Honor Among Thieves | True Crime & Crime Stories

Freddy Dee grew up in Harlem, Florida, just outside Clewiston, surrounded by stories of street legends in his own family. His grandfather and uncle were known as hustlers and street guys, and Freddy says he grew up hearing stories about robberies, dice games, poker games—even armored trucks.

Before long, Freddy began following a similar path.

In this episode of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Freddy Dee tells the story of going from robberies to the Florida drug trade during the 2008 recession. His first opportunity came when he acted as a middleman in cocaine transactions, earning roughly $12,000 in his first month. When his plug realized Freddy already had the clientele, he encouraged him to start buying his own supply.

The timing changed everything.

Freddy says South Florida was experiencing a serious drug drought in 2008. Supply was limited, cocaine prices were extremely high, and anyone with access to quality product could command premium prices. What started as a middleman opportunity quickly became a lucrative hustle.

But the money came with consequences.

Freddy breaks down the robbery case that sent him to jail, selling fake product to a customer and believing his arrest was karma, and why he temporarily walked away from dealing.

That decision led him into an entirely different underground economy: high-stakes gambling.

Freddy describes private Florida card games filled with independent drug dealers carrying huge amounts of cash, poker games where egos could put more than $100,000 on the table, cheating accusations that could turn violent, guns being drawn, and a five-to-six-year stretch where Freddy says it felt like he simply couldn't lose.

Eventually, the winning stopped.

Freddy talks openly about becoming addicted to gambling, chasing losses, returning to the drug game, and eventually catching another serious case where authorities accused him of trafficking and a judge initially set his bond at $100,000.

Through an unexpected series of events, Freddy says he ultimately beat the case—and decided it was finally time to leave the streets behind.

This episode covers:
• Growing up in Harlem and Clewiston, Florida
• Family stories of robberies, hustlers and armored trucks
• Freddy's early robberies
• Making $12,000 his first month middle manning cocaine
• The 2008 recession and Florida drug drought
• Cocaine prices, supply and demand in South Florida
• Selling fake drugs and the consequences that followed
• A North Florida robbery case
• Underground Florida poker and dice games
• Drug dealers gambling six figures in cash
• Guns, cheating and dangerous card-room politics
• Freddy's five-year gambling winning streak
• Gambling addiction and chasing losses
• Returning to the drug trade
• The case that resulted in a $100,000 bond
• Beating the case and finally leaving the street life

Subscribe for real conversations about organized crime, drug trafficking, prison, street culture, gambling, redemption and life after the streets.

Chapters
00:00 Freddy Dee: Drug Money, Robberies & $100K Card Games05:03 Family of Street Legends: Robberies, Armored Trucks & Hustlers14:45 Making $12K His First Month in the Cocaine Game20:58 The 2008 Drug Drought: Cocaine Prices Explode in Florida24:12 Selling Fake Drugs and the Robbery Case That Sent Him to Jail34:40 Freddy Dee’s Five-Year Gambling Winning Streak43:18 Inside Florida’s Dangerous Underground Card Games47:36 $100,000 Cash Games With Florida Drug Dealers50:28 The Federal Drug Sweep That Changed Clewiston’s Street Economy56:35 Six-Figure Gambling Wins Turn Into a Losing Streak01:03:14 Returning to the Drug Game After Nearly a Decade01:13:45 Cocaine Trafficking Charge and a $100,000 Bond01:17:24 Beating the Case, Probation Violation & Seven Months in Jail01:22:36 Leaving the Drug Game and Becoming a Civilian

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Anthony “Tone Legacy” Baptiste was portrayed as a New York drug kingpin responsible for helping move heroin into Suffolk County, Long Island. His case resulted in a $5 million cash bail, a $10 million bond, and eventually a sentence of 51 years to life in New York State prison.

But roughly 10 years later, Tone walked out of prison.

