I Was Addicted to Robbing Banks — Then Got 18 Years in New York State Prison | Tommy "Big Fatts" Sanders
2026-07-01 | 1h 24 mins.
Tommy "Big Fatts" Sanders grew up in Niagara Falls New York — and by the time he was 6 years old his mother had been killed. His father was in prison. What followed was a childhood spent in group homes juvie and living with prostitutes — and an education in the streets that taught him how to rob stores and banks before most kids had their driver's license. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Tommy tells the complete story — the childhood that shaped everything the addiction to robbing that took over his early 20s the bank and store spree that sent him on the run and the 18.5 year New York State Prison sentence that finally stopped him. He opens up about what surviving New York State Prison really looked like and what it finally took to turn his life completely around.
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#bankrobbery #prison #truecrimecommunity
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Connect with Tommy "Big Fatts" Sanders: Book: https://www.amazon.com/My-Pen-Pushes-T-Sanders-ebook/dp/B07J181DBW
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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/
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Timestamps: 00:00 Niagara Falls Bank Robber Who Refused to Snitch — Full Story 01:32 Growing Up in Niagara Falls and the Environment That Shaped Everything 03:44 Losing His Mother and the Early Trauma That Changed the Direction of His Life 05:51 His Father's Prison Story and the Family Dynamics That Defined His Childhood 07:39 His First Steps Into Crime and What That World Really Looked Like 09:39 Life on the Streets and the Early Robberies That Started the Escalation 12:12 School Years and His Attempts to Join the Army That Could Have Changed Everything 14:29 The Cycle of the Streets and the Family Influence That Kept Pulling Him Back 17:36 Living in Group Homes and the Environment That Surrounded Him 20:07 The Transition to Robberies and What Really Motivated Those Decisions 23:13 The Robbery Spree and the Failed Attempts at a Normal Life That Followed 27:04 The Bank Robbery Details and What Life on the Run Really Looked Like 31:11 Life as a Fugitive and the Criminal Addiction That Kept Him Going 34:20 His Capture the Charges and Why He Refused to Snitch 37:37 His Prison Sentence and the Transfers Between Facilities 42:58 Adapting to Prison Life and What Surviving the Violence Really Required 48:18 Navigating Gangs and Prison Relationships From the Inside 53:32 Maintaining Family Bonds From Inside Prison and What That Required 56:41 His Personal Growth in Prison and What Writing a Book Really Meant 01:00:18 His Release From Prison and the Reentry Challenges That Followed 01:03:08 Rebuilding Family Connections After Prison and What That Process Required 01:05:49 The Addiction of Robbery and the Mental Challenges That Come With It 01:09:02 Facing Temptation and What Choosing a New Life Actually Required 01:13:02 His Reflections His Regrets and the Message He Wants Every Young Person to Hear 01:14:13 His Current Life — Music Writing and Community Work 01:16:00 The SNUG Program and What Giving Back to the Community Really Looks Like 01:18:09 His Final Thoughts and Closing Message
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To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
I Was a New York Bloods Leader — Then Did 12 Years in Prison | James Pitt
2026-06-30 | 1h 27 mins.
James Pitt grew up in Rockland County New York without his mother in the picture — raised by his single father alongside two siblings while watching his dad's health deteriorate throughout his childhood. The streets filled the void. He first joined the Crips before switching to the Bloods and eventually rising to become a Blood gang leader in New York. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, James tells the complete story — from growing up in Rockland County to juvenile detention at 15 to an attempted murder charge against a rival gang leader that resulted in two years county time to surviving two separate assassination attempts during his set's civil war to to a 2012 gun possession arrest where one of his own turned on him to a 10 year sentence to being pulled back on kidnapping and robbery charges five years in after a DNA match to facing persistent violent felony charges of 18 to life to being sentenced to 14 years concurrent and finally walking out on May 20 2024 after 12 years inside.
