Honor Among Thieves | True Crime & Crime Stories

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

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Chris on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/christopher_life_willars?igsh=MWRyaDE3eWpmemd0bw==

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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

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

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🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Billy on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/realbillyhayes?igsh=MW9ieHRyeWY5M3Vraw==

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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:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

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🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

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

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Ken Behr says he moved 1,000- to 2,000-pound marijuana loads, trafficked more than 1,000 kilos of cocaine, and operated inside South Florida’s drug-smuggling world throughout the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s.

In Episode 77 of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, Ken reveals how a teenage marijuana operation grew into a decades-long career involving offshore freighters, speedboats, private aircraft, millions of dollars in cash and connections to some of the biggest marijuana smugglers in American history.

Ken describes arriving in South Florida during the height of the marijuana-smuggling era, when nearly everyone seemed to be involved in the drug trade. He explains how smugglers moved massive shipments from offshore freighters using Cigarette boats and sportfishing vessels, then transported the marijuana across the country in rental cars loaded with hundreds of pounds at a time.

He also shares his firsthand memories of working around legendary smuggler Donnie Steinberg, whom Ken describes as one of the largest marijuana traffickers in U.S. history. According to Ken, Steinberg was connected to freighters carrying as much as 200,000 pounds of marijuana and once discussed multiple enormous shipments arriving in different parts of the country on the same day.

Ken takes us inside the transition from marijuana to cocaine as South Florida entered the Cocaine Cowboys era. He discusses the price of a kilo in the early 1970s, moving cocaine in bulk, transporting suitcases filled with millions of dollars and the culture surrounding Fort Lauderdale and Miami nightlife—including the Mutiny Club, which he says inspired the Babylon Club in Scarface.

The operation finally came crashing down after Ken’s second arrest in 1992, when prosecutors charged him under RICO and accused him of running an ongoing criminal enterprise.

This episode covers:

1,000- to 2,000-pound marijuana loads

More than 1,000 kilos of cocaine

South Florida drug smuggling in the 1970s and 1980s

Offshore freighters carrying massive marijuana shipments

Cigarette boats and high-speed smuggling operations

Donnie Steinberg and the underground marijuana empire

Flying millions of dollars to the Cayman Islands

The rise of cocaine trafficking in South Florida

The Mutiny Club and its connection to Scarface

Federal investigations, RICO charges and Ken’s 1992 arrest

The money, danger and consequences of becoming a major drug trafficker

Ken Behr’s story offers a firsthand look at the real South Florida smuggling era that existed before the movies, documentaries and legends.

Watch Episode 77 of Honor Among Thieves Podcast now.

Subscribe for more true crime interviews, drug-trafficking stories, federal prison experiences, organized crime history, ex-con redemption stories and firsthand accounts from people who lived through America’s criminal underworld.

Chapters

00:00 Ken Behr’s South Florida Drug-Smuggling Story

04:13 Moving to South Florida During the 1970s Drug Boom

14:02 Flying Drug Money to the Cayman Islands and Running Cigarette Boats

22:04 Moving 1,000-Pound Loads and Entering the Cocaine Trade

30:23 Smuggling His First 600-Pound Marijuana Load

36:03 Armed Dealers, Failed Drug Deals and the Dangers of Smuggling

42:43 Home Invasions, Hidden Cocaine and South Florida Drug Violence

55:07 Racing Cars and Planning High-Risk Drug-Smuggling Missions

60:15 The Plan to Fly 300 Kilos of Cocaine From Colombia

70:54 Building a Secret Runway for a Cocaine-Smuggling Plane

78:04 Landing the Plane and Escaping With the Cocaine

82:04 Smuggling 40,000 Pounds From Canada and Getting Arrested

90:27 The Prison Advice That Changed Ken’s Life

95:41 Redemption, Regret and Taking Responsibility

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

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

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🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Ken on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kenbehr?igsh=YXM2cWVic3k2djVn

📸 Crime Nightly

https://www.instagram.com/crimenightly?igsh=MWtkbDIya3FiaGZwZw==

https://onestepovertheline.com/

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What was Pooh Shiesty really like inside federal prison?

In Episode 76 of Honor Among Thieves Podcast, former USP Victorville correctional officer Gio Martini returns to give a firsthand account of Pooh Shiesty’s time at one of the most dangerous federal prisons in California.

Gio says he was working at USP Victorville while Pooh Shiesty was housed there and witnessed how the rapper carried himself around staff and inmates. He describes Pooh as quiet when he first entered the penitentiary and explains how celebrity status, prison politics and personal reputation can quickly change once someone enters a high-security federal prison.

Gio also makes several explosive claims about Pooh Shiesty’s incarceration, including that he pushed a wheelchair for a known BMF associate, which Gio interprets as evidence that Pooh was paying for protection. He explains how protection arrangements operate inside prison, why inmates may align themselves with powerful figures and what it means when someone refuses to return to the general population.

The conversation also covers:

Pooh Shiesty’s arrival at USP Victorville

His alleged connection to a BMF associate

Claims that he was paying for prison protection

A failed drug test and time spent in the SHU

Protective custody and “checking in”

Prison gangs, racial politics and inmate reputation

Gio disputing Pooh Shiesty’s reported story about a deadly race riot

Gucci Mane, the alleged robbery controversy and Pooh’s decisions after release

What celebrity rappers face inside a maximum-security federal prison

The difference between a public image and surviving inside the penitentiary

Gio also explains why he believes Pooh’s alleged race-riot story does not match what actually happened at Victorville. According to Gio, an incident involving multiple deaths at such a notorious federal prison would have generated immediate media attention and institutional fallout.

This episode offers a rare perspective from someone who says he interacted with Pooh Shiesty inside the federal prison system and understood the politics surrounding his incarceration.

Was Pooh Shiesty protected inside USP Victorville? Did he voluntarily remain in protective custody? And how much of his public prison story matches what staff and inmates reportedly witnessed?

Subscribe for more firsthand stories about federal prison, organized crime, drug trafficking, prison gangs, celebrity inmates and redemption.

Chapters

00:00 Former USP Victorville Guard Reveals What Pooh Shiesty Was Really Like

05:20 Pooh Shiesty’s Alleged BMF Protection and Protective Custody

10:40 Pooh Shiesty on the Prison Yard, Basketball and Suicide Watch

16:00 Federal Gun Charges and Why Rappers Keep Returning to Prison

21:30 Gio Disputes Pooh Shiesty’s Alleged USP Victorville Race Riot Story

27:00 Could Diddy and R. Kelly Survive at USP Victorville?

32:30 Sex Offenders, Prison Paperwork and Inmate Politics

38:00 Why Pooh Shiesty Refused to Return to General Population

43:30 Rap Culture, Snitching and the Criminals Young People Idolize

49:10 Why Society Romanticizes Gangsters, Outlaws and Street Legends

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

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

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Become an Honor Among Thieves Patreon Member

Join The Underworld👇👇👇

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🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

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

📸 Gio on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/giothelegend89/

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