Episodes

  • How Manny Vitale Went From Police Officer To Biker Gang

    How Manny Vitale Went From Police Officer To Biker Gang
    Jun 15 2025
    Nelson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/ Manny on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/myfightourwar/ Former Detroit police officer Manny Vitale reveals how he went from enforcing the law to riding with the notorious Detroit Highwaymen Motorcycle Club—a 1% outlaw biker gang. Manny opens up about the double life he once led, the brutal realities of gang-infested Detroit, and the dirty cops he encountered along the way. But the wildest twist in his story? He was given just six weeks to live after a total organ shutdown—only to miraculously survive. From the unwritten rules of MC life to real-life corruption on the streets, Manny’s story is packed with grit, danger, and redemption. Use Promo Code "MONTANA" https://gusvillajewelry.com/ Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 1:41 From Law Man to Out Law 8:12 The Laws of The MC 19:15 Life As An Alcoholic Cop 30:03 Leaving The Force And Getting Shot In The Face 42:00 Being Told I’m Going To Die 48:45 Second Chance At Life 55:18 Redemption Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • The King of The Underground: Tampa's COKE KINGPIN Tells All

    The King of The Underground: Tampa's COKE KINGPIN Tells All
    Jun 8 2025
    John "Poet" Thorton on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/johnpoetthornton/ Nelson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/ John "Poet" Thorton News Article https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2008/05/02/10-years-for-murder-attempt/ On this explosive episode of Honor Among Thieves, host Nelson Rodriguez Jr. sits down with John "Poet" Thornton, infamously known as The White Tony Montana and King of the Underground. Once dubbed by local newspapers as the leader of "The Society", Poet ran one of Tampa’s largest underground coke empires, distributing high-purity product through over 30 nightclubs across the city. His drug network eventually expanded into New York, Louisiana, Alabama, and more—turning a solo pill hustle into a multi-state coke distribution empire. In this raw and gripping interview, Poet opens up about the dark reality of drug trafficking, the emotional breakdown that came after losing the love of his life, and how it led to a spiral that ended in a near-fatal attempt on someone's life. This is the rise, fall, and near self-destruction of a man once feared in the streets and revered in the club scene. Stay tuned for Part Two, where Poet details his time in federal prison, gang life behind bars, and what redemption looks like after surviving the drug game. Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 3:58 Poet’s Childhood 12:19 Finding Drugs for the first time 21:15 The Bean Plug 38:15 Finding The Night Clubs: Distribution 49:37 The Bean Plug Retires: Meet The Plug’s Plug 53:24 Nicole: Starting The Coke Business 1:08:30 The Team Takes Form 1:12:45 The Big Time: Distribution, Moving Big Weight, & “The Society” 1:26:17 Blowing Money Like A Drug Dealer 1:31:52 Love At First Sight 1:44:09 The Night That Landed Him In Prison 1:49:19 Wanted: On The Run 1:55:10 Getting Caught: Arrested At The Border Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 3 mins
  • What REALLY Happens to You on Rikers Island

    What REALLY Happens to You on Rikers Island
    Jun 1 2025
    Nelson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/ Josh on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hellonrikers/ Use Promo Code MONTANA Gus Villa Jewelry https://gusvillajewelry.com/ In this episode of Honor Among Thieves, we sit down with Josh—better known as Hell On Rikers—as he shares the raw, unfiltered truth about life growing up in the Bronx projects, his upbringing in the crack trade, and his harrowing experiences doing time in Rikers Island and the New York State prison system. From armed robberies to surviving the brutal world of gang violence, solitary confinement, and the inner politics of Bloods and Crips, Josh takes us deep inside the culture of Rikers Island at its most violent peak. He eventually joins a Bloods faction and gives jaw-dropping insight into prison gangs, extortion, and the psychological toll of life behind bars. This is one of the most intense and brutally honest looks at street crime, urban survival, and the long road to redemption ever told on this podcast. If you're into true crime, gang culture, and prison stories, you won’t want to miss this one. Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 2:03 The Bronx: The Bloodline 8:38 Mother In the Crack Cocaine Game 13:31 First time getting arrested selling crack 24:37 The Beginning of A Career In Robbery 31:30 First Time Going To Prison 39:16 Busted Again: Sent To Riker’s Island 49:15 Riots, Gangs & The Box: Getting Moved To Another Unit 1:04:35 Sentenced To A Year: Moved Units Again 1:13:45 Going Home From Riker’s Island 1:18:30 Back To Riker’s Island: Joining A Gang 1:28:15 Washington Correctional Facility 1:41:10 Free Again: Going Back To The Crack Game 1:51:15 The Feds 1:58:15 Redemption Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 6 mins
  • From $100k a Day to Life in Prison: The Story of The Jones Brothers

