Honor Among Thieves | True Crime & Crime Stories

Jordi Shamah, former vice president and sales manager at Stratton Oakmont, joins Honor Among Thieves Podcast to share his account of working inside the brokerage made famous by The Wolf of Wall Street. Shamah says Jordan Belfort secretly wore a wire during visits to his home, an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, and dinner—and that he discovered the recordings only after his FBI arrest. He explains how the investigation involved stock promotion after Stratton Oakmont closed and why he believes Belfort turned on him.From earning as much as $500,000 a month to high-stakes golf games and extravagant yacht trips, Jordi describes the money and excess behind Stratton Oakmont’s rise and collapse. He discusses his relationships with Danny Porush and Steve Madden, explains the firm’s stock-selling practices, and challenges parts of The Wolf of Wall Street movie’s portrayal. Along the way, he acknowledges turning a blind eye to wrongdoing while enjoying the lifestyle it funded.The conversation follows Jordi through his arrest, his own agreement to cooperate, and a sentence of three years’ probation. He also opens up about decades of sobriety, a life-threatening medical crisis, Steve Madden’s support, and his work helping others rebuild their lives. This episode explores securities fraud, FBI cooperation, personal accountability, and the consequences behind one of Wall Street’s most recognizable stories.Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for firsthand true crime stories, criminal investigations, and conversations about redemption.
Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for more true-crime interviews, federal prison stories, organized crime history, drug-trafficking cases, and raw conversations about consequences and redemption.

This episode is presented for documentary, journalistic, and educational purposes. It does not promote or glorify illegal drug use, drug trafficking, identity fraud, or other criminal activity.

Chapters
00:00 Preview: Jordan Belfort Ratted on Me03:41 Growing Up With Danny Porush & Steve Madden06:59 How Steve Madden Helped Jordi Get Sober10:29 Joining Stratton Oakmont as a Stockbroker12:23 When Jordan Belfort Left Stratton Oakmont16:02 What Jordi Says The Wolf of Wall Street Movie Got Wrong18:31 Making $500,000 a Month & Turning a Blind Eye22:48 How Stratton Oakmont Sold Stocks25:35 Becoming Stratton Oakmont’s Vice President31:05 Million-Dollar Months & Extravagant Spending34:14 Stratton Oakmont’s Shutdown: Jordi’s Account40:24 Jordi Says Jordan Belfort Wore a Wire on Him41:31 The FBI Arrest at Jordi’s Home44:24 Jordan Belfort’s Cooperation After Stratton Oakmont47:16 Steve Madden’s Support During Jordi’s Health Crisis50:00 Life Coaching, Sobriety & Redemption

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Teflon joins host Nelson Rodriguez Jr. on Episode 99 of the Honor Among Thieves Podcast to share his account of a California-to-Miami marijuana trafficking operation built through Mexican suppliers and connections across Miami’s neighborhoods. What began with a single pound grew into a distribution network supplying customers in Liberty City, Overtown, and beyond. Teflon describes transporting 100 pounds of marijuana at a time, handling large cash payments, and the relationships that kept the operation running.

From his upbringing in Miami’s Scott Projects to his years in the drug trade, Teflon recounts how his brother’s connection in California opened the door to increasingly larger suppliers. He discusses the Mexican supplier known as Chulo, a Miami strip-club outing that ended in an armed robbery and shootout, and his brother’s eventual arrest in California. He also explains how the operation evolved from “popcorn” marijuana to higher-priced exotic strains, bringing new customers, competition, and financial risks.

Behind the drug money and nightlife, Teflon says he continued working a $7.50-an-hour job while spending much of what he earned trafficking marijuana. He reflects on the millions he estimates he squandered, the money dispute that cut off his final supply connection, and his transition into running a legitimate home-remodeling company. Watch the full conversation for a firsthand account of marijuana smuggling, Miami’s drug trade, loyalty, and life after the hustle. Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves for more true crime interviews and stories from people who lived them.

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for more true-crime interviews, federal prison stories, organized crime history, drug-trafficking cases, and raw conversations about consequences and redemption.

This episode is presented for documentary, journalistic, and educational purposes. It does not promote or glorify illegal drug use, drug trafficking, identity fraud, or other criminal activity.

