Watch CBS News

'White Boy Rick' Scheduled For Early Florida Prison Release

DETROIT (CBS DETROIT/ AP) — A one-time FBI informant-turned-Detroit drug lord will be released from a Florida prison earlier than expected.

It's reported that Richard "White Boy Rick" Wershe Jr. is scheduled to be freed Aug. 17, 2020. His release date has been moved up for good behavior.

Wershe's original release date was April 2021.

The 50-year-old spent three decades behind bars in Michigan on drug charges.

In 2017 he was paroled and sent to Florida to serve time for a 2006 conviction involving a car-theft ring while he was imprisoned.

Wershe was already an FBI informant at age 14 and helped convict several Detroit drug kingpins. But he was arrested in 1987 with 9,000 grams of cocaine and $30,000 cash.

His story is told in the 2018 movie "White Boy Rick" starring Matthew McConaughey.

© 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this story. 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.