In this episode of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Tone Legacy sits down with Nelson Rodriguez Jr. to tell the full story of how a kid from Far Rockaway and Long Island went from selling marijuana as a teenager to entering the New York drug trade, facing a major drug trafficking prosecution, and ultimately receiving what looked like a sentence that would keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.

Tone explains how investigators and prosecutors portrayed him as a major heroin trafficker operating an East Coast pipeline into Suffolk County. He also gives his side of the story, arguing that the public image created around his case was far bigger than the level of drug dealing he says he was actually involved in.

After being convicted on 14 of 16 charges, Tone says his original sentence was calculated at 46 years to life before being corrected to an astonishing 51 years to life.

His appeal did not overturn his conviction, but his sentence was eventually reduced to 25 years to life in the interest of justice.

That still wasn’t enough.

Inside prison, Tone turned the law library into what he describes as his office. After studying his case for years, he wrote his own legal motion and identified what he believed was a sentencing error involving his major drug trafficking conviction and a separate drug sale used to support that same conviction.

According to Tone, prosecutors eventually conceded the sentencing issue.

That legal fight ultimately changed the course of his life.

After becoming eligible for merit parole and work release, Tone was released from New York State prison on February 18, 2026, after serving approximately 10 years.

In this conversation, Tone also discusses life inside maximum-security prisons including Clinton Correctional Facility and Green Haven, New York prison politics, the criminal justice system, appealing a life sentence, representing himself legally, institutionalization, faith, redemption, and rebuilding his identity after a decade behind bars.

Today, Tone is a certified personal trainer and works with A Second U Foundation, an organization focused on helping formerly incarcerated people rebuild their lives through fitness, employment, and reentry opportunities.

This is the story of how Anthony “Tone Legacy” Baptiste went from being labeled a New York drug kingpin and facing 51 years to life to walking out of prison roughly a decade later.

In this episode:

How he entered the New York drug trade

The drug trade in Suffolk County and Long Island

The investigation that changed his life

Facing major drug trafficking charges

His $5 million cash bail and $10 million bond

Why authorities portrayed him as a New York kingpin

Going to trial instead of accepting his situation

Receiving a 51-years-to-life prison sentence

Life inside Clinton and Green Haven Correctional Facilities

Becoming eligible for merit parole

Walking out of prison after approximately 10 years

Life parole, reentry and rebuilding after prison

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for true stories about organized crime, drug trafficking, prison, street life, the criminal justice system, survival, redemption, and life after incarceration.

Chapters

00:00 51 Years to Life: Anthony “Tone Legacy” Baptiste’s Story

04:00 Growing Up in Far Rockaway and Long Island

13:29 Building a Party Promotion Business While Living a Double Life

22:04 Cocaine, Fast Money and the Pull of the Streets

30:35 How the Recession Changed New York’s Drug Game

35:17 How Tone Legacy Started Selling H

41:42 The Investigation and the Night Everything Fell Apart

49:03 Police Interrogation, Refusing to Talk and a $5 Million Bail

55:21 Facing Life in Prison and Refusing the Plea Deal

01:02:26 Studying Law and the Fake Jury Selection

01:11:40 Taking the H Trafficking Case to Trial

01:21:26 Sentenced to 51 Years to Life—and Fighting It From Prison

01:28:00 Asset Forfeiture, $700,000 and 4,000 Pages of Records

01:32:31 Life After Prison, Redemption and Building a New Legacy

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🔗 Links

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https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/

📸 Tone on Instagram

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At just 19 years old, Chris Willars faced six potential life sentences after being charged with six robberies, six gun offenses, and six conspiracies. When the judge announced a total sentence of 144 years, Chris believed his life was over—but all except 19 years were suspended. He ultimately served 16 years and 11 months in Virginia state prison.

In this episode of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Chris tells Nelson Rodriguez Jr. how a former Air Force member became involved in a robbery case, turned down an opportunity to cooperate against his codefendants, and entered Virginia’s violent level-four prison system.