Chapters

0:00 The Mexican Connection

06:36 From College Football to the California Connection

14:09 Marijuana Shipments Hidden in Heaters

18:43 Building a Miami Trap House Network

23:38 Wholesale Marijuana vs. Street-Level Profits

30:28 Miami Nightlife and $40,000 in Rental Cars

39:42 Meeting Chulo: The New Mexican Connection

45:59 The Ferrari Chase and His Brother’s Arrest

52:48 Stockpiling Weed Before the Supply Runs Dry

55:11 Drug Profits and Miami’s Street Network

1:03:22 Wholesale Deals and $100,000 Supplier Payments

1:12:16 The Team Moving 200 Pounds a Month Across Miami

1:19:27 Chulo’s Arrest and His Brother’s Federal Case

1:27:38 Tijuana Trips and the Mexican Suppliers

1:33:33 The Money Dispute That Ended the Operation

1:34:29 Where Millions in Drug Money Went

1:38:39 Life After Trafficking: Construction and Redemption

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Two months after leaving prison, Erwin says he was facing 15 new felony charges. In Episode 98 of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, he joins host Nelson Rodriguez Jr. to recount a life shaped by armed robberies, drug dealing, addiction, and repeated incarceration. From committing robberies at 15 to navigating Miami’s streets during the 1990s and 2000s, Erwin shares how his criminal activity escalated—and what it cost him.

Erwin discusses juvenile detention, Dade County Jail, Florida prison, and his years in Miami’s drug trade. He describes selling cocaine and ecstasy, becoming dependent on prescription painkillers, and eventually using heroin. As his addiction consumed his money, he returned to robbery, continuing a cycle of arrests, release, and reoffending. Along the way, he reflects on jailhouse violence, relationships, fatherhood, and the distance his choices created between him and his family.

The conversation also explores the turning point Erwin experienced while incarcerated: a fellow inmate introducing him to the Christian faith. He explains how Bible study and a personal spiritual awakening changed his outlook, discusses his involvement in prison ministry, and shares what redemption means to him today. This episode brings together a firsthand account of Miami crime, the consequences of addiction, and the difficult work of rebuilding a life after prison.

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for more true-crime interviews, federal prison stories, organized crime history, drug-trafficking cases, and raw conversations about consequences and redemption.

This episode is presented for documentary, journalistic, and educational purposes. It does not promote or glorify illegal drug use, drug trafficking, identity fraud, or other criminal activity.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

07:18 Armed Robberies at Just 15 Years Old

16:16 A High-Speed Chase and Arrest in Sweetwater

21:50 County Jail, Release and Repeat Arrests

28:30 Fatherhood, Relationships and Street Life

34:25 Violating Probation and Getting Married in Jail

40:16 Old Rivals and Fights Inside Jail

45:06 Eight Years in Miami’s Drug Trade

50:32 The Drug Trafficking Sentence

57:10 From Prescription Pills to H

1:03:56 The U-Haul That Led to His Arrest

1:11:20 His First Florida Prison Sentence

1:16:03 Facing 15 Felony Charges in Two Months

1:21:56 The Cellmate Who Introduced Him to Christianity

1:28:10 A Spiritual Awakening Inside Jail

1:32:37 Surviving a Stabbing and Learning to Forgive

1:37:40 Sentencing, Prison Life and Preparing for Release

1:43:44 Faith, Relationships and Setbacks After Prison

1:52:36 A Broward County Warrant and Another Arrest

1:59:01 What Redemption Means to Erwin

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Rebecca Castaneda, known as the Narco Attorney, joins Nelson Rodriguez Jr. on Honor Among Thieves Podcast to discuss the deals cartel defendants make with the federal government. A former federal prosecutor and U.S. Coast Guard attorney, Rebecca shares her perspective on drug trafficking investigations, sealed plea agreements, confidential cooperation, extradition, and federal sentencing. Drawing on experience from both sides of the courtroom, she explains how information becomes valuable—and why the public record may reveal only part of a criminal case.

Rebecca describes prosecuting cases involving approximately $2.3 billion worth of drugs before moving into criminal defense. She recounts winning an acquittal for a client who faced life imprisonment after spending four years in custody, in a trial featuring 34 government witnesses. She also shares stories from visiting clients in Colombian and Guatemalan prisons, including her account of expensive prison apartments, and discusses the challenges of representing defendants in international narcotics cases.

