The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

Mikki Mase went from being homeless and addicted to drugs to a sober life running several small businesses. Within a couple years he found himself making big money at the tables in Vegas and quickly became one of the cities’ most notorious high rollers. He joins the show to discuss how he discovered the casino industry cheats its customers, how he flipped the tables on the house, and the work he’s...

Ed Calderon grew up in Tijuana, Mexico. At a young age he was a rebel committing petty crimes until one day he found himself as part of an elite squad of Mexican law enforcement, tasked with taking down the cartel. He came on the show to talk about being front line in one of the most notorious cartel wars in Mexican history, the current and future state of Tijuana, and the existential crisis that...

Germano Tomassetti was living in a homeless shelter in Winnipeg, Canada as a young adult when he befriended a high ranking member of the Canadian mob. He soon found himself collecting debts, blackmailing wealthy business owners, and running scams all around the globe. He was making millions of dollars until one day it all came crashing down. He's here today to tell us about his days as an internat...

Journalist, Luis Chaparro, sat down at the U.S.-Mexico border in Juarez to discuss the current immigration crisis. He explains how Ciudad Juarez has become the number one crossing point for migrants getting into the United States, how criminal organizations AND government officials have profited, and toll it's taken on the citizens on both sides. Go Support Luis! IG: https://www.instagram.com/luis...

Gary Heyward started as a normal jail guard fresh out of the marines. But after financial struggles and exposure to corruption from other corrections officers he soon began running a smuggling ring bringing in tobacco, drugs, and women to the inmates. This behavior eventually landed him in the role of inmate, completely changing his life. Go Support Gary! Book: https://a.co/d/bd09oab  YouTube Chan...

Ian Bick, a kid from a gated community in Connecticut, started throwing parties for other kids his age. He quickly found a calling in promoting and by his late teens he was booking concerts for some of the biggest artists at the time. His investors were promised big returns on their money as his business was booming. Little did they know, not only was he not making their money back, but he was spe...

Charlie Webster, renowned journalist and host of the successful Surviving El Chapo series, joins the show to discuss the Flores Twins. She spent years interviewing them and getting deep insight to the two brothers that became some of the largest kingpins in the world and then making the shocking decision to work with American feds to take down one of the most wanted men on the globe.  Go Support C...

Larry Rolla started out as a young kid in Queens surrounded by the tough life of 1950s NYC youth gangs and wise guys. He went from stickups to finding a passion and calling in horse training and racing. After a corrupt racetrack owner sent him into the grips of poverty his legitimate, reformed life quickly turned into fixing races for the mob and a gripping gambling addiction. Larry joins the show...

Crip Mac is a member of the dangerous 55th Street Crips in Los Angeles. He has spent his life in and out of county jail and state prisons. Mac joins the show to describe how life works in the Crips organization, on the deadly streets of South Central, and the violent rules of gangs in prison. Check Out Crip Mac! IG: https://www.instagram.com/55thstreet_/  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@therealcri...

Mike Dowd, a former NYPD officer, explains how shortly after becoming a cop in Brooklyn’s 75th Precinct, he started taking dirty money and eventually became a drug dealer himself. He was taken down in one of the most notorious federal cases against police corruption in American history and served time in federal prison. Mike tells us his entire story from young hopeful police officer to reformed c...

As a teenager from Yonkers, Lillo Brancato was discovered by Robert De Niro to shot to fame starring in the critically acclaimed A Bronx Tale. A decade later he found himself addicted to drugs, struggling to work, and facing a second degree murder charge in the fatal shooting of a police officer. He joins us to talk about his road from actor, to inmate, to community leader. Check Out Lillo's Recov...

As a young immigrant child in New York City's Chinatown, Jimmy "Bighead" Tsui quickly became immersed in the gang world of the Lower East Side. He quickly rose the ranks and soon became an associate of the Chinese Mafia in Hong Kong moving drugs in and out of the country. He joins the show to breakdown exactly how Chinese gangs operated in the US and Hong Kong before he left the life of crime, bec...

David "Chicky" Cicchetelli was a young man in Springfield, Massachusetts when joined a mafia boss from the infamous Genovese Crime Family. What started as petty loan sharking quickly turned into a multimillion dollar illegal bookie business for Chicky. Years after doing time for that, he ended up getting rolled up in the biggest indictment in East Coast history...  Follow Chicky! Instagram: https:...

