In this explosive episode of Honor Among Thieves, host Nelson Rodriguez Jr. sits down with Aaron Peila, a man at the center of a massive federal RICO kingpin case involving over 60,000 oxycodone pills, $3 million in money laundering, and one of the most notorious prisons in the United States — USP Victorville.

Aaron was indicted federally while already serving state time in Nevada for a felon-in-possession firearm case. What followed was a 12-year federal sentence and a direct transfer to USP Victorville, widely regarded as the most dangerous federal prison yard in the country.

In this raw, unfiltered conversation, Aaron breaks down what life is really like inside Victorville — from constant lockdowns and racial politics, to the gang structure, yard rules, and the brutal reality of having to “put in work” just to survive. Aaron explains how he was selected as the shot caller for the independent white inmates, what that responsibility actually means, and the deadly consequences that come with leadership inside a high-security federal prison.

The episode reaches its most intense moment when Aaron directly confronts Nelson about cooperation, forcing a real-time, honest conversation about snitching, survival, accountability, and redemption. Nelson addresses his past head-on, explaining his side of the story in a moment rarely seen in the true-crime podcast space.

This episode is not glorification — it’s contrast. A firsthand look at how RICO laws, conspiracy charges, and the federal prison system destroy lives long after the sentence is handed down.

If you’re interested in true crime, federal prison, RICO cases, drug trafficking, organized crime, and what really happens after the indictment — this is an episode you can’t miss.

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 – Introduction | From RICO Kingpin Case to USP Victorville

3:01 – Childhood of Crime & the Road to the Streets

14:25 – Opiates, Drug Trafficking & Moving to Las Vegas

23:05 – Catching a Federal Case | How the Feds Build RICO Charges

28:45 – Indicted While in Prison | Facing Federal Charges Behind Bars

38:01 – Inside USP Victorville | Life on the Most Dangerous Federal Yard

45:04 – Becoming a Shot Caller | Prison Politics & “Putting in Work”

57:16 – Release From Federal Prison | Life After a 12-Year Sentence

1:01:10 – Aaron Confronts Nelson About Cooperation | The Snitching Conversation

1:08:59 – Federal Mind Games | How Prosecutors Pressure Defendants

1:15:53 – Is All Cooperation the Same? | Gray Areas of Snitching

1:23:34 – Redemption, Accountability & Moving Forward After Prison

🎙️ About Honor Among Thieves

Honor Among Thieves is a true crime podcast featuring reformed criminals, former gang members, ex-federal inmates, law enforcement, and victims, offering firsthand insight into organized crime, prison life, drug trafficking, and the criminal underworld.

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/

📸 Aaron on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/aaronpeila/

💎 Sponsors

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In this episode of Honor Among Thieves, host Nelson Rodriguez Jr. sits down with Gio Martini, a former Bureau of Prisons correctional officer who worked at USP Victorville, widely considered one of the most violent and notorious federal prisons in the United States.

Gio delivers a rare, firsthand account of what it’s really like working inside a high-security federal penitentiary, where some of the oldest and most powerful prison gangs in America operate. From daily prison operations to gang politics, inmate control, and staff survival, this episode exposes the brutal reality behind the walls of USP Victorville.

Before becoming a correctional officer, Gio grew up in Victorville, California, surrounded by violence, addiction, and instability. He opens up about his struggles with substance abuse, his time in the military, and how being discharged shaped the path that eventually led him into the federal prison system as a BOP officer.

Once inside USP Victorville, Gio witnessed the inner workings of a prison infamous for gang dominance, inmate-on-inmate violence, racial politics, and extreme security measures. He breaks down:

How gangs operate inside a federal penitentiary

Which gangs controlled USP Victorville

How correctional officers maintain order

The psychological toll on staff

What inmates and officers face on a daily basis

This conversation offers an unfiltered look into federal prison life, told from the perspective of someone who wore the uniform and worked the tiers.

This episode of Honor Among Thieves pulls back the curtain on the federal prison system, exposing the reality of incarceration, gang power, and survival from a correctional officer’s perspective. Whether you’re interested in true crime, prison documentaries, organized crime, or the Bureau of Prisons, this episode delivers rare insight you won’t hear anywhere else.

