker 2: big wig with the Indian Police IPS and Ray had 689 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:30,200 Speaker 2: taken the test three times, you know, to follow on 690 00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:33,200 Speaker 2: his father's footsteps, but he failed all three times. So 691 00:38:33,920 --> 00:38:38,880 Speaker 2: he came to America and bought a convenience store gas station, 692 00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:45,480 Speaker 2: became very successful at that and one day he unknowingly 693 00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:49,560 Speaker 2: walked into an ATF storefront operation and bought untaxed cigarettes 694 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:55,200 Speaker 2: and ended up getting arrested. So he was here illegally. 695 00:38:55,280 --> 00:38:58,480 Speaker 2: He had overstayed on his visa, and even though the 696 00:38:58,680 --> 00:39:01,000 Speaker 2: untaxed cigarettes really isn't much of a charge, he was 697 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:05,200 Speaker 2: going to be deported, and somehow his lawyer talked me 698 00:39:05,239 --> 00:39:09,080 Speaker 2: into keeping him here and making him an informant. He 699 00:39:09,160 --> 00:39:13,880 Speaker 2: is the most unlikely informant. I mean, not a physically 700 00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:18,240 Speaker 2: imposing guy. He's just a little Indian dude who didn't 701 00:39:18,239 --> 00:39:23,319 Speaker 2: really speak English very well and had never held a gun, 702 00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:28,239 Speaker 2: never done it be drugs. And this guy became, I 703 00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:31,840 Speaker 2: would say, and I am comfortable saying this, the greatest 704 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:36,440 Speaker 2: informant the United States government has ever had. Just a 705 00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:41,560 Speaker 2: total natural man. He got me into. He got me 706 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:52,000 Speaker 2: into Mexican cartels, American street gangs, stolen car rings, just 707 00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:57,319 Speaker 2: the Italian mafia. He was unbelievable because he was so unassuming, 708 00:39:57,800 --> 00:40:02,480 Speaker 2: and he he loved doing it. Uh, you know, we 709 00:40:02,520 --> 00:40:04,800 Speaker 2: didn't pay him. He only did it just to stay 710 00:40:04,840 --> 00:40:08,120 Speaker 2: here was his reason. We never paid him. But he 711 00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:10,040 Speaker 2: wanted he always wanted to go to the extra mile. 712 00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:11,920 Speaker 2: He wanted to be part of the takedown. To you, 713 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:16,239 Speaker 2: he wanted to tackle these guys himself, to the point 714 00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:19,120 Speaker 2: where he could be very annoying to those, you know, 715 00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:23,240 Speaker 2: to cops who didn't know him, and it was almost 716 00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:27,240 Speaker 2: in a comical way, but he really he took pride 717 00:40:28,520 --> 00:40:32,480 Speaker 2: in his job, his role, and in the results that 718 00:40:32,560 --> 00:40:37,319 Speaker 2: we had. And and I'll tell you man it you 719 00:40:37,360 --> 00:40:40,200 Speaker 2: know I did. I developed a relationship with this guy. Uh. 720 00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:42,239 Speaker 2: He was always kind of getting in a little bit 721 00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:46,120 Speaker 2: of trouble, but it was always bullshit tax stuff. But 722 00:40:46,520 --> 00:40:48,920 Speaker 2: you know, when it for the real work, for the 723 00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:51,920 Speaker 2: lord's work, getting you know, crime guns off the street 724 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:55,200 Speaker 2: and getting you know, large amounts of dangerous drugs, fentannel 725 00:40:55,239 --> 00:40:58,319 Speaker 2: off the street. Man, he was unstoppable and just a 726 00:40:58,360 --> 00:41:01,120 Speaker 2: pleasure to work with. And my second book that I'll 727 00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:05,160 Speaker 2: be coming out with soon is called Raycon The Betrayal 728 00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:09,400 Speaker 2: of an Informant, because he was absolutely he was treated 729 00:41:09,520 --> 00:41:11,680 Speaker 2: like ship by the United States. 