White Boy Snitch

The story of Richard Wershe Jr has hit the big screen and I am flabbergasted that this man isn’t dead yet. If you are unaware of who Richard Wershe Jr is let me save you the time with doing a Google search. Richard Wershe Jr is known as the youngest informant to help assist in a federal investigation. He was fourteen years old when he helped the FBI and Detroit police department with locking up the Curry Brothers. The Curry brothers from Detroit (not to be confused with Steph and Seth) consisted of a set of twins and a baby brother named Boo. Boo hung out with Rick without ever knowing that Rick was an informant for the FBI. The Curry brothers, much like Rick, grew up in an environment where selling drugs or participating in illegal activities was the way of life. They went from selling weed to heroin to powdered coke to crack. The brothers did rather well for themselves and due to their booming business they begin to get noticed on the FBI’s radar. In addition to having a booming drug enterprise, Johnny Curry, also known as the more reserved twin was dating the then Mayor’s niece, Cathy Volsan.

The story on how Rick became an informant is unclear. If you go by the movie version of details it says that Rick decided to be an informant to help his father who was in deep water with the FBI for selling guns illegally. Richard Sr is rumored to have told his son to give information on those who are more prominent in the drug game so that the family can get the informant money that the Bureau gives out. Being that Richard Jr was around Johnny more due to Rick’s allure with the drug game, he didn’t have a problem with informing the authorities about what was occurring in the Curry organization. Being that Johnny had the Mayor’s niece and the police in his pocket he eventually found out that he had a mole in his organization. In the streets, those who play by the rules go by a certain code. One major thing a player of the streets and drug selling operations shall never do is snitch. You are told early on that loose lips sink ships and snitches get placed in ditches. Due to his disregard of the rules, Rick Jr found himself shot in the gut by an acquaintance at age 15. Opposed to pulling Rick out of the sting, the FBI decided to push Rick deeper into the world of organized crime. This will not be the last time that the FBI shows zero regard to Rick’s well-being.

The murder of Damion Lucas is what put the nail in the Curry organization. Young Damion was at his uncle’s house watching tv with his younger brother Frankie. The boys were orphans that were staying with their hustling, scheming and drug dealing Uncle Leon. Leon was responsible for purchasing the tickets for the Thomas “Hitman” Hearns fight that was in Las Vegas for the several members of the Curry organization. Leon was in debt with the brothers due to a seize of cash and drugs that occurred during a police raid. Leon had to pay for this inconvenience of seized money and drugs. For whatever reason Leon did not secure the tickets for the Curry Brothers and crew and for this, his house was targeted and shot at. What the shooters weren’t aware of at the time where the only technology one had to reach another is by beeper or by calling on a landline, was that Leon wasn’t home. So opposed to getting their target they killed a child and no one likes hearing about a child being killed. The FBI locked up the Curry Brothers and the men who were involved in the slaying of young Damion.

With the Curry Brothers locked up and the streets needing a new street distributor Young Rick decided to make his move and move from under the thumb of the FBI. Although Rick was selling drugs on his own with the help of the FBI, now he decided to do it without being under their microscope. He positioned himself to get his own connect which mean he did not have a middle man to go thru. He set up his business and for some time was making money for himself and his family. Remember that this is during the peak of the crack epidemic and it was also a time where politicians wanted those who sold drugs to be prosecuted to the hardest extent possible. During this time Rick and wife to Johnny Curry, Cathy Volsan, begin to see each other. With her husband behind bars and being accustomed to a certain type of lavish lifestyle she began to see Rick. According to documents, when the FBI came to Volsan’s residence one morning Rick was found lying in bed with her.

When Rick was arrested at age 17 for being charged with having 8 kilograms (17 lbs.) of coke he figured that his assistance with previous investigations would have helped him in court. It did not and during this time in the state of Michigan they had the merciless drug statute ever. It was called the 650-Lifer law, which mandated a term of life without parole for possession of more than six hundred and fifty grams (0.65kg/1.43 lbs.) of coke or heroine. The Governor William G. Milliken who signed this law into play later commented that it was the worst mistake of his career. Our boy Rick had way more than that and for that he was sentenced to this ridiculous amount of time. As a first time nonviolent drug offense this is beyond crazy and the judicial system should be ashamed on their selves for sentencing this amount of time to people. But if you do the crime, you have to be prepared to do the time.

After getting locked up Rick still helped the FBI and local police with investigations spite that he was not given time taken off of his sentence for assisting. Rick helped authorities lock up corrupt cops and politicians of that era. When it was time to for his appeal in 2003 Rick was denied. After being paroled in 2017 he was sent to a Florida prison for pleading guilty to belonging in a car theft ring. He owes twenty two months (669 days/1 year and 8 months) to the state of Florida and then he will be a free man. He served thirty years behind bars. As for Johnny Curry, he received the sentence of serving twenty years without parole. Johnny was asked if he felt that Rick was on his level as an independent pharmaceutical street distributor and he told the reporter “Rick was nowhere near me from a scale of one to ten,” Curry said. “I’m a 10. He is a two. Rick couldn’t touch me with a ten foot pole. They made him way bigger than he was.”

Snitching is like a disease or plague when it comes to the streets. Not everyone is built to do the time but that never stops them from doing the crime. People will tell on you to save their own ass in a second. Not everyone is thorough or has it in their character to be a loyal person. I suggest you assess your circle carefully and then assess their circles. Because no one wants the party to end early due to someone else getting pinched. Remember the motto is no loose ends or loose lips. Cause like I have told you they sink ships. After all of the articles I have read about this I’m stuck with a question: Who got the shorter end of the stick Johnny Curry or Snitch Boy Rick? Hit me up on Twittter @Miss_Gilli to let me know your thoughts.