    From $100k a Day to Life in Prison: The Story of The Jones Brothers
    May 27 2025
    Nelson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/ Lonnie Jones on instagram https://www.instagram.com/lifeafterlife20/ Lyle Jones on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jonesjr.lyle/ Ever seen "New Jack City" starring Wesley Snipes? Well meet two men who lived that movie in real life. This is Lonnie and Lyle Jones. Now typically when people hear Connecticut, they think of rich white people that live in one giant suburb just outside New York City. The Jones Brothers will introduce you to a whole other side of Connecticut that contradicts everything you would ever think that place is. Bridgeport, the poorest city in the state and home to the most notorious projects in New England, the PT Barnum Housing Projects. This is where our story begins. From humble beginnings, to building a $100,000 a day drug empire that spanned an entire city. Ultimately, this ends in both of them getting life sentences in prison.... How are they out today? Watch the full podcast and find out. Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 1:59 Bridgeport, NOT rich white Connecticut 15:20 Lyle Finds The Streets 23:50 Lonnie Gets In The Game 37:40 Lyle Gets Back in The Game With Lonnie 50:49 The Feds Are Coming 1:02:10 Brothers Go To Prison And Go To Trial 1:16:06 Serving Life Sentences 1:35:00 Reunited after 20 years 1:40:40 Redemption Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 52 mins
  • Jerry Ormond: Should You Risk Everything to Save a Friend?

    Jerry Ormond: Should You Risk Everything to Save a Friend?
    May 18 2025
    Nelson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/ Jerry Ormond on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/universalartsfitness/ Nelson sits down with Jeremiah Ormond, an Irish-American kid from Stafford, Connecticut, whose life took a sharp turn from promising hockey star to convicted felon. Growing up surrounded by a crew that lived on the edge—fighting, stealing, and constantly in trouble—Jeremiah shares how one bad decision led to another, until a single violent incident changed everything. After stepping into a fight to defend a friend, Jerry delivered a brutal stomp that nearly cost another kid his life. That moment landed him in court—alongside 30 of his friends facing charges the same day—and eventually behind bars for a one-year prison bid that exposed him to the brutal realities of life inside: fights, stabbings, and death in the yard. Raw, unfiltered, and brutally honest, Jeremiah opens up about the path that led him into the system—and what he saw while he was in it. This episode is a deep dive into how fast life can spiral, and how thin the line really is between freedom and a cage. Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 2:58 Connecticut Is The Hood 8:10 Growing Up Irish And Around Violence 16:40 The Beginning of Crime 22:47 The Assault & Getting Arrested 35:44 Going to Prison 44:11 Officially In Prison 52:45 Seeing A Dead Body In Prison 58:30 How Races Interact In Prison 1:03:20 Getting Into A Prison Fight 1:10:38 Coming Home 1:21:50 Surrounded By Death 1:27:03 Redemption Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 37 mins
  • Jorge Valdes Pt. 2: The Redemption of The Cocaine Godfather