730 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:17,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I see your anger. And I'll be interested 731 00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:21,919 Speaker 1: in seeing that book because some of them, like the informants, 732 00:41:22,440 --> 00:41:24,799 Speaker 1: really do a good job and they put themselves out 733 00:41:24,840 --> 00:41:27,319 Speaker 1: there and they're putting their lives at risk. Depending on 734 00:41:27,400 --> 00:41:31,000 Speaker 1: the circumstances and all that, but yeah, I can understand it. 735 00:41:31,239 --> 00:41:34,960 Speaker 1: I've also heard you say in different interviews that you've 736 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:38,520 Speaker 1: done that some of the people that you've worked against, 737 00:41:38,680 --> 00:41:42,520 Speaker 1: as in the crooks and some of the informants, really 738 00:41:42,680 --> 00:41:44,680 Speaker 1: they had your back, and that's a that's a thing 739 00:41:44,719 --> 00:41:48,080 Speaker 1: you know that they've got your back. And I when 740 00:41:48,080 --> 00:41:50,400 Speaker 1: I got into trouble at the end of my police career, 741 00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:55,319 Speaker 1: I had people coming out that i'd locked up supporting me, 742 00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:58,240 Speaker 1: and I had informants coming out that were rock solid 743 00:41:58,520 --> 00:42:02,760 Speaker 1: I had. I had one. He's sadly, I'm not smiling 744 00:42:02,800 --> 00:42:04,879 Speaker 1: when I'm saying this because I miss him. You as 745 00:42:04,920 --> 00:42:07,719 Speaker 1: part of my life. He passed away. But when I 746 00:42:07,760 --> 00:42:10,760 Speaker 1: got in the in trouble and it hit the media 747 00:42:11,040 --> 00:42:14,880 Speaker 1: in the police, he said, hey, brother, don't worry about it. 748 00:42:15,239 --> 00:42:17,640 Speaker 1: If you get locked up, I'll get locked up and 749 00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:19,200 Speaker 1: I'll look after you in the yard. 750 00:42:19,600 --> 00:42:26,680 Speaker 3: Holy he and just you can't. 751 00:42:26,520 --> 00:42:29,880 Speaker 1: Beat that type of type of loyalty. And I smile 752 00:42:29,960 --> 00:42:32,200 Speaker 1: a smile about some of the aspects. You've always got 753 00:42:32,200 --> 00:42:35,160 Speaker 1: to keep your integrity with them and the dealings with them, 754 00:42:35,160 --> 00:42:37,279 Speaker 1: But it doesn't hurt to show a little bit bit 755 00:42:37,320 --> 00:42:42,080 Speaker 1: of humanity towards them, and quite often that's what's motivating him. 756 00:42:42,080 --> 00:42:44,120 Speaker 1: It's not all the ways about the money or getting 757 00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:46,399 Speaker 1: off charges. Sometimes they're trying to do the right thing, 758 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:48,879 Speaker 1: or they've said that they would help you and they 759 00:42:48,920 --> 00:42:53,080 Speaker 1: stick to their words. So it's an interesting aspect of policing. 760 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:56,160 Speaker 1: So I'd be very interested in your second book if 761 00:42:56,200 --> 00:42:59,120 Speaker 1: you're covering off on some of that, because some of 762 00:42:59,120 --> 00:43:01,040 Speaker 1: the situation as you find yourself in. 763 00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:04,280 Speaker 2: You know, Gary, it's just another thing that my first 764 00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:09,880 Speaker 2: partner taught me, the whole treating everyone with dignity and respect. 765 00:43:09,920 --> 00:43:12,040 Speaker 2: And he taught me from the beginning. He said, listen, 766 00:43:12,440 --> 00:43:15,839 Speaker 2: when it comes to informants, he said. Obviously every case 767 00:43:15,920 --> 00:43:18,960 Speaker 2: is different, but you know everyone's going to tell you 768 00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:21,040 Speaker 2: never fully trust and inform it. You can never fully 769 00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:24,120 Speaker 2: trust form it. He goes, Really, he said, you know, 770 00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:29,000 Speaker 2: this guy is taking me into this house with a 771 00:43:29,040 --> 00:43:31,319 Speaker 2: bunch of people who will definitely kill me if they can. 772 00:43:31,600 --> 00:43:34,200 Speaker 2: He goes, So, my whole life depends on this guy. 773 00:43:34,280 --> 00:43:37,399 Speaker 2: He's vouching for me. I'm not supposed to trust this guy. 774 00:43:37,960 --> 00:43:40,120 Speaker 2: And you know he taught and you treat them with 775 00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:43,439 Speaker 2: respecting dignity again, just like a crook unless