Locked In with Ian Bick

Eli44 grew up in Texas, took to the streets at a young age, did his first bid in the Texas Department of Corrections where he joined the Tango Blasts, and then caught a nearly 15 year federal sentence that sent him into federal medium security facilities and federal penitentiaries where he spent nearly a decade navigating the gang politics, the violence, and the disciplinary transfers that define life as a Tango Blast inside the federal system. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares what being a Tango Blast inside the federal system actually looks like — the rules, the politics, the violence, and the specific survival mindset that nearly 10 years inside some of the most brutal federal facilities in the country required of him — and what finally getting out and turning his life completely around actually took after everything those years produced.
_____________________________________________
 #crimestory #prison #truecrimestories
_____________________________________________
Thank you to FACTOR & HIMS for sponsoring this episode:
Factor: Head to https://factormeals.com/lockedin50off and use code lockedin50off to get 50 percent off and 1 free breakfast item per box for 1 year, while supplies last until!
_____________________________________________
Hims: Visit https://hims.com/lockedin to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you.
_____________________________________________
Connect with Eli44:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereal_eli44/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCd1XjhE0mMb34j-FwQsez3A/feed
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thereal_eli44
_____________________________________________
Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
https://ianbick.com/
_____________________________________________
Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
00:20 Growing Up in Austin
01:47 Finding the Streets and Music
04:21 Early Hustle and First Arrests
05:59 The Katrina Clash and Carrying a Weapon
08:00 The Music Scene and Getting Deeper
10:10 Jack Boys and Robberies
13:29 Caught with Drugs and a Gun
15:31 Going to TDC and Getting Initiated
18:00 Life in the State Prison
20:00 The Music Blows Up
22:00 Returning to the Drug Game
24:04 The Setup and Getting Caught
34:00 The Arrest and Aftermath
36:48 The Feds Get Involved
40:35 Cartel Pressure and Family Threats
44:00 Federal Sentence and Time in County
47:59 Life in the Federal Pen
54:00 The Politics of the Yard
01:04:00 A Standoff and Stealing an Amp
01:09:00 The Theft and Its Consequences
01:13:00 A Show of Force and Diplomacy
01:20:00 A Fight and a Stabbing
01:29:00 Spiritual Awakening at Atwater
01:36:00 The SMU Program
01:44:00 Meeting Kodak Black
01:50:00 The Horrors of the SMU
01:55:00 Texas Syndicate Rivalry
02:00:00 Life After the SMU
02:00:04 The SMU Experience
02:02:30 Coming Home and New Beginnings
02:04:55 Current Life and Outreach
_____________________________________________
To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBick

PG Sittenfeld grew up in Ohio in a good family, went to Princeton, worked in nonprofits, and eventually built a three term career on Cincinnati City Council before an unexpected FBI indictment for bribery and extortion — built around an undercover operation he argues never should have produced charges — derailed everything he had spent his career building at the exact moment he was running for mayor. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares what the FBI indictment actually looked like, what going to trial and losing some counts actually felt like, what the 16 month sentence and the four months he served inside federal prison actually required of him, and what eventually getting out for appeal, losing that appeal, receiving a pardon from Donald Trump, and then having the Supreme Court rule in his favor actually produced in terms of what he now understands about the federal justice system and the people who run it.
_____________________________________________
 #fbi #truecrimestories #ohio #prison
_____________________________________________
Connect with PG Sittenfeld:
https://pgsittenfeld.com/
_____________________________________________
Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
https://ianbick.com/
Timestamps:
00:00 Introducing PG Sittenfeld
00:18 Upbringing and family life
04:20 Going to Princeton
07:20 Moving to England
09:07 Returning to Cincinnati
10:40 Running for city council
14:34 Life as an elected official
18:26 The FBI investigation begins
24:50 The cooperating witness
25:44 The prosecutorial Truman Show
31:36 The day of the arrest
44:32 A year and a half to trial
47:45 The trial and the verdict
52:00 The inconsistent verdict
56:20 Jury selection and deliberation
57:31 Sentencing to prison
01:01:42 Reporting to prison camp
01:05:25 Life inside the camp
01:13:43 The Sixth Circuit ruling
01:15:31 Shocking early release
01:19:41 The Supreme Court petition
01:21:52 Receiving a presidential pardon
01:26:18 Lessons learned and moving forward
_____________________________________________
To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka

