MIAMI – Richard Wershe, a famous former FBI informant turned drug dealer in Michigan, was arrested in Miami for attacking his girlfriend during an argument that stemmed from him saying another woman’s name during sex, officials said.
Police arrested “White Boy Rick” Wershe Jr., 53, on Tuesday, May 9, after he attacked his girlfriend at his condo in Miami, according to authorities.
WPLG News in Miami reports Wershe and his girlfriend got into an argument while they were having sex over the weekend. Wershe’s girlfriend told officers at the Miami police station that she had waited to report the attack because of her immigration status.
Federal law protects legal or undocumented immigrant victims of crimes.
Officials said the argument began when Wershe mentioned another woman’s name during sex. His girlfriend tried to get out of bed, but Wershe grabbed her arm and snatched a diamond bracelet and necklace he had bought for her, according to authorities.
---> How ‘White Boy Rick’ became an informant, drug dealer in Detroit
The woman pulled away and threw a shot at Wershe, but missed, police said. Wershe caught up to her and punched her in the chest, according to a witness.
Wershe’s girlfriend suffered bruises, WPLG reports.
Wershe is facing charges of robbery by sudden snatching, a third-degree felony, and misdemeanor battery.
He has been released from Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on $5,000 bond.
Wershe’s time in prison
Wershe started working for the FBI and Detroit police as an undercover informant targeting drug trafficking at the age of 14. He spent about two years around drug dealers during that time, and then, once his informant days ended, he entered the drug trafficking world himself.
In 1988, Wershe was sentenced to life in prison in Michigan under the state’s “650-Lifer Law,” a drug statute that penalized those found in possession of more than 650 grams of cocaine or heroin with a stiff penalty of life imprisonment without parole.
---> How ‘White Boy’ Rick Wershe went from informant, to drug ring, to 32 years in prison
Wershe earned his parole in 2017 after nearly 30 years in prison. He was released from the Oaks Correctional Facility in Michigan in April 2017 and turned over to U.S. Marshals.
He was then transferred to a Florida prison because of a crime he committed while behind bars in Michigan. Wershe pleaded guilty in 2006 to being involved in a car theft ring.
Wershe ultimately spent a total of 32 years behind bars. He is the longest-serving nonviolent juvenile offender in Michigan history.