they give 776 00:43:43,920 --> 00:43:45,279 Speaker 2: it not to you know. 777 00:43:45,880 --> 00:43:49,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, we one hundred percent. I'm with you totally on that. 778 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:54,160 Speaker 1: So your your career and you're not the first officer 779 00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:57,319 Speaker 1: of police officer or law enforcement officer all the last 780 00:43:57,400 --> 00:44:01,319 Speaker 1: that's appeared on this show. But they create didn't end 781 00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:04,680 Speaker 1: the why that I thought it within? What How did 782 00:44:04,680 --> 00:44:06,080 Speaker 1: your career career end? 783 00:44:06,680 --> 00:44:10,279 Speaker 2: My career ended with with very bad choices. Those were 784 00:44:10,280 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 2: made by me. I had lost my way. Uh. You know, 785 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:20,520 Speaker 2: we started this conversation by talking about when you work 786 00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:25,399 Speaker 2: under cover, sometimes you become that person that you're portraying. 787 00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:27,680 Speaker 2: And and I had done that, you know, I was 788 00:44:27,800 --> 00:44:31,840 Speaker 2: I was believing my own bullshit, right. I was buying 789 00:44:31,840 --> 00:44:34,800 Speaker 2: into the ship that I was selling. I bought it myself, 790 00:44:35,719 --> 00:44:39,239 Speaker 2: and I was I was running around to the uh 791 00:44:40,520 --> 00:44:44,600 Speaker 2: you know, to the detriment of my family and my friends. Uh. 792 00:44:45,600 --> 00:44:50,840 Speaker 2: I was running around in this world, this crime world, uh, 793 00:44:50,920 --> 00:44:54,319 Speaker 2: and living my life starting to believe you know that 794 00:44:54,400 --> 00:44:57,839 Speaker 2: I that I was selling nunziato. Uh. And that led 795 00:44:57,880 --> 00:45:04,959 Speaker 2: to it led to excessive drinking, and it led to infidelity, 796 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:09,799 Speaker 2: uh with my wife. And unfortunately it was with a 797 00:45:09,800 --> 00:45:14,399 Speaker 2: federal prosecutor who was working assigned to the cases these 798 00:45:14,440 --> 00:45:20,160 Speaker 2: operations that I was doing, and when that came out, Uh, 799 00:45:21,320 --> 00:45:23,120 Speaker 2: that was that was the end of both of our 800 00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:31,800 Speaker 2: careers and a really hard fall for me because because 801 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:37,439 Speaker 2: of those circumstances, Uh, the government really turned on us 802 00:45:38,200 --> 00:45:43,279 Speaker 2: and went after us. And you know, these these inappropriate 803 00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:48,440 Speaker 2: relationships have been happening since the dawn of time between 804 00:45:48,480 --> 00:45:52,719 Speaker 2: male and female cops and prosecutors and all that. But 805 00:45:52,960 --> 00:45:56,759 Speaker 2: because of the nature of this, you know, they just 806 00:45:56,840 --> 00:46:01,719 Speaker 2: they went, they went after us, went overboard. However, it 807 00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:06,120 Speaker 2: sent me just spinning down into this world where I 808 00:46:06,120 --> 00:46:09,360 Speaker 2: couldn't get out of it. I didn't think there was 809 00:46:09,400 --> 00:46:11,319 Speaker 2: a way out. I was like, Wow, these people are 810 00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:13,640 Speaker 2: going after me. And these are the same people, you 811 00:46:13,680 --> 00:46:15,880 Speaker 2: know that I've been working with my whole career. I 812 00:46:15,920 --> 00:46:17,920 Speaker 2: know they can get anyone they set their sights on. 813 00:46:18,360 --> 00:46:22,319 Speaker 2: Why wouldn't they be able to get me? And I 814 00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:24,560 Speaker 2: mean I went, Gary, When I tell you, I went, 815 00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:27,440 Speaker 2: I probably lost fifty pounds in a matter of a 816 00:46:27,440 --> 00:46:33,520 Speaker 2: few weeks, a total mental breakdown. Everything just that I 817 00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:37,520 Speaker 2: had been holding inside it all came out and I 818 00:46:37,640 --> 00:46:40,360 Speaker 2: ended up and I don't say this for a dramatic effect. 819 00:46:40,360 --> 00:46:45,600 Speaker 2: But I ended up sitting in my bedroom paranoid, thinking 820 00:46:45,640 --> 00:46:49,160 Speaker 2: every car driving by was you know, a government surveillance. 