The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

Diaz Aguilar went to prison at 23 years old and spent the next 22 years inside Mississippi’s notoriously violent prison system.

In this episode, Diaz sits down to tell the unbelievable story of how he survived decades behind bars while navigating gang politics, corrupt prison staff, brutal violence, and a massive underground contraband economy.

Diaz explains how inmates worked with guards to bring in marijuana, tobacco, liquor, smartphones, and other contraband worth enormous amounts of money inside the prison system. He describes guards cooperating with gangs, violent conflicts between prison factions, years spent in segregation, and the abuse he says he witnessed and experienced at the hands of correctional staff.

He also breaks down the case that sent him to prison. Diaz maintains that he was convicted of manslaughter despite no DNA, fingerprints, or physical evidence tying him to the murder weapon.

Over time, Diaz became a powerful figure within the prison gang hierarchy and helped operate an organized contraband business that could generate more money than many street hustles.

But after spending nearly half his life behind bars, Diaz eventually had to face an entirely different challenge: learning how to live in the free world again.

Today, he is rebuilding his life, pursuing professional certifications, working in management, and sharing his story through his memoir, Rosecrans.

This is a story about prison corruption, gang politics, survival, institutionalization, and what it takes to start over after 22 years behind bars.

Go Support Diaz!

IG: https://www.instagram.com/diaz_santiago_55/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@diaz_santiago75

Book: https://a.co/d/00doiiEd

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

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0:00 Intro: 22 Years in Mississippi Prison

6:51 Corrupt Guards & Brutal Prison Conditions

13:22 How the Contraband Operation Worked

18:20 This Episode Is Sponsored By Freecash

19:53 Cash, Money Orders & the Prison Economy

25:14 Cell Phones, Contraband Laws & Prison Education

33:37 Growing Up Puerto Rican in Compton

39:48 Gang Life & the Road to Mississippi

44:56 Why He Stayed in Mississippi & the Vice Lords Network

49:01 This Episode Is Sponsored By Shopify

50:11 The Fight That Led to 22 Years in Prison

57:05 The Evidence, Trial & Case Against Diaz

1:03:44 Anger, Isolation & Learning to Survive

1:09:03 This Episode Is Sponsored By Cloaked

1:10:54 His First Years Inside Mississippi Prison

1:17:52 Security Threat Status & Abuse by Guards

1:24:21 Handcuffed, Beaten & Prison Violence

1:30:49 Gang Wars, Stabbings & Prison Riots

1:36:17 Spending Four Years in Solitary Confinement

1:42:05 Prison Weapons & Building Connections With Guards

1:48:03 Smuggling Contraband Through Prison Guards

1:55:44 Rising to the Top of the Contraband Operation

2:02:33 Hidden Stashes & Making Money in Prison

2:08:48 Weed Markups & the Prison Liquor Racket

2:15:57 Smuggling Contraband Through Maintenance Trucks

2:22:03 Adapting Prison Survival Skills to the Free World

2:28:13 Life After Prison, Career Plans & Final Reflections
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Scott Anthony had already lived a life most people wouldn't believe.

He grew up in Chicago street gangs, robbed drug dealers, trafficked cocaine, fled the United States, lived under aliases, and eventually built a new life in Mexico.

Then he discovered another business: Cuban cigars.

While still on federal probation, Scott says he began traveling to Cuba, buying hundreds of boxes of cigars, moving them through Mexico, and smuggling them across the U.S. border. What started with 40 boxes eventually grew into loads of hundreds at a time.

His customers ranged from wealthy businessmen and cigar dealers to some of Chicago's biggest names—including Michael Jordan.

In this episode, Scott breaks down the rise of his Cuban cigar operation, the border seizures, the people who moved the merchandise, his encounters in Cuba, and why he ultimately walked away from the business and put the money into building a legitimate fitness empire in Mexico.

This is the story of a career criminal who eventually decided he'd pushed his luck far enough.

Go Support Scott!

IG: https://www.instagram.com/scottanthonyog

YouTube: @ScottAnthonyOG

Website: https://www.scottanthonyog.com/

Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!

https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow

0:00 Preview & Scott Anthony Intro

7:12 Gangs, Prison Influence & the Criminal World

14:58 Early Scores & Blowing the Money

21:55 Police Brutality & Run-Ins With Law Enforcement

28:12 Going From Petty Crime to Bigger Scores

38:17 Robbing Dealers

45:14 The $300K–$400K Drug Score

49:40 Shootout With the Cops

56:26 What Scott Was Wanted For

58:09 Fleeing to Mexico

1:07:35 Robbing Dealers & His Cop Cousin

1:12:26 Starting a New Life in Guadalajara

1:18:25 Fake Names & Living as a Fugitive

1:26:02 The Federales Find Him in Mexico

1:34:20 The Federal Plea Deal & Eight Years Probation

1:44:35 Back in Chicago & Life After the Case

1:53:59 How the Cuban Cigar Hustle Started

1:59:09 Smuggling Cuban Cigars Across the Border

2:04:49 Buying Cigars in Cuba & Moving Them North

2:10:12 Michael Jordan & Celebrity Cigar Customers

2:17:09 Smuggling Costs, Profit Margins & $500 Boxes

2:24:05 How Big the Cigar Operation Became

2:30:16 Could the Cuban Cigar Hustle Work Today?

