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https://www.manupministryinc.org/

This week on Honor Among Thieves, we sit down with Cloyd Holmes, a reformed fraudster whose life story is straight out of a true-crime film. Born and raised in New York City during the 1970s and 80s, Cloyd came up surrounded by hustlers, pimps, and street legends. He witnessed firsthand how the crack era transformed the city—turning neighborhoods into war zones and survival into a full-time job.

After years in the streets and multiple near-death experiences, Cloyd left the street life behind, moved to Florida, and started over. But after being the victim of a random MS-13 drive-by shooting that nearly ended him and left him unable to work for a year, an old acquaintance introduced him to a booming “timeshare business.” Within his first week, Cloyd made over $40,000, not realizing the operation was at the center of a massive $11 million fraud scheme.

When federal agents eventually came knocking, Cloyd refused to cooperate—earning him a 15-year federal prison sentence. He shares what life was like inside the medium-security facility, from the gang politics to the chaos that ruled the yard, and how a powerful spiritual awakening ultimately changed his life forever.

Episode Highlights

🗽 Growing up in 1970s–80s New York City at the height of the crack era.

🔫 Surviving a random MS-13 drive-by shooting that nearly ended his life.

💰 The inside story of an $11 million timeshare scam that made national headlines.

⚖️ Facing a 15-year federal sentence after refusing to cooperate with prosecutors.

🔥 Life inside the federal prison system—violence, politics, and survival.

🙏 The moment that sparked his transformation and led to the creation of Man Up Ministry Inc.

Cloyd’s story is a powerful look at temptation, consequence, and redemption—a man who built an empire on deception, lost everything, and found a higher purpose behind prison walls.

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Episode Chapters

0:00 Intro

1:57 New York In The 70’s & 80’s

17:01 Leaving New York And Coming To Florida 

23:50 The Drive By 

33:15 Matt: The Man Who Started The Million Dollar Scam

42:01 The $40,000 A Week Time Share Scam 

47:01 Matt’s Gone!

51:15 Starting His Own Operation After The Feds Come In

1:00:48 The Fake Indictment

1:09:40 Prison Politics: The Medium

1:15:25 Oakdale Federal Prison: Man Up Ministry Inc. Is Born

1:24:44 Redemption

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