What Has White Boy Rick Been Up To?

Richard Wershe’s story isn’t for the weak. He’s currently looking to sue the FBI and Detroit police for $100 million, but if you’re not too familiar with Wershe, here’s why he’s asking for such a tremendous amount of cash. To be real, he probably could have asked for much more.

A 14-year-old White Boy Rick was recruited as an FBI informant and often went undercover. Just a year later, at 15, he was shot. And if that’s not enough, after being conscripted by the FBI, Wershe was sentenced to life in prison for a nonviolent drug offense at 17 after dealing cocaine.

That went down in 1988, and he was sentenced behind bars for a drug offense even though he was working with the FBI as the youngest drug informant ever. It wasn’t until three decades later that he was released from prison and is now trying to shed light on what law enforcement had put him through for more than half of his life. 

This led him to sue the FBI and Detroit police for $100 million on alleged child abuse, but Wershe is looking to share his story even further. In November 2021, Wershe enlisted rapper Eminem to play him in the new TV series produced by none other than 50 Cent, dubbed ‘BMF.’ Lastly, instead of ditching the drug game altogether, Wershe is also dipping his toes into the weed industry’s waters.

Wershe isn’t a big weed user himself, but it goes without saying why he wants to be a part of ending federal drug prohibition. The brand is aptly called “The 8th,” not only named after the weight of weed but after the US amendment protecting individuals from cruel and unusual punishment, reports Merry Jane. 

The brand was created in collaboration with Michigan-based Pleasentrees Cannabis Company, selling flower and concentrates. Although he feels cannabis is quite literally the opposite of a dangerous and illegal drug, Wershe explains that big pharma is the only “drug kingpins” around. 

“To me, pharmaceutical companies are cartels. They’re the cartels,” reports Merry Jane. He added that since 1999, there had been 500,000 deaths and $27 billion in fines. “$27 billion in fines, but not one person went to prison. But they’ll take kids from the inner city, they call us drug kingpins, and give us a life sentence.”

To keep up with Wershe’s compelling story, catch his series BMF on select streaming platforms like Starz.