⏱️ Chapters

0:00 – Inside USP Victorville: A CO Tells the Truth

4:50 – “Shot Caller” Explained: How Power Really Works in Prison

16:15 – Victorville, California: A Violent City Built to Fail

30:22 – Joining the Army: Discipline, Violence, and Survival

47:07 – From the Military to ICE: Life After Discharge

56:59 – Becoming a Federal Prison Guard (BOP Reality)

1:04:49 – Inside USP Victorville: The Most Notorious Federal Prison

1:30:10 – Prison Gangs at Victorville: Who Really Runs the Yard

1:38:14 – Redemption: Leaving the Life Behind

🎙️ About Honor Among Thieves

Honor Among Thieves is a true crime podcast featuring reformed criminals, former gang members, ex-federal inmates, law enforcement, and victims, offering firsthand insight into organized crime, prison life, drug trafficking, and the criminal underworld.

📌 Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be a guest:

👉 https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest

🔗 Links

📸 Nelson on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/

📸 Gio Martini on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/giothelegend89/

💎 Sponsors

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In this episode of Honor Among Thieves, host Nelson Rodriguez sits down with Ali “Zoe” Adam, founding member of the Zoe Pound gang, one of the most notorious Haitian organized crime groups in Miami history. This raw, first-person interview details the rise of Zoe Pound, the criminal power struggles in Carol City and Little Haiti, and the federal investigation that ultimately brought the organization down.

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https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/

Sgt Bert "Maverick" Gonzalez on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/sgt.maverick/

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Nelson on Instagram

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D On Tiktok

https://www.tiktok.com/@therealreentryproject 

In this raw episode of Honor Among Thieves, Nelson Rodriguez Jr. sits down with D, a former West Virginia stick-up kid whose criminal path began shockingly early in a place few expect. Growing up surrounded by addiction in West Virginia—one of the most drug-ravaged states in the country—D explains how environment and desperation pushed him into the streets. At just 15 years old, with nothing left at home, he ran away and survived under the alias “Conner White,” convincing people he was 18 so he could find work and make it day to day.

That life unraveled shortly after his 16th birthday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, when D sold heroin to an undercover cop. He was illegally booked as an adult and placed in adult jail, forcing him to call his grandmother—who exposed the mistake to authorities. D was transferred into West Virginia’s juvenile system and sentenced to what’s known as “juvy life,” confinement until age 21. He exposes the violent reality of juvenile prisons, where inmates aged 18–21 are set up to fail, charged as adults for fights involving minors, and subjected to inhumane guard abuse, forced fights, and torture-like punishment.

Released at 18, D briefly stayed clean before believing he’d found his big break: robbing drug dealers. What started as fast money spiraled after a robbery went wrong, leaving him facing life in prison and serving five years in the West Virginia state prison system. He breaks down WV prison gangs, the internal power structure, and why drug dealers from across the country flood the state. After his release, D received money from a lawsuit against prison guards who had beaten him—and invested it into what he thought was a major drug deal, only to discover he was buying from a federal informant responsible for over 160 indictments, landing him back in prison.

Episode Highlights

-Growing up in West Virginia’s hidden drug economy

-Running away at 15 and living under a false identity

-Arrested at 16 and illegally jailed as an adult

-Inside West Virginia’s “juvy life” prison sentences

-Violence, guard abuse, and systemic failure in juvenile prisons

-Becoming a stick-up kid robbing drug dealers

-Facing life in prison after a robbery gone wrong

-West Virginia state prison gangs and out-of-state drug trade

-Getting indicted again through a federal informant

D’s story is a brutal look at how early exposure, systemic abuse, and desperation can lock someone into a cycle before adulthood even begins. This episode of Honor Among Thieves exposes the dark realities of juvenile life sentences, West Virginia’s prison system, and the thin line between survival and destruction. A powerful, cautionary true-crime story about how fast opportunity can turn into another prison number.