821 00:46:49,760 --> 00:46:51,640 Speaker 2: And I ended up just trying to find a reason 822 00:46:51,680 --> 00:46:54,000 Speaker 2: not to end it because I didn't see any way out. 823 00:46:54,840 --> 00:47:00,279 Speaker 2: And you know, luckily, you know my faith, and you know, 824 00:47:00,440 --> 00:47:04,799 Speaker 2: just the just slight glimmer, you know, chance that my 825 00:47:04,880 --> 00:47:08,960 Speaker 2: family would you know, forgive me, and that carried me through. 826 00:47:09,280 --> 00:47:11,600 Speaker 2: You know, I was able to make it through, and 827 00:47:11,920 --> 00:47:16,400 Speaker 2: once I was cleared, I made the decision to retire. 828 00:47:16,440 --> 00:47:18,400 Speaker 2: I had been on for twenty six years at that point. 829 00:47:19,280 --> 00:47:22,040 Speaker 2: You know, So at that point, I I I had 830 00:47:22,080 --> 00:47:25,680 Speaker 2: a buddy who was a homicide detective and he told me, 831 00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:28,640 Speaker 2: he said, man, you got to write a book. He said, 832 00:47:28,719 --> 00:47:31,920 Speaker 2: as a as a mental exercise, he was, you got 833 00:47:31,960 --> 00:47:34,640 Speaker 2: to write a book. It was because I've never seen 834 00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:38,800 Speaker 2: anyone go through the crazy shit you've gone through, and 835 00:47:38,960 --> 00:47:41,719 Speaker 2: so it was it was a mental exercise. And I 836 00:47:41,760 --> 00:47:45,600 Speaker 2: wrote the book and the book just did really well. 837 00:47:46,600 --> 00:47:49,960 Speaker 2: And next thing, you know, my second career is in 838 00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:51,239 Speaker 2: the entertainment industry. 839 00:47:52,160 --> 00:47:57,839 Speaker 1: You know, I know the path you've walked. And when 840 00:47:57,840 --> 00:48:00,560 Speaker 1: you said, like the paranoia when you feel like the 841 00:48:00,600 --> 00:48:02,880 Speaker 1: people that were after you, the people that used to 842 00:48:03,320 --> 00:48:07,040 Speaker 1: used to work with. It's confronting, isn't it. And I 843 00:48:07,040 --> 00:48:09,680 Speaker 1: don't see you as a person crying poor or whatever, 844 00:48:09,719 --> 00:48:12,200 Speaker 1: and I'm not either. You know, that's the game, that's 845 00:48:12,200 --> 00:48:14,319 Speaker 1: the world that we've been involved in. We're set up 846 00:48:14,360 --> 00:48:18,960 Speaker 1: to understand how it plays out. But you've gone from 847 00:48:19,880 --> 00:48:23,799 Speaker 1: being in your mind the good guy doing everything, and 848 00:48:23,840 --> 00:48:25,879 Speaker 1: that was your passion and then that was taken away 849 00:48:25,880 --> 00:48:28,239 Speaker 1: from you. So I can understand how hard the path 850 00:48:28,280 --> 00:48:31,799 Speaker 1: it was to dig your way out of it. And 851 00:48:31,840 --> 00:48:34,520 Speaker 1: I think in your book you gave cutos to your 852 00:48:34,520 --> 00:48:37,359 Speaker 1: wife that had a hard conversation with you when you're 853 00:48:37,400 --> 00:48:41,120 Speaker 1: at your lowest point, and the fact that you managed 854 00:48:41,160 --> 00:48:46,080 Speaker 1: to fix things up there. But yeah, public humiliation is 855 00:48:46,120 --> 00:48:49,239 Speaker 1: never good. And when an organization you've given your heart 856 00:48:49,239 --> 00:48:52,359 Speaker 1: and soul to turns on you, I can understand the pain. 857 00:48:52,600 --> 00:48:55,040 Speaker 2: And brother, it was. I don't know how long your 858 00:48:55,080 --> 00:48:57,800 Speaker 2: situation lasts, but mine was two and a half years. 859 00:48:58,360 --> 00:49:00,839 Speaker 2: And I can tell you there don't put that much 860 00:49:00,880 --> 00:49:06,359 Speaker 2: effort into a murder investigation as they put into trying 861 00:49:06,400 --> 00:49:10,239 Speaker 2: to take down one of their own. Yeah, and so 862 00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:12,919 Speaker 2: it was. And you know, as guys like us who 863 00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:17,520 Speaker 2: are always used to being in control tope personalities to 864 00:49:17,600 --> 00:49:22,160 Speaker 2: have no control and the unknown is the worst thing 865 00:49:22,239 --> 00:49:25,279 Speaker 2: in the world. And that's what for the first time 866 00:49:25,280 --> 00:49:27,719 Speaker 2: in my life, I had no control over what was 867 00:49:27,760 --> 00:49:31,440 Speaker 2: going to happen to me and managrove me crazy. 