Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
When I was in prison, someone suggested I write a book. This is that book. But let me explain how I got to prison.
I’m a serial bank robber. I don’t deny it. I did the crimes and did the time, seven years in Donovan, one of Southern California’s roughest prisons.
I was raised in a lower income area of South San Diego. The area in which I grew up (South San Diego) was like all other low-income urban areas of San Diego, prevalent with gangs. My neighborhood (Otay) was no different. I ended up joining the ranks of my local gang as a teenager, but never found interest in the more publicized violent acts that some other gang members are known to commit.
My thing was stealing (out of necessity). I all but mastered petty theft as a child with frozen pizzas and Playboys and used my proceeds on things like more trendy clothing, to better fit in with my peers. As I aged and grew, so did my hunger for a bigger, better, more profitable heist. At eighteen years old I graduated from primarily petty shoplifting and auto burglaries, to bank robbery.
Shortly after turning nineteen in the early 2000s I was arrested for just over a dozen bank robberies. To my delight there had been a major blunder in my case. Prior to my arrest they had arrested, charged, and had been in the begging stages of convicting someone innocent for my string of unarmed bank robberies. Luckily (for me obviously), they had all but coerced a confession out of an innocent guy and proceeded to place his photo in all the line-ups for my previous robberies. Due to some striking similarities between us, most tellers identified him as possibly being the robber.
I robbed two or three more banks during his detention before they finally let him go. In their haste to judge and convict an innocent person, law enforcement helped me, the actual robber. I went from looking at almost life in prison, to a deal in a California state prison (it was up to the judge).
Although I was unarmed during every robbery, made it a point to be polite, never stopped anyone from leaving during the robberies, and never so much as farted during the commission of my robberies, I was still dubbed one of the most violent criminals to ever cross the path of that particular judge at sentencing. I received two strikes and eight years in prison (the max allowed).
That’s where the real story begins. Over seven years in prison later I was released straight from solitary confinement (the hole) back to the lovely streets of San Diego. I now live in beautiful Newport Beach, California. I am an entrepreneur and trade in cryptocurrencies, operate a totally legit escort service, and am an author now. The lesson: People do change.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My true crime memoir, UP ON GAME: FROM ROBBING BANKS TO STACKING BITCOIN (My Involvement in Gangs, Prison, Bank Robbery, and Success in the Business World), chronicles some of my life experiences. From growing up in the hood, robbing banks, doing over seven years in prison, becoming an entrepreneur, to now trading in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
I was inspired by how many people told me I should write a book upon hearing my stories. Something that helped guide my decision was when someone stated to me in astonishment, “Not here in America!” in response to one of my prison stories.
I was skeptical about writing my story up until that point. I wasn’t exactly proud of what I had done in the past and did not want to glorify crime. I had planned on possibly breezing through my prison time, if I ever decided to write it at all. Once I heard how she responded to something that I had thought was common knowledge, I knew I could enlighten people on some serious issues taking place on our streets and in our prisons. I could help put them “up on game,” if you will. There are more killers in prison than people think, and they all don’t wear prison blues. I hope to create some sort of measurable change in our system. I love an underdog story. I’d like to see more of them.
Orange Is the New Black is tame compared to what I experienced. I’m here to tell you about the need for prison reform, the neighborhood struggle for poor kids, and how life can truly be unfair.
Just a fair warning, my book contains graphic language and situations and also some bootlegged photos behind bars. You’ll also find our recipe for pruno. Try this at home.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Hmmmmm…Well I’ve never sacrificed a chicken to try and get back a lost paragraph.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
The 48 Laws of Power and Sun Tzu’s The Art of War definitely helped me through my time in prison. I would recommend both to anyone currently interested in visiting their local prison for any extended amount of time, because in there, it’s all about manipulation and survival.
What are you working on now?
I’m focusing on my escort business, crypto trading, and getting my current (and only) book out there. Other than that, I work on myself every day and continue to hustle, only legally now.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
My book’s website is www.UpOnGameBook.com. I am pleased to be featured on free or low-cost ebook channels such as this one. For authors it’s about getting the word out to readers, not making a million bucks or getting on a best-seller list.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
My advice would be limited to nonfiction writers or memoirists, but it’s all in your perception of the story itself. If it’s your own story and there’s a message you’re trying to get out there, then you got to do it in a way that will captivate your reader. Lucky for me I have the personality of a serial bank robber that’s not only sarcastic, but relatable. So it all flowed out for me in an interesting way. Find your interesting way.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Trust no one you have no reason to. Remember that if you end up in prison.
What are you reading now?
I have just completed reading In Fifty Years We’ll all be Chicks by Adam Carolla. I’m set to be a guest on his show in early June, and I like to make it a point to know my audience. I’m very glad I read this book as I found it to be hilarious and insightful. Although he has some views that are different than my own, he presents his points and topics in such an interesting way that it forces the reader to think and view things from Adam’s perspective. His rant on Dung Beatles and other life forms definitely has several laugh-out-loud moments.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
How to Survive on a Deserted Island, Outdoor Survival Skills, One Reason Why Not to Travel: You Could End up Stuck on a Deserted Island, and finally How to Grow Marijuana on a Deserted Island, along with a manual of three simple steps to building a coconut radio.
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