Locked In with Ian Bick

Amanda Tarver opens up about one of the most shocking chapters of her life, discovering she was pregnant just weeks after self-surrendering to federal prison, navigating pregnancy and childbirth behind bars, and the emotional reality of giving birth while incarcerated. In this conversation with Ian Bick, Amanda breaks down how her decisions led to federal prison time, the trauma and resilience of motherhood inside the prison system, and how that experience inspired her and her husband to start 300 Letters, a nonprofit supporting families impacted by incarceration and helping break the cycle of trauma.

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#PregnantInPrison #GaveBirthInPrison #PrisonStory #TrueCrimePodcast #PrisonLife #InmateStories #LifeAfterPrison #lockedinwithianbick

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Connect with Amanda Tarver:
Website: https://300letters.org/
Instagram & Tiktok:
@IAMLEGENDFITNESS
@300LETTERS
@TRUTHBYAMANDA

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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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Shop Locked In Merch:
http://www.ianbick.com/shop

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Timestamps:
00:00 Amanda’s Story: Pregnancy, Prison & Survival
00:54 Childhood, Family Instability & Constant Moving
02:58 Parents’ Relationship & Early Trauma
06:42 Strict vs. Lenient Parenting & Control
08:34 Money, Independence & Teen Responsibilities
09:25 School Behavior & Early Warning Signs
09:55 Never Imagining Prison as a Teen
10:34 Family History of Incarceration
11:02 Growing Up Cuban in Miami
11:58 Early Adulthood & First Pregnancy
13:32 Motherhood, Independence & College Life
14:04 Family Reaction to Becoming Pregnant
15:44 Navigating Complicated Family Dynamics
17:51 Meeting Legend Tarver & Falling in Love
20:54 Discovering the Drug Operation
22:59 Getting Involved & Sending Money
25:02 Normalizing Crime & Ignoring Red Flags
28:10 Consequences, Arrest & Federal Indictment
32:44 Detention Center, Court Dates & Legal Process
41:11 First Days in Prison & Culture Shock
47:46 Pregnant in Prison: Fear, Stress & Reality
52:26 Taking a Plea Deal & Self-Surrender
58:09 Adjusting to Prison & Finding Support
01:03:20 Pregnancy Programs & Giving Birth While Incarcerated
01:08:32 Motherhood in Prison: Nutrition & Daily Life
01:15:13 Family Impact & Reentry Challenges
01:19:08 Halfway House & Reuniting With My Kids
01:27:16 Talking to Children About Prison
01:34:32 Finding Purpose After Prison
01:38:28 Starting 300 Letters & Giving Back
01:44:22 Breaking the Cycle & Empowering Others
01:46:03 Final Advice to My Younger Self
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Legend Tarver went from graduating with a degree to serving time in federal prison, learning the hard way how choices, survival, and consequence intersect in the criminal justice system. Two weeks into his sentence, he found out his then-girlfriend, Amanda, was pregnant, and the couple endured separation, hardship, and the challenges of incarceration while growing their family. Drawing strength from the more than 300 handwritten letters they exchanged behind bars, Legend and Amanda turned their experience into purpose by co-founding 300 Letters, a nonprofit dedicated to treating incarceration as a family affair and helping justice-impacted families heal, stay connected, and rebuild after prison. In this episode, Legend opens up about how he ended up in prison, how that time shaped his life and fatherhood, and how he’s working now to change the narrative for others who’ve faced similar struggles.

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#FederalPrison #PrisonStory #FormerInmate #PrisonLife #TrueCrimePodcast #LifeAfterPrison #InmateStories #lockedinwithianbick

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Thank you to GOLD DROP SELTZERS for sponsoring this episode:
Head to https://www.thedryoak.com/ and use promo code LOCKEDIN at checkout for 10% off your order.