868 00:49:32,480 --> 00:49:35,919 Speaker 1: I understand exactly where you're coming from with it, and yeah, 869 00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:40,040 Speaker 1: I share that pain. And you lose your tribe. I 870 00:49:40,200 --> 00:49:44,319 Speaker 1: lost that many what I considered friends. Now I look 871 00:49:44,360 --> 00:49:46,879 Speaker 1: back and think maybe it wasn't true friends, but the 872 00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:49,480 Speaker 1: ones that were true friends have really stood up and 873 00:49:50,160 --> 00:49:52,840 Speaker 1: had the delete. Yeah, ninety percent of most numbers in 874 00:49:52,880 --> 00:49:56,279 Speaker 1: the phone because I never heard from anyone. I'm sure 875 00:49:56,320 --> 00:49:57,960 Speaker 1: you went through that type of stuff. 876 00:49:57,840 --> 00:50:00,440 Speaker 2: Isn't it funny? I had three phones. I had my 877 00:50:00,480 --> 00:50:03,600 Speaker 2: government phone, my official one, my undercover phone, and my 878 00:50:03,840 --> 00:50:07,560 Speaker 2: personal phone, and between three of them, there wasn't a 879 00:50:07,680 --> 00:50:09,800 Speaker 2: minute when they weren't ringing off the hook. It was 880 00:50:10,280 --> 00:50:13,880 Speaker 2: it was either informants or bad guys, or my colleagues 881 00:50:13,960 --> 00:50:16,799 Speaker 2: or my supervisors or friends or whatever it was. And 882 00:50:17,200 --> 00:50:21,160 Speaker 2: overnight they all went silent, and it was deafining. Silence 883 00:50:21,239 --> 00:50:21,760 Speaker 2: was deafening. 884 00:50:22,560 --> 00:50:26,520 Speaker 1: It's kind stop it. You're making me relive it too, 885 00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:31,960 Speaker 1: right writing the book? Did you find that cathartic? 886 00:50:32,160 --> 00:50:35,120 Speaker 2: Man? It was because what I did was one of 887 00:50:35,160 --> 00:50:39,360 Speaker 2: my my supervisors at the end, he pulled me aside, 888 00:50:39,440 --> 00:50:41,359 Speaker 2: and you know they all had my back. Man, they 889 00:50:41,400 --> 00:50:43,560 Speaker 2: were great. He pulled me dound and he said, here's 890 00:50:43,560 --> 00:50:46,480 Speaker 2: what I want you to do. He goes that copy 891 00:50:46,520 --> 00:50:48,120 Speaker 2: over there, he goes, I want you to print out 892 00:50:48,160 --> 00:50:52,680 Speaker 2: every report you've ever written. I just started printing them out, 893 00:50:52,760 --> 00:50:55,120 Speaker 2: and that's what I used. You know, I read through 894 00:50:55,200 --> 00:50:57,239 Speaker 2: them to help me write the book. And it was 895 00:50:57,280 --> 00:51:01,960 Speaker 2: absolutely it was cathartic. And my case in particular, the 896 00:51:02,000 --> 00:51:05,200 Speaker 2: two false allegations against me, what they accused me of 897 00:51:05,680 --> 00:51:09,400 Speaker 2: were they were killers. Because the worst thing you can 898 00:51:09,440 --> 00:51:14,719 Speaker 2: do to a cop is to accuse him of being untruthful, right, 899 00:51:14,719 --> 00:51:17,799 Speaker 2: because it cures credibility. So the two accusation against me, 900 00:51:17,880 --> 00:51:21,000 Speaker 2: where one was perjury on the stand and the other 901 00:51:21,239 --> 00:51:26,840 Speaker 2: was false information in an application for the s visa 902 00:51:26,920 --> 00:51:30,680 Speaker 2: for my informant. So when you when you accuse, all 903 00:51:30,719 --> 00:51:34,600 Speaker 2: we have as police officers are a word on the stand. 904 00:51:34,960 --> 00:51:38,399 Speaker 2: When you get accused of being a liar, it's it's 905 00:51:38,400 --> 00:51:40,960 Speaker 2: a career end or it's it's a career killer, not 906 00:51:41,000 --> 00:51:44,080 Speaker 2: only for your law enforcement career, but for any job 907 00:51:44,120 --> 00:51:47,719 Speaker 2: you might want afterward. Right when someone googles you and 908 00:51:47,760 --> 00:51:52,120 Speaker 2: they see an accusation of perjury, you're done. And all 909 00:51:52,160 --> 00:51:54,160 Speaker 2: that made the paper and the internet and the news. 910 00:51:54,239 --> 00:51:57,040 Speaker 2: But when I was found, when I was cleared, it's 911 00:51:57,040 --> 00:51:59,800 Speaker 2: funny that that didn't make the paper. No One on 912 00:52:00,040 --> 00:52:03,879 Speaker 2: no one wrote an article about me getting cleared. So 913 00:52:03,880 --> 00:52:08,000 Speaker 2: so I've had to work extra hard. A guy approached 914 00:52:08,000 --> 00:52:10,799 Speaker 2: me who owns a magazine here and he wanted me 915 00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:13,920 Speaker 2: to be in the magazine. And I was like, I 916 00:52:13,960 --> 00:52:16,759 Speaker 2: was like, dude, I've had my little encounter with the 917 00:52:16,800 --> 00:52:18,960 Speaker 2: press and it hasn't been good, so I'm going to 918 00:52:19,040 --> 00:52:23,279 Speaker 2: have to politely decline. And he said listen. He goes, 919 00:52:23,280 --> 00:52:25,440 Speaker 2: what do you want the most? He goes, what do 920 00:52:25,520 --> 00:52:28,839 Speaker 2: you want in life right now at this point the most? 921 00:52:28,880 --> 00:52:30,400 Speaker 2: And I said, what I want the most is I 922 00:52:30,480 --> 00:52:33,080 Speaker 2: don't want my son to ever google my name and 923 00:52:33,480 --> 00:52:36,440 Speaker 2: see this bullshit that's been written about me. He said, well, 924 00:52:36,480 --> 00:52:40,120 Speaker 2: then you have to bury that with good stuff. Bury it. 925 00:52:40,160 --> 00:52:43,120 Speaker 2: So that's on the tenth page. So I said, okay, 926 00:52:43,200 --> 00:52:45,200 Speaker 2: and I did it. He put me on the cover 927 00:52:45,239 --> 00:52:48,360 Speaker 2: of his magazine and that kind of kickstarted this whole 928 00:52:48,440 --> 00:52:49,160 Speaker 2: second career. 