0:00 Intro

2:20 Running Away From Home

9:33 Adult Prison As A Juvenile

13:46 West Virginia Juvenile Prison

40:15 Gangs In West Virginia State Prison

52:12 Solitary Confinement & Punks

1:03:40 Getting Out From Prison… Again

1:13:21 Redemption

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Have an unbelievable story? Apply to be the next guest on Honor Among Thieves Podcast 👇👇👇

⁠https://www.honoramongthievespodcast.com/guest⁠

Nelson on Instagram

⁠https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/⁠

G On Instagram

⁠https://www.instagram.com/gtheoriginalguru/⁠

In this raw and deeply personal episode of Honor Among Thieves, host Nelson Rodriguez Jr. sits down with his close friend and former prison bunkie, Gabriel “G” Arias-Maduro, to tell one of the most honest drug-era stories to come out of South Florida’s late-2000s underground scene.

Shortly after graduating high school, G was approached with an opportunity that would change his life forever: Molly, just as it was flooding South Florida in the late 2000s. With the drug newly introduced and poorly understood, the market exploded. G describes his first flip, turning a small opportunity into $10,000 in a single month, a moment that made it clear this was no longer small-time dealing.

As the Miami Molly scene grew, G transitioned from street-level sales into wholesaling, supplying multiple dealers while minimizing exposure. He explains how massive shipments, cheap sourcing, and rave culture fueled what would later be labeled by law enforcement and the media as the “Molly Invasion” — a term G would eventually see printed in the Miami Herald alongside photos of his former associates.

That boom came crashing down when Miami PD traced a case back to G after a former wholesale customer cooperated with police. Although G avoided immediate prison time, he was placed on probation, believing the chapter was closing.

It wasn’t.

While still on probation, G was approached again — this time to move pure crystal isolate Molly at a higher level. Around the same time, federal authorities dismantled his former network. G recalls reading about the takedown in the Miami Herald before being approached by federal agents seeking cooperation. He refused to provide information.

Despite not actively selling Molly for years, the federal government moved forward anyway.

G was federally indicted, a decision that shocked him given the time gap and lack of cooperation. In the two years leading up to sentencing, he attempted to live a quiet life in Winter Park, Florida, unaware of what was coming. On the very day of sentencing, G learned he was facing up to 20 years in federal prison.

The judge ultimately sentenced him to 11 years. What followed was a journey through some of the most notorious facilities in the federal system:

* FDC Miami, where G crossed paths with Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA

* Edgefield Federal Prison Camp in South Carolina

* The SHU (Solitary Confinement) after being caught with a cellphone

* “The Zoo” — Yazoo City Low, a chaotic low-security federal prison

* Coleman Federal Prison Camp, where G and Nelson became close friends, bonded through shared experience, and built the trust that led to this conversation

Throughout the episode, G reflects on environment, opportunity, addiction, loyalty, and consequence, offering rare insight into how federal cases can follow someone long after the streets think the game is over. The conversation also highlights the mental toll of long sentences, the randomness of federal justice, and the brotherhood that forms behind the fence.

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Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

2:32 Drugs As A Kid In Miami

25:22 I’m The Molly Plug

47:01 Let’s Sells Keys Now

1:02:22 The Molly Invasion

1:21:55 11 Year Sentence In Federal Prison

1:45:15 Sent To the SHU: Solitary Confinement

1:56:29 “The Zoo”- Yazoo City Low Federal Prison

2:13:20 Coleman Federal Prison Camp

2:30:36 Redemption

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Drawing from years inside Canadian prisons working face-to-face with offenders ranging from trauma-survivors to violent repeat offenders, Dr. Vermani exposes the psychology behind criminal choices, the roots of impulsivity, the impact of childhood trauma, and the distorted belief systems that shape a life of crime. She also shares powerful stories from her work inside the system and what she learned from treating individuals nobody else could reach. 

🔑 EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

Criminal Thinking vs. Civilian Thinking-Dr. Vermani breaks down the cognitive distortions, emotional wiring, and survival-based decision-making that shape criminal behavior — and how drastically it differs from how civilians approach problems, consequences, and risk.