The conversation also covers El Mayo Zambada, El Chapo, and questions surrounding cartel cooperation, with Rebecca explaining general legal processes rather than claiming inside knowledge of El Mayo’s defense. Nelson and Rebecca discuss cocaine trafficking, narco submarines, changing smuggling routes, and why she believes the war on drugs has failed to stop the cocaine trade. Beyond the courtroom, she reflects on the families affected by extradition, lengthy prison sentences, and the possibility of redemption. Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves for more conversations about organized crime, prison, and life after the criminal justice system.

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for more true-crime interviews, federal prison stories, organized crime history, drug-trafficking cases, and raw conversations about consequences and redemption.

This episode is presented for documentary, journalistic, and educational purposes. It does not promote or glorify illegal drug use, drug trafficking, identity fraud, or other criminal activity.

Chapters

00:00 Rebecca Castaneda: Narco Attorney

06:13 Operation Panama Express & Coast Guard Drug Busts

13:03 Federal Drug Investigations & U.S. Jurisdiction

25:17 How Chain-of-Custody Errors Undermined a Drug Case

33:12 From Prosecuting $2.3 Billion in Drugs to Narco Defense

40:16 Guatemala’s Luxury Prison Apartments & Extradition

49:43 Colombian Cartels, Mexico & Guatemala’s Role

54:44 El Mayo Zambada & Questions About Cooperation

1:03:47 Why Prosecutors Compare Drug Defendants to El Chapo

1:10:17 Fentanyl Crackdowns & the Cocaine Market

1:15:04 Narco Submarines & the Economics of Cocaine

1:21:38 Fishermen, Pilots & Girlfriends: Sources of Cartel Intel

1:27:04 Rebecca’s View of the Drug War & U.S. Power

1:30:33 Cuba, Puerto Rico & Caribbean Drug Routes

1:36:31 Telling a Child Her Father Was Extradited

1:43:08 Connect With Rebecca Castaneda & Closing Thoughts

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Alex Montanez returns to the Honor Among Thieves Podcast for Part 2, sharing his story of cocaine dealing, two years on the run, and five years in Florida state prison. Joining host Nelson Rodriguez Jr., Alex discusses his family’s connections to the Medellín cartel, Rafa Salazar, and Jorge Ochoa—and how his own involvement in the drug trade led to betrayal, arrest, and incarceration.

Alex recounts how his right-hand man became an informant after an arrest involving a stolen Rolex, the close calls he experienced as a fugitive, and why he eventually surrendered. He describes hiding in an empty grave during his brother’s funeral, being bunkmates with Jorge “Rivi” Ayala, and the prison fight that delayed his release before his father’s death. Throughout the conversation, Alex reflects on the consequences of pride, addiction, and the choices he made.

The episode also explores Alex’s return to dealing after prison, his work in music production, and his friendships with artists including Nicky Jam and Pitbull. He discusses more than a decade of sobriety, fatherhood, and his business ventures, including On the Run Vegan. Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves for firsthand conversations about organized crime, prison, and rebuilding life after incarceration.

Subscribe to Honor Among Thieves Podcast for more true-crime interviews, federal prison stories, organized crime history, drug-trafficking cases, and raw conversations about consequences and redemption.

This episode is presented for documentary, journalistic, and educational purposes. It does not promote or glorify illegal drug use, drug trafficking, identity fraud, or other criminal activity.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

02:39 Alex on Pablo Escobar, Carlos Lehder & Popeye

11:42 Cuba, Castro & Drug-Smuggling Allegations

17:33 Meeting John Gotti & New York Mafia Stories

24:07 His Father’s Warning About Drugs & Prison

30:38 The FBI Raid on His Birthday

37:32 Selling Cocaine at 17 & Following His Father

46:43 Escaping a Manhunt in the Bronx

55:19 The Stolen Rolex & His Right-Hand Man’s Betrayal

1:01:51 Prison With Jorge “Rivi” Ayala

1:05:29 The Prison Fight That Delayed His Release

1:11:01 Returning to Drug Dealing After Prison

1:17:54 Pitbull, Miami Hip-Hop & Celebrity Friendships

1:20:41 On the Run Vegan, Billionaire Water & Redemption

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