929 00:52:49,960 --> 00:52:52,680 Speaker 1: Ill, full credit to you, because these are hard ride 930 00:52:52,760 --> 00:52:55,240 Speaker 1: back and all the things that you touch on, I 931 00:52:54,920 --> 00:52:59,800 Speaker 1: know how it hits. But look, I'm glad you found something. 932 00:53:00,200 --> 00:53:03,960 Speaker 1: It sounds like you got some exciting things at foot 933 00:53:04,200 --> 00:53:07,239 Speaker 1: in the in the future. You're talking of the TV show, 934 00:53:07,280 --> 00:53:09,479 Speaker 1: You've got something coming up along those lines as well. 935 00:53:10,040 --> 00:53:13,440 Speaker 2: So we the first season just finished. We filmed it 936 00:53:13,480 --> 00:53:16,160 Speaker 2: in twenty twenty four and it ran its course on 937 00:53:16,680 --> 00:53:21,439 Speaker 2: Discovery and on Matt HBO Max or Max. It's called 938 00:53:21,520 --> 00:53:25,839 Speaker 2: Operation Undercover. And I'm the host of the show. And 939 00:53:25,880 --> 00:53:28,839 Speaker 2: what I do is I go around this country, around 940 00:53:28,880 --> 00:53:33,480 Speaker 2: America to different cities, different police departments and sheriff departments, 941 00:53:33,920 --> 00:53:36,719 Speaker 2: and we embed with these departments for a week with 942 00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:40,799 Speaker 2: their undercover units. And they let us right in. And 943 00:53:40,880 --> 00:53:42,719 Speaker 2: I mean when I say in bed like we are 944 00:53:42,760 --> 00:53:45,560 Speaker 2: in the cars with them. When there's an undercover officer 945 00:53:45,640 --> 00:53:49,560 Speaker 2: walking into a hotel room to buy, you know, a 946 00:53:49,640 --> 00:53:53,640 Speaker 2: kilo of fentanyl from some cartel guy. We're right on 947 00:53:53,680 --> 00:53:57,319 Speaker 2: the outside on the perimeter, watching and you know, we 948 00:53:57,400 --> 00:54:00,200 Speaker 2: show it all and it all gets shown. And we 949 00:54:00,239 --> 00:54:05,560 Speaker 2: did seven episodes in different states, all over the country, 950 00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:09,719 Speaker 2: different police department, and we show the case. You know, 951 00:54:09,719 --> 00:54:11,799 Speaker 2: these are these are faster cases because we're only there 952 00:54:11,800 --> 00:54:13,640 Speaker 2: for a week, but we show from beginning to end, 953 00:54:13,680 --> 00:54:16,280 Speaker 2: from when they're talking to the informant and he's bringing 954 00:54:16,400 --> 00:54:19,759 Speaker 2: the undercover officer in and the drug buys or the 955 00:54:19,800 --> 00:54:24,680 Speaker 2: gun buys, whatever happens to be, and then afterward when 956 00:54:24,719 --> 00:54:26,839 Speaker 2: they kick the door in and take down the bad guy, 957 00:54:26,880 --> 00:54:30,239 Speaker 2: we show the whole thing. So it's no recreations. This 958 00:54:30,400 --> 00:54:34,000 Speaker 2: is real. It's fast paced. I mean it's no again, 959 00:54:34,080 --> 00:54:36,719 Speaker 2: I don't like recreations. There's no it's all real. And 960 00:54:36,920 --> 00:54:39,200 Speaker 2: and I'll tell you what, man, it is exciting as. 961 00:54:39,040 --> 00:54:42,040 Speaker 1: How Yeah, no, it sounds it because like the undercover 962 00:54:42,160 --> 00:54:44,480 Speaker 1: work is a world that even cops don't get to see, 963 00:54:44,840 --> 00:54:47,840 Speaker 1: Like cops get to see up things other people don't see. 964 00:54:47,880 --> 00:54:50,080 Speaker 1: But then that's at another level when you look at 965 00:54:50,080 --> 00:54:53,640 Speaker 1: the the undercover stuff. So that that sounds sounds good. 966 00:54:54,160 --> 00:54:56,479 Speaker 1: Second book in the in the planning as well. 967 00:54:56,560 --> 00:55:00,680 Speaker 2: Yeah. After So the first book did really good. It 968 00:55:00,719 --> 00:55:04,520 Speaker 2: was called Storefront Sting, an ATF agent's life undercover, and 969 00:55:04,560 --> 00:55:07,120 Speaker 2: I basically tell my story like I've told it to you, 970 00:55:07,680 --> 00:55:11,400 Speaker 2: and it was actually it was bought by a Hollywood company. 