2:39:40 Divorce, Scott’s Books & Final Thoughts
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Former Hells Angel Joby Walters sits down to tell the unbelievable story of how he entered the outlaw motorcycle world at nearly 50 years old, rose through the ranks, survived one of the most infamous biker wars in American history, and eventually walked away from it all.

Joby recounts meeting legendary Hells Angel Sonny Barger, earning his patch, and becoming deeply involved in the Arizona club scene during escalating conflicts with the Mongols, Vagos, Bandidos, and other outlaw motorcycle clubs.

He gives a firsthand account of the deadly 2002 fight at Harrah’s Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, describing the moments leading up to the violence, the chaos inside the casino, and the death of one of his closest brothers.

Joby also tells the incredible story of ATF agent Jay Dobyns infiltrating the Hells Angels, a staged murder used to gain the club’s trust, the moment Joby realized something wasn’t right, and the federal investigation that followed.

Facing potentially decades behind bars, Joby fled to Mexico, where he spent years living under a new identity, riding through the mountains, hunting mountain lions and bears, and eventually beginning the spiritual transformation that would change the direction of his life.

After prison, violence, betrayal, and losing nearly everything, Joby walked away from the Hells Angels and found a new purpose through faith.

Go Support Joby!

Website: https://www.jobywalters.com/

Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HC3QQ54S

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

Perplexity! Start your free trial of Perplexity Computer today at https://PPLX.ai/CONNECT and experience the next phase of AI. #ad

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0:00 Joby Walters: Hells Angels Outlaw Story

6:15 Getting Sober Before Joining the Hells Angels

11:52 The Bullhead Confrontation

18:08 Meeting Sonny Barger

25:00 This Episode Is Sponsored By Perplexity AI

26:47 From Prospect to Full-Patch Hells Angel

34:18 Expanding the Hells Angels in Arizona

41:16 Early Club Wars & Mongols Tensions

48:15 This Episode Is Sponsored By Cash App

49:25 The Laughlin Riot: How It Started

57:07 The Laughlin Shootout Explodes

1:05:03 Aftermath, Arrests & the Mongols War

1:07:15 This Episode Is Sponsored By PrizePicks

1:08:54 Two and a Half Years in Mexico

1:20:01 The ATF Undercover Infiltration

1:27:33 The Revenge Plot & Fake Murder Setup

1:35:03 Realizing They Were Undercover

1:43:31 Federal Indictments & Conspiracy Charges

1:50:43 Facing Prison & Beating the Federal Case

1:57:40 Getting Out, Probation & Faith

2:04:06 Bandidos, Sonny Barger & Old Club Wars

2:11:03 Old-School Biker Life & Final Thoughts
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Matthew Handy lived through 20 years of addiction, crime, prison, paranoia, and survival before finally turning his life around.

In this episode, Matt sits down to tell the wild story of how his life spiraled from early drug use in San Diego to heroin addiction, meth dealing, organized retail theft, credit card fraud, extortion, bank robbery, and cartel-adjacent chaos on both sides of the border.

Matt opens up about childhood trauma, prison, the criminal mindset, life in San Bernardino, the explosion of credit card fraud, smuggling drugs from Tijuana, and the moment a bank robbery finally forced him to choose between spending decades behind bars or changing his life.

Today, Matt is in recovery, runs the podcast My Last Relapse, and works in addiction treatment helping others escape the same cycle that nearly destroyed him.

Go Support Matt!

YouTube: @MyLastRelapse

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt.handy.17/

Rehab: https://www.harmonygrovebh.com/

Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!