Bill Courtney grew up the son of an NYPD cop, followed his father's footsteps onto the force in the mid-1980s, and spent his career working DEA task forces taking down cartel traffickers in New York City before the rise of rap and the specific world where organized crime and the music industry collided became the defining chapter of everything he did behind the badge. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares what working DEA cartel cases in New York City really looked like, what the rise of rap in the 1980s and 1990s produced in terms of street violence and organized crime, what investigating the 50 Cent shooting actually involved, and what the investigation that eventually took down Kenneth Supreme McGriff — one of the most feared and most connected figures in New York street and hip hop history — actually required of the detectives who built it. He also opens up about flipping informants, making deals, the Murder Inc investigation, and the complete truth about corruption inside the music industry that most people who followed those stories from the outside never heard described honestly from the detective who worked them.
_____________________________________________
 #50cent #nypd #truecrimestories #cops
_____________________________________________
 Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
 https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
 https://ianbick.com/
_____________________________________________
Timestamps:
00:00 Meet Bill Courtney, NYPD Detective
00:20 Growing Up in New York and Joining NYPD
01:45 The Violent Era of New York in the 80s and 90s
03:13 Comparing Crime in Different Generations
05:09 Robbery Culture, Fashion, and Juvenile Crime
06:09 The Crack Era Changes Everything
06:25 Rap Music's Influence on Crime and Culture
09:25 The Anti-Police Sentiment in Rap
10:39 Rap Violence: From Streets to Studios
11:39 Becoming the 'Rap Violence Guy' for NYPD
12:39 From Robbery Squads to DEA Task Force
15:15 Inside Major Drug Interdiction Operations
16:50 The Stash House Busts: Mistakes and Breaks
18:35 Money, Seizures, and Law Enforcement Tactics
23:18 Cooperation and the Federal System's Double-Edged Sword
29:08 Informants, Witness Protection, and Prison Realities
33:33 Managing Informants and Their Pitfalls
36:56 The Supreme Team: Origins and Street Power
42:41 50 Cent, Murder Inc., and the Violent Feud
49:20 Investigation Breakthroughs and Major Arrests
55:00 Building the Supreme Team Case and Trial Pressure
01:02:26 Hip-Hop, Fame, and Street Gang Connections
01:06:26 Music Industry Corruption & Tupac's Shooting
01:11:11 Celebrity Crime and Near Misses—James Woods' Story
 01:17:12 Why Do Wealthy Stars Risk It All?
01:20:44 Changing Tides: New Rap, Old Crime, and Industry Shift
01:31:31 Life After NYPD and Podcasting
01:37:08 Family Fallout from Long Sentences
01:42:42 Reflection on Sentencing and Changing Perspectives
01:44:08 Legacy, Training, and Changing Police Culture
01:47:46 Closing Thoughts and Farewell
_____________________________________________
To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka

Leo Silva grew up in Texas, was recruited into the DEA at just 22 years old, and spent the next 28 years on the front lines of America's war on drugs — starting with undercover operations in Texas before being stationed in Monterrey Mexico as Resident Agent in Charge where he built cases against the Gulf Cartel and the infamous Los Zetas and eventually rose to Special Agent in Charge. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares what hunting cartels from the inside of Mexico really looked like — the undercover buys the high stakes operations the cartel violence and the bureaucracy that most people on the outside never hear about. He also breaks down how cartels have evolved over nearly three decades how Los Zetas changed everything about cartel violence and what the real truth about the war on drugs looks like from the person who lived it on the front lines for 28 years.
_____________________________________________
#cops #cartels #truecrimestories
_____________________________________________
Connect with Leo Silva:
https://leosilvaauthor.com/
_____________________________________________
Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
https://ianbick.com/
_____________________________________________
Timestamps:
 00:00 Meet Leo Silva: DEA Agent's Story
01:18 Growing Up on the Border
02:18 Early Encounters With Cartel Culture
03:32 Choosing DEA Over Teaching
05:03 Training, Family Reactions, and Joining DEA
07:07 First Assignment in Texas
08:18 Undercover Work & Street Smarts
09:55 DEA Training vs. Real-World Experience
12:22 Being a Young Undercover Agent
14:04 Cartel Connections and Local Targets
17:44 Violence and Danger Along the Border
18:56 Cases, Informants, and Prosecution
21:14 Experiencing the Drug Trade Firsthand
24:47 Wiretaps and Changing Technology
27:14 Big Undercover Operations
29:20 Handling Risk and Mental Toll
32:08 Life as a DEA Agent in Texas
36:42 Transferring to Mexico: Bigger Targets
41:09 Adapting to Work in Mexico
44:00 Operations Against Zetas and Cartel Wars
48:19 Cartels, Corruption, and Survival
52:51 Cartel Violence and Evolution
57:08 Prioritizing Cases & Supervisory Challenges
01:01:17 Mexico Operations, Leadership, and Cartel Dynamics
01:07:59 Cartel Power, Money, and Tactics
01:12:00 Personal Toll, Stress & Burnout
01:17:21 Darkest Moments: Loss and Violence
01:19:44 Justice, Reforms & Mexico's Future
01:21:26 Retirement, Recovery, and Life After DEA
01:24:42 Reflections, Writing, and Final Thoughts
_____________________________________________
 