971 00:55:12,040 --> 00:55:15,440 Speaker 2: Right now. These things take forever, but right now it's 972 00:55:15,480 --> 00:55:17,640 Speaker 2: it's in front of Netflix and they're looking at it 973 00:55:17,719 --> 00:55:22,239 Speaker 2: at possibly making it into a Netflix series with each 974 00:55:22,280 --> 00:55:27,120 Speaker 2: storefront being a different season, you know, using different actors 975 00:55:27,120 --> 00:55:30,680 Speaker 2: for different my different undercover teams and all. So we'll 976 00:55:30,680 --> 00:55:34,040 Speaker 2: see if that happens. And you know, I'm right now, 977 00:55:34,040 --> 00:55:36,040 Speaker 2: I'm waiting to hear from Discovery by season two for 978 00:55:36,120 --> 00:55:37,080 Speaker 2: Operation Undercover. 979 00:55:37,560 --> 00:55:42,560 Speaker 1: Exciting times and in my transition from policing into working 980 00:55:42,560 --> 00:55:45,480 Speaker 1: in the media, it's good working with creative people too, 981 00:55:45,520 --> 00:55:48,360 Speaker 1: isn't it. Sometimes policing can be a little bit negative. 982 00:55:48,640 --> 00:55:52,799 Speaker 1: And then you step away and yeah, credit where credits due. 983 00:55:52,840 --> 00:55:55,000 Speaker 1: If you're doing a good job, it's not it's you're 984 00:55:55,040 --> 00:55:58,520 Speaker 1: not competing. It's creative people and they've got an energy 985 00:55:58,600 --> 00:56:03,000 Speaker 1: that's sort of revitalizes. So that's I'm glad you found 986 00:56:03,040 --> 00:56:03,399 Speaker 1: that path. 987 00:56:03,560 --> 00:56:05,560 Speaker 2: Yeah man, I'm you know, I'm glad you got a 988 00:56:05,640 --> 00:56:07,719 Speaker 2: second career as well, and you're in it. I don't 989 00:56:07,760 --> 00:56:10,160 Speaker 2: know if you experienced the same thing I did what 990 00:56:10,440 --> 00:56:15,239 Speaker 2: I found. Uh, what the entertainment industry. That downside is 991 00:56:15,239 --> 00:56:17,080 Speaker 2: at least when I was when I was a cop, 992 00:56:17,520 --> 00:56:22,320 Speaker 2: every two weeks my paycheck came in. And regardless I 993 00:56:22,400 --> 00:56:24,640 Speaker 2: knew it, it is so hard getting people to write 994 00:56:24,640 --> 00:56:28,759 Speaker 2: you a check in the entertainment industry, Like yeah, I 995 00:56:28,760 --> 00:56:30,400 Speaker 2: mean if you see in your family from it, you 996 00:56:30,520 --> 00:56:31,680 Speaker 2: really got to hustle, man. 997 00:56:32,160 --> 00:56:34,600 Speaker 1: And I can see your experience when you're sign oh 998 00:56:34,640 --> 00:56:37,320 Speaker 1: they're doing this. But until it's done, that it's done. 999 00:56:37,560 --> 00:56:41,080 Speaker 1: Do you miss aspects of place in the adrenaline Russian 1000 00:56:41,600 --> 00:56:44,320 Speaker 1: aspects of the life that you lived? 1001 00:56:44,960 --> 00:56:49,040 Speaker 2: So that's crazy. The answer was definitely a yes. But 1002 00:56:49,640 --> 00:56:52,720 Speaker 2: fortunately last year I got to experience it again because 1003 00:56:52,719 --> 00:56:56,120 Speaker 2: I found myself right back in the mix with these 1004 00:56:56,160 --> 00:56:58,719 Speaker 2: cops through and undercover cases. I just I didn't have 1005 00:56:58,719 --> 00:57:00,640 Speaker 2: a gun, right. 1006 00:57:01,080 --> 00:57:05,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm actually lou now I know exactly what your man. 1007 00:57:05,239 --> 00:57:06,960 Speaker 1: I'm a bit pissed off of you. Why can't we 1008 00:57:07,000 --> 00:57:10,120 Speaker 1: do and embedding the homicide de technique with homicide sands 1009 00:57:10,520 --> 00:57:13,840 Speaker 1: sands good, I just want to finish off with because 1010 00:57:14,080 --> 00:57:17,840 Speaker 1: we're struggling to find place here in Australia in different 1011 00:57:17,840 --> 00:57:20,960 Speaker 1: states and all that the UN demanded and they seems 1012 00:57:21,000 --> 00:57:23,800 Speaker 1: to be a real reluctance for people to join the place. 1013 00:57:24,280 --> 00:57:27,040 Speaker 1: What would you say to anyone that's considering a career 1014 00:57:27,080 --> 00:57:27,960 Speaker 1: in law enforcement. 1015 00:57:28,160 --> 00:57:30,600 Speaker 2: You know, we've had the same thing here in America. Right, 1016 00:57:30,800 --> 00:57:34,360 Speaker 2: It's been a tough five years for law enforcement in America. 