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Connect with Legend Tarver:
Website: https://300letters.org/
Instagram & Tiktok:
@IAMLEGENDFITNESS
@300LETTERS
@TRUTHBYAMANDA

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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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Shop Locked In Merch:
http://www.ianbick.com/shop

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Timestamps:
00:00 From College to Federal Prison
01:04 Growing Up in Miami & Family Struggles
05:11 Childhood Trauma & Single-Parent Upbringing
13:13 Early Hustles: School, Work & Selling Drugs
17:42 Generational Influence & Entering Drug Trafficking
21:39 High School Drug Sales & Avoiding Police
24:38 First Arrest & College Dreams Falling Apart
28:36 Meeting Amanda & Escalating Drug Operations
32:43 Deep in the Game: Paranoia, Expansion & Molly Trafficking
39:39 The Setup: Law Changes, Surveillance & Arrest
43:39 Amanda’s Role & Facing Federal Charges
48:34 Federal Indictment, Legal Battles & Family Impact
52:59 Pregnancy, Prison & Holding Relationships Together
01:00:57 Life in Federal Prison: Survival, Fitness & Brotherhood
01:09:11 Prison Realizations: Regret, Accountability & Change
01:13:37 Release, Reinvention & Founding 300 Letters
01:17:32 Reentry, Advocacy & Helping Incarcerated Families
01:23:32 Fatherhood, Breaking Cycles & Life After Prison
01:27:01 Final Reflections & Moving Forward
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Dillan Judkins grew up in Utah after being put up for adoption at birth by his mother, who was struggling with addiction, and raised by a loving Mormon family — but rebellion, alcohol, and trouble started early. In this episode, Dillan shares how a sexual assault charge stemming from a one-night stand at a party when he was 18 changed his life forever, leading to months in county jail awaiting trial, a probation deal, repeated violations, and ultimately spending nearly 15 years inside the Utah prison system. He explains how he survived prison with a stigmatizing charge, his side of the story, the realities of navigating the system, and the long-term impact incarceration has had on his life, identity, and future.

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#UtahPrison #PrisonStories #TrueCrime #PrisonLife #HowISurvived #InmateStories #LockedIn #podcast

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Connect with Dillan Judkins:
Facebook & Instagram: InkkEnvyy
Tiktok: inkk.envy

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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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Shop Locked In Merch:
http://www.ianbick.com/shop

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Timestamps:
00:00 Arrested at Home: Waking Up to Police
00:34 Growing Up Adopted in Rural Utah
02:26 Finding My Biological Parents
03:34 Family Struggles & Feeling Like the Outsider
05:52 Rebellion, Church, and Early Violence
09:35 Losing Control
14:14 School Trouble & First Criminal Behavior
18:14 Dropping Out & Alternative School Life
21:12 The Night Everything Changed
29:14 Police Investigation & Interrogation
32:40 Charged With Serious Crimes & First Time in Jail
38:00 Jail Politics & Surviving Serious Charges
46:06 Trial Prep, Legal Mistakes & Taking a Plea Deal
52:35 Regret, Probation Violation & Sentenced to Prison
01:00:28 Living With a Life-Changing Sentence
01:06:07 County Jails, Prison Life & Treatment Programs
01:13:00 Inside the Sex Offender Program
01:24:09 Prison Reputation, Tattoos & Survival
01:32:00 Life After Prison: Stigma, Labels & Reality
01:40:13 Loss, Reflection & Lessons Learned
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Brian Watson spent over 20 years as a special agent in the IRS Criminal Investigation Division. In this episode, he explains how he got into the IRS, what the job is really like, and how criminal tax evasion cases are built from start to finish. Brian breaks down common myths about the IRS, how payroll tax cases work, what restitution actually means for defendants, and how investigations move from audits to criminal charges. This conversation offers a rare inside look at IRS criminal enforcement from someone who spent decades inside the system.

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#IRS #TrueCrime #GovernmentSecrets #Whistleblower #InsideTheSystem #RealStories #LockedIn #podcast

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Thank you to PRIZEPICKS for sponsoring this episode:
Visit https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/IANBICK and use code IANBICK and get $50 in lineups when you play your first $5 lineup!