Why Criminals Make High-Risk Choices She explains the psychology behind impulsive actions, thrill-seeking, lack of foresight, and the way trauma and environment override logic and long-term planning.

Inside the Prison System Dr. Vermani shares her firsthand experiences working inside the Canadian prison system, providing therapy to some of the most challenging and complex inmates.

Trauma → Crime Connection A powerful look into how childhood neglect, abuse, abandonment, addiction, and environmental pressure shape the development of criminal thinking styles. Breaking The Cycle She explains what actually works in rehabilitation, why many systems fail, and how mindset restructuring can lead to real transformation — but only when the individual is truly ready. 

🎙️Dr. Monica Vermani delivers one of the most eye-opening psychological breakdowns ever featured on Honor Among Thieves. This episode goes far beyond crime stories — it uncovers the why behind the life choices that lead people into the criminal world, the trauma that fuels it, and the psychological tools needed to break free. A powerful conversation for anyone interested in criminology, mental health, rehabilitation, and the inner workings of the mind behind the crimes.

11:15 Dr. Vermani’s Patients

16:20 The Criminal Mind

36:40 Advice For People Coming Out From Prison

51:10 How can family support people leaving prison?

55:58 Criminal Profiling

1:06:52 Redemption 

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Nelson on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/montanatheprophet/

Joe Gates On Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/itsreallyjoegates/

This week on Honor Among Thieves, Nelson sits down with Joe Gates, a man whose criminal past began in one of the most unexpected places — small-town Indiana. While most people associate organized crime and heavy drug culture with major cities like New York or Chicago, Joe exposes the violent, drug-infested reality of Indiana’s underground world and how he was pulled into it as a child.

From drinking at age 10, to selling drugs before high school, to becoming the center of the biggest drug bust in his county’s history — Joe’s story is a raw, shocking look at addiction, trafficking, self-destruction, and redemption.

🧨 Indiana’s Hidden Drug Epidemic

Joe breaks down the surprising truth about crime in Indiana — from meth labs to violent street culture, and why the state produces more criminals than people think.

👦 Drinking at 10, Dealing by Middle School

Joe details how early childhood trauma, addiction in the home, and the environment around him pushed him into the game before he was even a teenager.

🚔 The Biggest Drug Bust in County History

His first arrest ever became the largest drug bust his county had ever seen — and he still made it to his high school graduation the next morning.

⛓️ A Year in Indiana County Jail

Joe recounts:

-23-hour lockdowns in a tiny cell

-Getting stqbbed with a pencil

-Detoxing cold turkey

-The psychological torture of county time

💊 Becoming the Ecstasy Plug in Tennessee

In the early 2000s rave era, Joe connects with a source selling ecstasy pills at 10 cents per pill. He becomes the city’s main supplier, pushing 2,000 pills a week and making $20,000+ weekly while battling daily addiction.

💀 Addiction, Blackouts & a Life Spiraling Out of Control

Years of alcohol, bud, and ex abuse destroy Joe’s mental state — leading to memory loss, violence, paranoia, and self-destruction.

🚨 The Night That Changed Everything

With 1200 ex pills, several pounds of bud, and an unregistered firearm in his car, Joe gets pulled over — a scenario that could have meant life in prison.

This episode is a raw, emotional, unbelievable true-crime redemption story — one that shows how close a person can come to destruction before fate steps in.

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Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

3:24 Indiana: The Crime Capital of The Back Woods

8:25 Attracted To The Wrong Things

13:50 The Biggest Drug Bust In The History of His County

27:27 Violating Probation

39:15 A Year In County Jail

48:01 Tennessee: Then I Got Into Selling Ex

57:59 The Miracle That Saved Him From Life In Prison

1:09:05 Redemption

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Nelson on Instagram

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Solo On Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/sosafibonacci/

In one of the rawest and most eye-opening episodes yet, Nelson sits down with his friend Solo, a man he did time with at Coleman Federal Prison, to unravel a story that begins on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida — and ends with a decade-long federal sentence. Solo started selling crack at just 12 years old, forced into the game out of pure survival. What began as a hustle to stay alive slowly transformed into a full-blown rise through the ranks of the underground drug economy.