Chris describes his first days inside, including being handed a prison knife by his cellmate, walking through the prison while armed guards watched from above, spending years in solitary confinement, and learning how to survive some of Virginia’s most dangerous prison yards.

He also explains how becoming a Five Percenter in prison gave him structure, discipline, knowledge of self, and a community during the darkest period of his life. Chris is no longer a Five Percenter, but he credits those teachings with helping redirect the path he was on.

After nearly 17 years behind bars, Chris walked out of prison in January 2020 and began rebuilding his life. Today, he is a husband, father, motivational speaker, and founder of The Life Unit, a nonprofit organization focused on youth intervention, recovery, outreach, gang prevention, and keeping young people from entering the criminal justice system.

This is a powerful conversation about prison survival, loyalty, consequences, personal transformation, redemption, and what it takes to rebuild a life after losing nearly two decades to incarceration.

In this episode:

Chris Willars’ robbery case and arrest

Facing six potential life sentences at 19

Why detectives offered to let him go home

Turning down an opportunity to cooperate

The judge announcing a 144-year sentence

Serving nearly 17 years in Virginia prison

Life inside a level-four maximum-security prison

Being handed a knife on his first day

Spending more than three years in solitary confinement

Becoming a Five Percenter in prison

Prison politics, violence, survival, and institutionalization

Reentering society after nearly two decades

Marriage, fatherhood, faith, redemption, and The Life Unit

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for true stories about crime, prison, survival, redemption, organized crime, and life after incarceration.

Chapters

00:00 Chris Willars Faces 6 Life Sentences

04:00 What Is a Five Percenter?

17:16 Joining the Air Force and Losing His Military Career

26:00 How a Robbery Plan Began

31:40 The Night of the Armed Robbery

39:30 Turning Himself In at 19 Years Old

45:33 Solitary Confinement and the “Yellow Brick Road”

52:30 The Judge Announces a 144-Year Sentence

59:03 First Day at Sussex II State Prison

1:03:26 His Cellmate Hands Him a Prison Knife

1:14:49 Becoming a Five Percenter Behind Bars

1:22:30 Betrayal, Solitary Confinement and Returning to Level 4

1:27:00 Violence and Predators Inside Virginia Prison

1:32:40 Serving Nearly 17 Years and Coming Home

1:36:00 Walking Out of Prison Mentally Changed

1:43:50 Redemption, Faith and Life After Prison

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🔗 Links

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https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/

📸 Chris on Instagram

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Billy Hayes tells the real story behind Midnight Express—from smuggling hash out of Turkey to receiving a life sentence, surviving a brutal Turkish prison, and pulling off one of the most famous prison escapes of all time.

In this episode of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Billy Hayes sits down with Nelson Rodriguez Jr. to explain what really happened before, during, and after the events that inspired the legendary film Midnight Express.

Billy opens up about why he began smuggling hashish, how he was arrested at the Istanbul airport, what it was like facing the Turkish justice system, and how his sentence was changed from a term of years to life in prison.

He also breaks down the conditions inside Turkish prison, the violence, fear, corruption, survival tactics, and psychological pressure that pushed him toward escape.

Billy then tells the full story of how he got out, crossed dangerous terrain, evaded capture, and eventually made it back to freedom.

The conversation also explores what Hollywood changed in Midnight Express, which scenes were exaggerated or completely fabricated, how the movie affected Turkey’s image around the world, and how Billy feels about the film decades later.

This episode covers:

The real story behind Midnight Express

Billy Hayes’ hash-smuggling operation

His arrest at the Istanbul airport

Being sentenced to life in a Turkish prison

Violence and survival inside prison

Planning and executing his escape

Crossing the border and reaching freedom

What the movie got right and wrong

The controversial courtroom speech

How Hollywood changed Billy Hayes’ story

The lasting legacy of Midnight Express

Billy’s life after prison and escape

Billy Hayes’ story remains one of the most famous prison-escape stories ever told—but the truth is even more complicated than the movie.