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Connect with Brian Watson:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-watson-625532179

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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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Shop Locked In Merch:
http://www.ianbick.com/shop

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Timestamps:
00:00 How Major Tax Evasion Gets Flagged
00:57 Inside the IRS Criminal Investigation Division
02:57 What IRS Special Agents Actually Do
06:36 An Unlikely Path to Becoming an IRS Agent
12:13 IRS Special Agent Training & Academy Life
16:13 The Reality of Criminal Tax Cases
20:21 How Tax Evasion Cases Really Begin
23:43 Following the Money: Real Case Examples
29:09 Technology, Digital Payments & Modern Crime
31:58 Cash Businesses, Informants & Undercover Work
34:50 Money Laundering Explained Simply
36:33 Crypto, Digital Payments & Financial Trails
39:52 Building & Organizing Financial Crime Cases
43:00 Managing Multiple Investigations at Once
45:44 Payroll Fraud, Cash Wages & Tax Violations
49:47 The $10,000 Rule, Banks & Structuring Crimes
53:38 Casinos, Reporting Requirements & Paper Trails
56:17 Working Joint Cases With Other Federal Agencies
01:00:34 Celebrity Cases, Media Pressure & Reality
01:04:17 Financial Damage & Empathy for Defendants
01:07:39 Asset Seizures, Restitution & What Rarely Gets Recovered
01:10:12 Preventing Internal IRS Fraud & Embezzlement
01:15:04 When Managers or Accountants Commit Tax Crimes
01:18:48 IRS Myths vs. the Human Side of Investigations
01:21:51 Do the Wealthy Actually Pay Their Taxes?
01:24:13 State Tax Agencies & Federal Coordination
01:25:04 Reflections on the Criminal Justice System
01:29:00 Biggest Lessons & Advice for Students
01:31:13 Final Thoughts & Closing
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Steven Johnson grew up in Connecticut surrounded by instability and a rough childhood that pushed him toward the streets at a young age. As a teenager, he joined the Latin Kings and quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a chapter president before landing in Connecticut state prison. While serving time in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Steven made a decision that could have cost him his life — walking away from the gang while still incarcerated. In this episode, he shares what prison was really like during that era, how he survived the consequences of leaving the Kings behind bars, and how that choice completely changed the course of his life. After his release, Steven never looked back, building a new path rooted in discipline, accountability, and staying out of the system for good.

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#LatinKings #PrisonStories #GangLife #LifeAfterPrison #TrueCrimePodcast #JusticeSystem #RedemptionStory #lockedin

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Than you to AVA & LUCY for sponsoring this episode:
AVA: Take control of your credit today. Download the Ava app and when you join using my promo code LOCKEDIN, you’ll get 20% off your first year—monthly or annual, your choice.

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LUCY: Go to HTTP://LUCY.CO/IANBICK and use promo code IANBICK to get 20% off your first order.
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Connect with Steven Johnson:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/steve.john.247800
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@newslifeandbeyond?si=9xofBYhgZMzYNf4b

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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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Shop Locked In Merch:
http://www.ianbick.com/shop

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Timestamps:
00:00 Worst Jail Memory That Still Haunts Him
00:36 Meet Steven: Life, Background & Podcast Journey
03:20 Growing Up in New London, Connecticut
07:00 Family Life, Poverty & Early Struggles
13:41 Drugs, Trauma & Losing Stability at a Young Age
19:49 Teenage Hustles, Survival & Dropping Out of School
25:05 Entering Street Life & First Crimes
28:59 When Gang Culture Took Over Connecticut
32:32 Deeper Gang Involvement & Losing Control
36:04 Becoming a Latin King
40:03 Gang Leadership, Power & Expanding Influence
44:00 Trying to Change — Then Getting Arrested
54:05 County Jail Reality Check
01:03:33 Leaving the Gang While Locked Up
01:09:19 Transfer to Cheshire Prison & Daily Routine
01:14:02 Getting Sent to Virginia Prison
01:18:04 Prison Politics & Surviving Without Trouble
01:25:01 Life Lessons From Prison & Walking Away From the Gang
01:27:01 Life After Prison & Staying Clean
01:33:01 Rebuilding Family Relationships & Finding Purpose
01:40:11 Final Reflections & Advice to the Next Generation
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