Cristina Cruz grew up in a notorious gang territory of Northeast Los Angeles. At a young age she was jumped into the gang and slipped into a life of crime and drug addiction. It wasn't until she was indicted in a RICO case with over 70 other individuals that she got sober, turned her life around, and became a successful podcast host. Her story is one of loss and redemption. Support Cristina's Podc...

Brandon Novak became a household name in the early 2000s after becoming a fixture on the hit shows Jacka$$ and Viva La Bam. But despite the success of fame and professional skateboarding he lived a dark life full of crime and drug addiction. After two decades he's gotten clean and found his calling in life; helping others. Brandon joins the show to tell us all about his life and road to recovery....

Cookie Hood grew up in both the US and Nicaragua. At a young age she was a socialite and became close with the people that would not only fight in Nicaragua's revolution, but also traffic drugs to help the CIA fund a proxy war that ended in one of the biggest scandals in American history. When she became a journalist for CBS during the Iran-Contra conflict, those old contacts came in handy to help...

Salvatore Polisi was a young kid in New York City when we started doing jobs for the Colombo mafia. He came up with guys like John Gotti and ACTUAL characters from the classic film GoodFellas. He went from loan sharking to dope dealing before really taking off planning heists. He tells us all about his time in the mob, the moment he knew he wanted out, and how he was able to take down a corrupt ju...

This is a full release of a previously Patreon exclusive episode! Roger Reaves grew up as a small town farm boy in the south. After discovering a passion for flying and a need for money he quickly fell into the world of international drug smuggling, leading him to work directly with Pablo Escobar. His life story is a wild one, including being shot out of the air twice and several prison escapes! S...

Before he was a standup comedian, Richard Villa grew up in Compton where at the age of 8 years old he worked his dad as a drug dealer. Richard joins The Connect to talk about his upbringing in Los Angeles, the trauma of being involved in crime at such a young age, and how he turned his life around and became a successful comedian. Support our sponsors! Mood: hellomood.co Promo Code: CONNECT20, CON...

Explore the mysteries of humanity's origins, the construction of the pyramids, the influence of the occult, and the fascination with extraterrestrial life in this deep-dive with Esoteric Eddie. Tracing the path of human evolution, societal control, and the role of consciousness, this video challenges commonly held beliefs, sharing thought-provoking theories from ancient civilizations to modern tim...

As a young man in college, Eric Canori, quickly built an empire that landed him directly in the belly of the smuggling underworld. He devised a sophisticated network that brought thousands of pounds of bud from Canada into upstate New York. Despite having hubs all across the eastern seaboard and making millions of dollars a month, he remained anonymous to almost everyone he worked with, allowing h...

Chad Marks shares his incredible journey from a 40 year prison sentence to becoming a jailhouse lawyer and running a successful paralegal business that helps inmates reduce their sentences. Chad discusses the need for rehabilitation in the prison system and his contributions to federal prison reform. He delves into the challenges Chad faced before and after his imprisonment, including his strained...

In this captivating video, we hear from Fernando Puente, a former member of the Tijuana Cartel who turned his life around to become a music producer for narco corridos. Fernando shares his experiences, giving us a firsthand account of the cartel wars in Tijuana. From growing up in the 90s when crossing the border was easy, to witnessing the militarization of the streets during the cartel wars, Fer...

Tim McBride, a man out of South West Florida, went from working odd jobs and crab fishing, to leading the largest pot smuggling business on American soil from for a decade. He joins the show talk about his humble beginnings, his rise to the top of a criminal empire, and how he turned his life around after his eventual fall. Support our sponsors! SURFSHARK: Get an exclusive Surfshark deal! Enter pr...

Gil Carrillo, the homicide detective that solved the Night Stalker case, talks about his love for hunting murderers, the effects it had on his mental wellbeing, his relationships, and how dark his investigation got. He breaks down the life of a murder cop and how the force has changed since he has retired. Support our sponsors! FREEZE PIPE: https://thefreezepipe.com/ Promo Code: CONNECT for 10% OF...