Watch the full episode of Honor Among Thieves Podcast now.

Subscribe for more firsthand interviews about true crime, prison survival, drug smuggling, organized crime, fugitives, redemption, and the real stories behind infamous cases.

Chapters

00:00 Billy Hayes’ Turkish Prison Escape and Life Sentence

06:02 Smuggling Two Kilos of Hash From Istanbul

15:10 Getting Caught at the Istanbul Airport

23:00 Interrogation, the CIA and His First Night in Custody

27:40 Surviving Violence Inside a Turkish Prison

37:05 Learning He Would Be Resentenced to Life in Prison

45:20 LSD, the Mental Hospital and Billy’s Failed Escape Plan

51:10 Planning a New Escape After Receiving a Life Sentence

59:30 The Night Billy Hayes Escaped From Prison

1:05:00 Reaching the Turkish Mainland and Running for His Life

1:13:00 Swimming the Border River Into Greece

1:19:00 Returning Home and the Turkish Media’s Escape Theories

1:29:00 Billy Hayes on Redemption, Love and the Meaning of Prison

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🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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📸 Billy on Instagram

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Retired undercover officer Lou Terminello takes us inside Miami’s nightlife during the 1980s, when cocaine, nightclubs, strip clubs, bars, and organized drug activity were deeply connected to the city’s entertainment scene.

In Episode 78 of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Lou explains how he worked undercover for the State of Florida’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, infiltrating nightlife businesses suspected of allowing or participating in illegal drug sales.

His job was not simply to arrest the dealer.

Lou had to enter bars, clubs, and adult-entertainment businesses under a false identity, gain the trust of employees and owners, document the drug activity, make arrests, and gather enough evidence for the state to suspend or revoke the establishment’s liquor license.

Lou reveals how these undercover sting operations worked, how officers built cases inside crowded Miami clubs, and what happened when business owners knowingly allowed cocaine and other illegal drugs to be sold on their property.

The conversation explores:

Undercover police work in 1980s Miami

Cocaine sales inside bars, nightclubs, and strip clubs

How undercover officers gained the trust of dealers

Drug stings targeting Miami nightlife businesses

Arresting employees, dealers, and business owners

Suspending liquor licenses after narcotics investigations

The dangers of carrying out undercover operations without being exposed

Miami’s cocaine-fueled nightlife during the Cocaine Cowboys era

Automatic weapons, violent traffickers, and unpredictable drug deals

How law enforcement investigated businesses connected to illegal drugs

The psychological pressure of living behind a false identity

Lou’s most dangerous and unforgettable undercover cases

Lou also explains the difference between targeting an individual drug dealer and building a case against an entire business. To shut a club down, investigators had to prove that management knew what was happening—or was directly involved.

This episode provides a rare firsthand look at the law-enforcement side of Miami’s criminal underworld during one of the most notorious periods in the city’s history.

Subscribe for more firsthand interviews about true crime, undercover police work, drug trafficking, organized crime, federal prison, Miami crime history, ex-cons, law enforcement, and redemption.

Chapters

00:00 Undercover Miami Cop’s Wildest Drug-Sting Stories

08:35 Becoming a Part-Time Police Officer in Massachusetts

15:42 Police Academy Training and Becoming a Miami Cop

21:07 What Miami’s Streets Looked Like Before the Cocaine Boom

26:18 Becoming a Florida Alcohol and Tobacco Special Agent

36:03 Infiltrating Nightclubs, Strip Clubs and Illegal Gambling Operations

41:33 The Mobar Investigation in Key West

47:16 Representing the Same Nightlife Industry He Once Investigated

51:35 Working Hundreds of Undercover Drug Cases

54:19 Lou’s Most Unbelievable Undercover Investigations

59:57 The Cafe Iguana Drug and Liquor-License Case

1:08:06 Lou Terminello’s Life and Legal Career Today

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

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🔗 Links

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https://www.gmlaw.com/attorneys/louis-terminello/

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