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00:00 Intro: Credit Card Fraud, Addiction & Crime

06:58 Growing Up in 1990s San Diego

13:39 Planning a Bank Robbery

18:10 Extorting Doctors & Wealthy Clients

24:14 Childhood Trauma and Early Criminality

29:56 Robberies, Drugs & Firestorm Burglaries

35:20 Prison Life and Using Behind Bars

37:42 The Baby Product Theft Scheme

43:17 Building a Nationwide Retail Theft Operation

49:27 Paranoia, Silent Tape & High-Level Shoplifting

55:22 Prison Didn’t Scare Him Straight

1:03:44 Getting Out, Relapsing & Manipulating Family

1:09:11 Back With His Uncle and Trap House Life

1:13:18 Selling Meth and Joining a Gang Circle

1:19:03 Police Surveillance and Controlled Buys

1:24:03 Major Task Force Bust

1:29:18 Addiction, Choice & Facing Serious Time

1:32:59 Moving to San Bernardino

1:37:04 The Amazon Warehouse Scam

1:42:55 Credit Card Fraud Begins

1:49:31 Running Teams and Moving Merchandise

1:56:33 Paranoia Ends the Fraud Ring

2:00:03 Returning to San Diego and Trying to Get Clean

2:04:02 Relapse, Energy Drink Theft & Street Hustles

2:09:43 Meeting His Future Wife

2:15:03 Doctors, Escorts & Blackmail

2:18:07 COVID, Fentanyl and Crime in San Diego

2:22:19 Tijuana Drug Houses and Border Runs

2:27:37 Heroin, Fentanyl and Meth Markets

2:34:31 Xanax Blackouts and Cartel Money

2:39:32 Robbing a Bank to Get Her Attention

2:44:48 Arrest, FBI Questioning & Bomb Threat Investigation

2:50:21 Delancey Street and Avoiding Decades in Prison

2:57:58 Recovery, Relapse and Building a New Life

3:00:24 Where to Find Matthew Handy
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Former Bad Boy rapper G. Dep sits down to tell one of the most unbelievable stories in hip-hop history.

Growing up in Harlem during the height of the crack era, G. Dep went from hustling in the streets and battling drug addiction to landing a record deal with Bad Boy Entertainment and becoming one of the label’s rising stars. But behind the success, the music, and the fame was a secret that continued to haunt him.

In 1993, at just 18 years old, G. Dep was involved in a fatal shooting in Harlem. He was never arrested for it and eventually moved on with his life, signing with Bad Boy and building a successful rap career. But nearly two decades later, the guilt became too much.

In December 2010, G. Dep walked into a New York City police precinct and confessed to the crime — 17 years after it happened.

In this episode, G. Dep opens up about growing up in New York City, selling drugs, getting arrested repeatedly, discovering hip-hop, signing with Bad Boy, working around Diddy and some of the biggest names in rap, battling addiction, and the incredible decision that ultimately sent him to prison.

He also explains what was going through his mind when he confessed, why he was willing to face the consequences, his trial and prison sentence, the road to clemency, and what it feels like to finally be free and making music again.

This is the story of G. Dep — from the streets of Harlem to Bad Boy Records, prison, redemption, and a second chance at life.

Go Support G. Deb!

IG: https://www.instagram.com/gdepofficial/

YouTube: @gdepofficial

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@gdepofficial

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trevell.g.dep.coleman

Merch: https://lovethehustler.com/collections/g-dep

This Episode Is #Sponsored By The Following:

Kalshi! Download the Kalshi app and use code MITCHELL to get $10 when you trade $10.

18+ only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply. Event contract trading involves risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Kalshi products are not available in all jurisdictions. Prices, values, and available markets may differ from those mentioned. For more information see kalshi.com/regulatory.

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Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!

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0:00 Intro: Why G. Dep Turned Himself In

6:24 Growing Up in Harlem During the Crack Era

12:03 Breakdancing, Early Rap & Becoming G. Dep

18:00 Selling Drugs & Early Drug Use

21:59 This Episode Is Sponsored By Kalshi

23:05 Drug Cases, Jail & Hearing About Tupac

34:20 Escaping an Undercover Arrest

42:19 This Episode Is Sponsored By Cloaked

43:50 The Song That Led G. Dep to Bad Boy

52:14 The 1993 Shooting

1:01:36 This Episode Is Sponsored By Hims

1:03:13 Police Question G. Dep the Next Day

1:07:22 Living With the Secret & Growing Guilt

1:14:22 G. Dep’s Relationship With Diddy

1:19:48 Writing Lyrics for Diddy

1:26:03 PCP, Fame & Coping With the Murder

1:33:16 Bad Boy Parties & Addiction Taking Over

1:40:29 Reconnecting With Diddy After Bad Boy

1:48:54 Deciding to Turn Himself In

1:56:24 Walking Into the Precinct to Confess

2:02:07 Arrested After a 17-Year-Old Confession

2:09:53 Taking the Murder Case to Trial

2:15:27 15-to-Life, Clemency & Coming Home

2:20:34 Life Today, New Music & What’s Next
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