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#gangleader #blood #truecrimecommunity #prison
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Connect with James Pitt: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/american_felon_tv_/ Website: https://www.americanfelontv.com/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Prison-Zoology-archetypes-survival-systems/dp/B0GZT34MJX
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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/
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Timestamps: 00:00 New York Bloods Leader Survived Assassination Attempts — Full Story 02:40 Growing Up Without His Mother and the Void That Created 05:19 His Father's Impact and the Morals That Shaped His Early Years 07:47 School Life and the First Signs of Trouble 13:36 Joining the Crips Then Switching to the Bloods 18:32 The Escalating Street Violence That Defined His Teenage Years 23:24 The Gang Wars and School Conflicts That Followed Him Everywhere 31:52 His Early Arrests and What Juvenile Detention Really Looked Like 39:10 The Streets Robberies and What Cycling Through Juvie Really Required 45:51 The Attempted Murder Case That Changed Everything 53:01 Jail Time and the Prison Mindset He Had to Develop 59:10 Prison Life and the Blood Politics That Governed Everything Inside 01:06:21 The Lessons Education and the Turning Point That Changed Direction 01:14:00 His Release and What Rebuilding Life Actually Required 01:17:10 American Felon and What Building Entrepreneurship After Prison Looked Like 01:18:48 His Book His Advice and His Reflections on Everything He Survived 01:20:36 His Final Thoughts and Closing Message
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To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
I Was a Gangster Disciple — Then I Went To Prison | Pastor Michael Miano
2026-06-29 | 1h 27 mins.
Michael Miano grew up with nothing — a mother addicted to drugs a father who wasn't in the picture and a childhood spent bouncing between family homes. He found the family he was looking for in the Gangster Disciples and quickly rose to becoming a recruiter for one of America's most notorious street gangs. In and out of jail from a young age — an attempted firebombing in New York finally put him away for 3 years. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Pastor Michael Miano tells the complete story of how prison became the turning point that changed everything — how he found his life's purpose behind bars and what it took to build a completely new life on the other side. From gang recruiter to pastor — this is one of the most dramatic redemption stories we've ever told on this show.
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#gangster #truecrimecommunity #prisonlife
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Connect with Pastor Michael Miano: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pastor.mike.miano/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmiano Book: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B007XI7Y1A
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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/
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Timestamps: 00:00 From Gang Life to Pastor — The Complete Story 03:00 Growing Up on Long Island — the Home Life and Aspirations That Shaped Everything 07:00 Family Dynamics and Sibling Relationships That Defined His Early Years 10:00 The Pivotal Childhood Moments That Pushed Him Toward Gang Life 14:00 His First Encounters With Gang Life and What That World Really Looked Like 17:00 Inside Gang Recruitment and the Early Activities Nobody Talks About 23:00 Arrests School Struggles and the Double Life He Was Living 29:00 The Escalating Violence and Legal Troubles That Defined That Chapter 35:00 His Prison Sentence — Facing Reality and What Loyalty Really Meant Inside 39:00 Life Inside Prison — the Survival Tactics and Reflection That Changed Everything 45:00 Searching for Identity — Tattoos Politics and What Prison Life Really Looks Like 53:00 The Turning Point — How He Went From Gang Life to Complete Transformation 01:00:00 Reintegrating — His Plans for Life After Prison and What That Required 01:06:00 Returning Home — Finding Work and the New Beginnings That Followed 01:10:00 Building a New Life — Jobs Faith and the Ministry That Gave Him Purpose 01:17:00 Becoming a Pastor and What Giving Back to His Community Really Looks Like 01:20:00 His Mindset His Reflections and the Advice He Wants the Next Generation to Hear
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To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
I Spent 10 Years as a Massachusetts State Trooper — Here's the Cases That Still Haunt Me | Tony Bova
2026-06-28 | 1h 51 mins.
Tony Bova always felt different growing up — and the path to becoming a Massachusetts State Trooper was anything but straight. After getting rejected from law enforcement multiple times he became a Boston paramedic first before finally breaking through to the Massachusetts State Police. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Tony opens up about everything — the early days on the job the first calls that hit different why traffic stops and construction sites are genuinely some of the most dangerous situations a trooper faces and what moving into homicide and death investigations really looks like. He shares the cases and calls that will never leave him and opens up about something most law enforcement stories never address honestly — that the hardest parts of his career weren't the job itself but his personal life. After 10 years he medically retired following an injury and has been processing everything that came with it ever since.