1017 00:57:34,400 --> 00:57:39,320 Speaker 2: We've had we've had riots, we've had craziness. Recruiting is 1018 00:57:39,360 --> 00:57:42,960 Speaker 2: down to zero. You know, over here cops are not 1019 00:57:43,080 --> 00:57:45,280 Speaker 2: paid well. You know, if you want to if you 1020 00:57:45,360 --> 00:57:46,960 Speaker 2: want to be rich in this country, you don't go 1021 00:57:47,000 --> 00:57:49,200 Speaker 2: into law enforcement. And I'm sure it's that way in 1022 00:57:49,600 --> 00:57:53,520 Speaker 2: most countries, but here, here's what I would tell and 1023 00:57:53,640 --> 00:57:56,920 Speaker 2: I do tell when when young people ask me about 1024 00:57:56,960 --> 00:58:01,560 Speaker 2: going into law enforcement, I tell them this. I say, listen, 1025 00:58:01,640 --> 00:58:08,280 Speaker 2: if you want a career where you will really experience 1026 00:58:09,760 --> 00:58:12,240 Speaker 2: a true brotherhood. And when I say a brotherhood, I 1027 00:58:12,240 --> 00:58:14,400 Speaker 2: mean it doesn't matter. I'm not talking a male female, 1028 00:58:14,840 --> 00:58:18,720 Speaker 2: just a real brotherhood in a connection. I said, there's 1029 00:58:18,880 --> 00:58:22,040 Speaker 2: nothing other than possibly the military where you're going to 1030 00:58:22,120 --> 00:58:25,760 Speaker 2: experience that being part of a team and doing something 1031 00:58:25,800 --> 00:58:31,640 Speaker 2: that's fulfilling and you know, and actually making a difference 1032 00:58:31,800 --> 00:58:35,680 Speaker 2: and helping to protect the community. And you're going to 1033 00:58:35,800 --> 00:58:38,480 Speaker 2: also depending on where you want to go. There's so 1034 00:58:38,520 --> 00:58:41,560 Speaker 2: many avenues once you get into law enforcement. You know, 1035 00:58:41,600 --> 00:58:43,480 Speaker 2: if you want to if your thing is you want 1036 00:58:43,480 --> 00:58:49,040 Speaker 2: to be a dog handler, you want to work explosives, drugs, guns, 1037 00:58:49,880 --> 00:58:54,760 Speaker 2: white collar crime, counterfeiting. I mean, it's unlimited. You can 1038 00:58:54,920 --> 00:58:57,440 Speaker 2: go It's not like a regular job where you're pigeonhole. 1039 00:58:57,600 --> 00:59:00,600 Speaker 2: You can go into anything and it can be it 1040 00:59:00,600 --> 00:59:05,560 Speaker 2: can be fulfilling. My only word of caution or warning 1041 00:59:06,080 --> 00:59:08,880 Speaker 2: is that don't go into it if you think if 1042 00:59:08,920 --> 00:59:12,600 Speaker 2: you're doing it for accolades or appreciation, because you're not, 1043 00:59:12,800 --> 00:59:18,400 Speaker 2: that doesn't happen. But and the other thing is if 1044 00:59:18,760 --> 00:59:21,080 Speaker 2: if it is your choice and you do it, and 1045 00:59:21,360 --> 00:59:24,280 Speaker 2: I wouldn't tell anyone not to do it, build that 1046 00:59:24,360 --> 00:59:26,440 Speaker 2: resume while you're doing it, and think of the future, 1047 00:59:26,520 --> 00:59:30,840 Speaker 2: think of you know, the life life after, because you know, 1048 00:59:31,080 --> 00:59:33,200 Speaker 2: there's a lot of good things you can go into 1049 00:59:33,320 --> 00:59:37,480 Speaker 2: if you're smart about it, opportunities you know after law enforcement, 1050 00:59:37,640 --> 00:59:38,400 Speaker 2: which I did. 1051 00:59:38,280 --> 00:59:41,760 Speaker 1: Not do, but it's good advice because it can. Yeah, 1052 00:59:42,000 --> 00:59:45,000 Speaker 1: you're playing at the sharp end of a world and 1053 00:59:45,040 --> 00:59:48,040 Speaker 1: that can end pretty quickly in dramatic circumstances, and you 1054 00:59:48,040 --> 00:59:51,560 Speaker 1: should look what you've got the outside of law enforcement. 1055 00:59:52,400 --> 00:59:55,320 Speaker 1: I've really enjoyed this chat that gets me itchy feet 1056 00:59:55,360 --> 00:59:57,400 Speaker 1: and wants me to be a cop again here in 1057 00:59:57,440 --> 01:00:01,200 Speaker 1: the stories, and I love the book. And I get 1058 01:00:01,200 --> 01:00:04,200 Speaker 1: the shits when I read too many cop books because 1059 01:00:04,200 --> 01:00:06,280 Speaker 1: it makes me want to get back into doing what 1060 01:00:06,320 --> 01:00:08,920 Speaker 1: I do or what I did, I should say, so 1061 01:00:09,000 --> 01:00:11,080 Speaker 1: I haven't even let it go, but I want to 1062 01:00:11,080 --> 01:00:13,560 Speaker 1: thank you for the service to the community. And you know, 1063 01:00:13,960 --> 01:00:16,960 Speaker 1: I don't think we've mentioned this, but part of your career, 1064 01:00:17,000 --> 01:00:18,720 Speaker 1: and I know when it ends not in the way 1065 01:00:18,760 --> 01:00:21,160 Speaker 1: you expect that sometimes you think, well, what good have 1066 01:00:21,200 --> 01:00:23,960 Speaker 1: I done? I think in the operations you were involved 1067 01:00:23,960 --> 01:00:26,360 Speaker 1: in lou there was over a thousand guns taken off 1068 01:00:26,880 --> 01:00:29,400 Speaker 1: the street, and not to mention all the drugs and 1069 01:00:29,440 --> 01:00:33,080 Speaker 1: everything else. You've made a difference, mate, It's a big. 1070 01:00:32,920 --> 01:00:35,400 Speaker 2: Difference, man. I appreciate Thank you for those words. Brother. 1071 01:00:35,600 --> 01:00:38,040 Speaker 3: Thanks Will you take care of good luck with the future. 1072 01:00:37,840 --> 01:00:38,600 Speaker 2: God bless you. 1073 01:00:38,920 --> 01:00:39,800 Speaker 3: Sheeer is all right.