Solo breaks down how adolescence for him wasn’t school dances and homework — it was cooking crack, dodging rivals, and hustling in high school hallways while living a life completely foreign to most kids his age.

As the city plunged into a massive coke drought in 2008, Solo took a bold risk that changed everything. Reaching out to a half-Mexican family member in Texas, he was introduced to a direct Mexican cartel connection — a move that elevated him from corner boy to major supplier, moving from ounces to full kilos. His ability to cook his own product only expanded his reach and dominance.

But the game shifted again when his Mexican plug asked him a pivotal question during a business trip to Jalisco, Mexico:

“Can you move H?”

Testing the market back home, Solo realized H was a completely different beast — higher margins, higher demand, and a faster path to big money… and big consequences.

What followed was years of major trafficking, massive profits, and an expanding operation — until betrayal came from the place he least expected. A close “friend,” who had been buying weight from him for years, was secretly a confidential informant. One setup. One ATF buy. And Solo was indicted on a federal drug conspiracy case that earned him 10 years in federal prison.

This episode dives deep into:

-Growing up in Florida’s crack era

-Learning the drug game as a teenage dealer

-Cooking crack and scaling the business

-Making cartel connections in Texas & Mexico

-The difference between crack rock profits and H profits

-The betrayal that ended everything

-Life inside federal prison after the fall

Raw, honest, and filled with hard-learned lessons — Solo’s story is a blueprint of how fast the streets can elevate you… and how fast they can destroy you.

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Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

2:35 The Streets on The West Coast of Florida

10:30 Getting Into The Game

19:51 Learning To Cook Crack

29:20 Kidnapped By The OG

34:10 Finding The Plug In Mexico

50:27 The Plug In Mexico Brings In The H

1:00:02 Getting Out of The Game: The Feds

1:07:30 The Game Is Over: Federal Prison

1:25:30 Redemption

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Kidnapped By The Feds on Tiktok

https://www.tiktok.com/@kidnappedbythefeds

This week on Honor Among Thieves, we sit down with Thomas Sanchez, better known online as “Kidnapped by the Feds.” Once a Mormon kid from Utah with good parents and eight siblings, Thomas’s life took a sharp turn from spirituality to the streets. What started as innocent partying spiraled into a full-blown drug operation — one that would earn him $1,000 to $7,000 a day selling H and crystal.

At the height of his power, “Kidnapped” was feared and respected — the man not to be crossed in his city. But his empire came crashing down when his girlfriend cooperated with law enforcement after a DEA raid on his home. Sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, Thomas found himself immersed in the brutal reality of federal medium and low-security institutions, navigating the politics of the Paisas and other prison gangs.

In this raw and unfiltered interview, Thomas breaks down:

* How fast money and power consumed his life

* The betrayal that led to his downfall

* The inner workings and hypocrisy of prison gang politics

* How he found redemption and purpose behind bars

💡 Episode Highlights

* Mormon Upbringing: Growing up in a strict religious home and what pushed him away from faith.

* Life in the Fast Lane: Becoming an H and ICE trafficker making thousands a day.

* The Fall: His house raid, girlfriend’s betrayal, and DEA indictment.

* Life Inside: Prison politics, the power structure of the Paisas, and how “shot callers” really operate.

* Redemption: Finding identity and reflection after 10 years behind bars.

From a Mormon household to a federal prison yard, Thomas “Kidnapped by the Feds” Sanchez reveals how fast money, betrayal, and prison politics shaped his wild rise and ultimate downfall.

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Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

7:13 I Actually Used To Be A Mormon

19:35 No More Church

28:50 Exposed To Crystal

44:45 I’m The Plug Now

1:03:50 Raided: It’s All Over. 10 Year Sentence

1:16:35 FCI Herlong Medium

1:23:10 FCI Lompoc 

1:34:01 Englewood Prison Camp: Starting Social Media

1:47:24 Redemption

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