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#cops #truecrimecommunity #lawenforcement
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Connect with Tony Bova: https://www.instagram.com/tonyjbova/
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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/
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Timestamps: 00:00 Tony Bova: Journey to Law Enforcement 02:00 Growing Up: Family, Culture, & Early Struggles 08:00 Education Challenges & Early Career Choices 11:00 Pursuing Law Enforcement: Barriers & Rejections 17:00 Paramedic Detour & Boston EMS 21:00 Finally Breaking Through: State Police Academy 25:00 Changing Culture in Law Enforcement 33:00 First Patrol Experiences & Stress 37:00 Responding to Major Calls & Homicide Scenes 42:00 Staying Calm Under Pressure 49:00 Getting Older in the Job & Life Experience 01:01:00 Traffic Stops, Crashes, & Public Safety 01:13:00 Transition Into Investigations Work 01:17:00 Inside Homicide Investigations 01:24:00 Personal Impact of the Job & Home Life Balance 01:32:00 Mental Health, Growth & Overcoming Challenges 01:39:00 Leaving the Force & New Direction 01:41:00 Coaching, Relationships, & Lessons Learned
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To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
I Was a Paramedic Who Cooked Meth — Then Got 35 Years in Federal Prison | Kevin Christian
2026-06-25 | 1h 37 mins.
Kevin Christian spent 12 years saving lives as a paramedic and firefighter in Missouri — responding to crime scenes accidents and emergencies that most people never have to witness. When the money stopped being enough he made a decision that changed everything. He learned to cook meth. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Kevin tells the complete story — from his paramedic days and the devastating crime scenes that shaped him to building a meth cooking and trafficking operation that made him thousands a week. When the cops came the feds picked up the case and Kevin refused to rat on anyone. That loyalty cost him 35 years in federal prison. He shares what the federal prison system looked like from the inside through the 1990s all the way to his early release in 2020 — the prison hustle the food the commissary how the system changed over three decades the politics and what rising to shot caller of the Missouri car actually required. This is one of the most complete and honest federal prison stories we have ever told on this show.
Thank you to BLUEPRINT & MARS MEN for sponsoring this episode: Blueprint: For a limited time only, our listeners get 20% off + free shipping at https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.com/ by using code LOCKEDIN at checkout. #Blueprint #ad
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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/
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Timestamps: 00:00 Paramedic Who Cooked Meth and Got 35 Years in Federal Prison — Full Story 03:00 His Early Life and the Paramedic Career That Nobody Expected to End This Way 09:00 The Appeal and Reality of Making Meth and What Drew Him Into That World 14:30 Building a Full Meth Operation and the Lifestyle That Came With It 19:00 How Law Enforcement and the Feds Closed In and What That Process Really Looked Like 25:30 The Arrest the Sentencing and What Entering the Federal Prison System Really Felt Like 32:00 The Life and Politics Inside Federal Prison That Govern Absolutely Everything 38:30 The Hustles Contraband and Survival Tactics That Defined His Time Inside 46:00 Prison Food Commissary and How Prison Changed Dramatically Over the Years 54:30 The Violence Contraband and Shifting Norms That Defined Different Eras Inside 01:02:00 Reflecting on the Years Lost and What Reentry to Society Really Looked Like 01:10:00 Getting Out and Adjusting to a Modern World That Moved On Without Him 01:17:00 Rebuilding His Life Family and Identity After Decades Behind Bars 01:24:00 The Biggest Lessons He Carries and What He Wants Everyone to Take Away
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To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Real stories from the people everyone else judges first. Locked In with Ian Bick is a podcast hosted by Ian Bick, a former federal inmate turned podcaster. The show features raw conversations with former inmates, recovering addicts, bikers, law enforcement officers, attorneys, investigators, and people who have lived through crime, prison, addiction, trauma, and redemption. Each episode dives deep into real prison stories, life inside prison, the criminal justice system, street life, addiction recovery, mental health, and what it takes to rebuild after incarceration. Guests share what really happens behind bars, how people survive prison, and the difficult road to second chances after hitting rock bottom. If you’re interested in prison stories, criminal justice experiences, life after prison, and honest conversations with people who have lived through the darkest chapters of their lives, you’ll feel at home here.
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