    Jorge Valdes Pt. 2: The Redemption of The Cocaine Godfather
    May 11 2025
    Jorge Valdes on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drjorgeluisvaldes/ Nelson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/ Nelson Rodriguez Jr. reunites with Jorge Valdes, the original architect of the U.S. cocaine trade and a central figure in Cocaine Cowboys: Kings of Miami. While Part One told the story of his meteoric rise and fall, this episode picks up in 1984, right after Jorge is released from prison—and builds his drug empire all over again. But one night, a moment with his young daughter sparks a radical change of heart, and Jorge walks away from millions in cocaine profits—overnight. Just a few years into living a better life, the federal government comes back, this time taking everything: $66 million in assets gone in just 15 minutes of signing paperwork. Out of prison again in 1996, Jorge’s transformation begins for real. While earning his PhD behind bars, he emerges as a new man—becoming an assistant professor teaching Greek, finding love, reuniting with his children, and building a cleaning business from scratch that would eventually become an 8-figure success story. Today, Jorge lives retired in Orlando, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and man of faith. This is not just a story of crime—it’s a story of grace, grit, and redemption. Don’t miss one of the most unbelievable second acts ever told. Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 01:06 1984: Escobar, Ochoa, & Dicky Lynn 13:04 Jorge Walks Away From The Cocaine Business 20:21 Going Back To Prison And Losing Everything 27:44 Starting Over: PHD, Marriage, & The New Business 36:58 Miguel Velez: The Man Who Killed Barry Seal 46:15 Jorge’s Take On The Modern Day War On Drugs 56:11 Redemption of Cocaine Cowboy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Jorge Valdes Pt 1: The Man Who Started The Cocaine Trade In America

    Jorge Valdes Pt 1: The Man Who Started The Cocaine Trade In America
    May 4 2025
    Nelson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/ Jorge Valdes on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drjorgeluisvaldes/ Nelson sits down with none other than Dr. Jorge Valdes, the man credited with bringing cocaine into the United States and one of the central figures behind the infamous Cocaine Cowboys: Kings of Miami docuseries. In the late 1970s, Jorge Valdes helped architect the billion-dollar cocaine pipeline that forever changed Miami and American drug culture. A former U.S. government employee turned drug lord, Valdes shares the chilling truths behind building a drug empire, what life was like at the top of the underworld, and ultimately, what led to his transformation. From private jets and briefcases of cash to prison cells and redemption, this episode dives deep into one of the most fascinating criminal evolutions of our time. You won't want to miss this firsthand account of the man who once sat at the throne of the cocaine trade. Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 4:25 The Reality of The Narco Life 14:09 Coming From Cuba 27:31 The Federal Reserve Bank 37:08 Finding The Cocaine Trade 48:51 Crossing The Line: Money Laundering & The Cocaine Business 57:16 Becoming Manny’s Right hand 1:10:38 “Cocaine Cowboys” 1:23:29 Sal Magluta & Willy Falcon 1:30:17 The Bolivian Connection & Tortured In Panama 1:44:10 Charged With The Largest Drug Conspiracy In American History 1:52:45 What Prison Is Like For A Drug lord 2:01:00 Getting Out from Prison In 1984 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    2 hrs and 12 mins
  • How One Woman's WILD NIGHT at the Strip Club Landed Her in State Prison

    How One Woman's WILD NIGHT at the Strip Club Landed Her in State Prison
    Apr 27 2025
    Nelson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/ Alysia Smith on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/allie.say.what/ Nelson Rodriguez Jr. welcomes Alysia Smith, a survivor with a powerful story of chaos, survival, and redemption. Born and raised in Akron, Ohio—a city plagued by gangs, biker wars, and rampant violence—Allie knew from a young age that the streets could swallow her whole. When neighbors were caught up in a major federal fentanyl bust, she made the bold decision to escape, relocating to Tallahassee, Florida in search of a better life. But running from Akron didn’t heal the scars. Battling depression, benzodiazepine and alcohol abuse became her way of coping—until one fateful visit back to Ohio changed everything. A night out with friends at a strip club spiraled out of control when Allie was falsely accused of stealing a stripper's purse. What followed was a 24-hour whirlwind trial, shocking revelations about the accuser’s six fake identities, and a devastating prison sentence that landed Allie behind bars in Ohio, surrounded by some of the state’s most dangerous women. Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 3:38 Akron, Ohio: Murder & Gangs 10:07 Growing Up In Akron 16:30 Crazy Work Environments 22:25 Catching The Assault Case 27:01 Getting In A Fight With A Stripper 32:25 Bailed Out: The Case Starts 37:30 Going To Trial 41:15 Sent To Jail 46:39 Dayton Prison 50:06 The Daddy Killers 54:48 Cell Mate Wants To Smash 57:33 Filing For Parole/Riding In The Patty Wagon 1:02:06 Finally Out 1:04:26 Redemption Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 10 mins