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Florida mulls clemency for FBI informant Richard Wershe Jr. a.k.a. 'White Boy Rick'

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Posted at 10:10 AM, Mar 13, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-13 10:10:02-04

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Clemency Board are considering early prison release for a man known as "White Boy Rick," once one of the FBI's youngest informants and the subject of a Hollywood movie.

The board on Wednesday heard the case of 49-year-old Richard Wershe Jr., who's imprisoned in Florida for his role in a large car theft ring operated while he was in federal prison. At age 14, Wershe was an FBI informant in Michigan who helped convict a major cocaine trafficking ring but eventually got caught selling drugs himself.

Two ex-FBI agents told the board Wershe deserves early release because of all he did for the government. His current release date is Oct. 26, 2020.

The 2018 film "White Boy Rick" starred Matthew McConaughey.