To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka

Diaz Aguilar grew up in Compton California raised by a single mother who struggled with addiction — and when the streets filled the gap the Vice Lords became his family. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, he shares how a trip to Chicago pulled him into the Vice Lords, how a trip to Mississippi ended with a manslaughter charge for something he says he did not do, and what losing at trial and being sentenced to 20 years in Mississippi's most brutal maximum security prison actually felt like for a Vice Lord from Compton who knew he was innocent. He opens up about the prison politics inside Mississippi's worst facility, what life as a Vice Lord inside those walls actually required of him, and what 22 years of wrongful incarceration really does to a person before they find a way to keep going.
_____________________________________________
#wrongfulconviction #TrueCrime #prison
_____________________________________________
Connect with Diaz Aguilar:
 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/diaz_santiago_55?igsh=MTZvMWkxM2U4MDB6dA== _____________________________________________
Buy his book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GZYDGM5J?ref=cm_sw_r_ffobk_apan_dp_Y0MGDT0AZRAAQKJ14QC9&ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_apan_dp_Y0MGDT0AZRAAQKJ14QC9&social_share=cm_sw_r_ffobk_apan_dp_Y0MGDT0AZRAAQKJ14QC9&bestFormat=true&fbclid=PAcGRvZgJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAaccY68BMUhqLOhGfqVyG5b0jFGHckUvPBwgIetA_Sm_iCFscImzCEQEJWavmA_aem_mhRhsWedJChoBH70P-GvTA&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_medium=social&utm_source=ig ____________________________________________
Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en
https://ianbick.com/
_____________________________________________
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: Diaz Aguilar's Story
00:18 Growing Up in Compton
01:41 Mother's Addiction & Early Hardships
03:59 Friendships & Finding Family
05:04 Reflections on Mother-Son Relationship
07:36 Childhood Trouble & Gang Influence
09:01 Neighborhood Gangs and Associations
10:03 Joining the Vice Lords
13:13 Gang Symbolism & Identity
14:55 Dreams, Aspirations, and Early Outlook
16:18 School Life and Influential Teacher
17:52 Writing Inspiration & Starting a Book
21:02 Adoption, Family Changes & Moving to Mississippi
25:31 Troubled Adoption and Feeling Isolated
28:44 Mississippi: New Beginnings and Trouble
31:31 The Incident: Manslaughter Charge
38:12 Court, Trial, and Sentencing
43:03 Life in Mississippi State Penitentiary
50:12 Gang Dynamics and Prison Politics
01:00:19 Economics of Prison: Protection and Extortion
01:08:45 Adapting and Surviving in Prison
01:13:15 Solitary Confinement and Mental Health
01:17:51 Struggles for Justice & Maintaining Innocence
01:23:00 Life After Release: Reentry Challenges
01:24:47 Relationships, Intimacy & PTSD 
01:26:34 Making Peace and Coping with Trauma
01:33:32 Thoughts on Gang Life Now
01:34:12 Wisdom Gained: Reflections on Life
01:35:50 Life Today: Work, Books & New Beginnings
01:38:40 Closing Thoughts & Farewell
_____________________________________________ 
To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka