The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

Mike Dowd, a former NYPD officer, explains how shortly after becoming a cop in Brooklyn’s 75th Precinct, he started taking dirty money and eventually became a drug dealer himself. He was taken down in one of the most notorious federal cases against police corruption in American history and served time in federal prison. Mike tells us his entire story from young hopeful police officer to reformed criminal.Check Out Mike On Social Media!IG: https://www.instagram.com/themikedowd/ X: https://twitter.com/TheMikeDowd This Episode Is Brought To You By The Following Sponsors:PrizePicks: https://www.prizepicks.com/connectPromo Code: CONNECT for up to $100 match on your first depositMOOD: https://hellomood.co/ Promo Code: CONNECT20, CONNECTFREEJoin The Patreon For Bonus Content!https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a teenager from Yonkers, Lillo Brancato was discovered by Robert De Niro to shot to fame starring in the critically acclaimed A Bronx Tale. A decade later he found himself addicted to drugs, struggling to work, and facing a second degree murder charge in the fatal shooting of a police officer. He joins us to talk about his road from actor, to inmate, to community leader.Check Out Lillo's Recovery Work And IG!More Life Recovery Center: https://moreliferecoverycenter.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/lillo_brancato/This Episode Is Brought To You By The Following Sponsors:HelloFresh: https://www.hellofresh.com/50connectPromo Code: 50CONNECTPrizePicks: https://www.prizepicks.com/connectPromo Code: CONNECTMood: https://hellomood.co/Promo Codes: CONNECT20, CONNECTFREEJoin The Patreon For Bonus Content!https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As a young immigrant child in New York City's Chinatown, Jimmy "Bighead" Tsui quickly became immersed in the gang world of the Lower East Side. He quickly rose the ranks and soon became an associate of the Chinese Mafia in Hong Kong moving drugs in and out of the country. He joins the show to breakdown exactly how Chinese gangs operated in the US and Hong Kong before he left the life of crime, became a volunteer police officer, and started being a positive influence on the youth in the neighborhood that raised him.Check Out Chinatown Gang Stories!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ @chinatowngangstories  IG: https://www.instagram.com/chinatowngangstories/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/ @chinatowngangstories This Episode Is Brought To You By The Following Sponsors:HelloFresh: https://www.hellofresh.com/50connectPromo Code: 50CONNECTBetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com/connectPromo Code: CONNECTJoin The Patreon For Bonus Content!https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David "Chicky" Cicchetelli was a young man in Springfield, Massachusetts when joined a mafia boss from the infamous Genovese Crime Family. What started as petty loan sharking quickly turned into a multimillion dollar illegal bookie business for Chicky. Years after doing time for that, he ended up getting rolled up in the biggest indictment in East Coast history... Follow Chicky!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chickycecchetelli_/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Chicky-Cecchetelli/pfbid02AG6oPPw2cim9VecbiAA7p32Ya1M3oRRChi2hw3jATmttUpjMzRkFUZFmYbNZ83x4l/Support Our Sponsors!FUM: https://tryfum.com/ Pomo Code: CONNECTHelloFresh: https://hellofresh.com/50connectPromo Code: 50CONNECTJoin The Patreon For Bonus Content!https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cristina Cruz grew up in a notorious gang territory of Northeast Los Angeles. At a young age she was jumped into the gang and slipped into a life of crime and drug addiction. It wasn't until she was indicted in a RICO case with over 70 other individuals that she got sober, turned her life around, and became a successful podcast host. Her story is one of loss and redemption.Support Cristina's Podcast And Teeth Whitening Business!YouTube Channel: @IndictedTV  Spotify: http://bit.ly/IndictedTvSpotifyInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelatoothfairy/Support Our Sponsors!PrizePicks: https://www.prizepicks.com/connect & use code: CONNECTJoin The Patreon For Bonus Content!https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brandon Novak became a household name in the early 2000s after becoming a fixture on the hit shows Jacka$$ and Viva La Bam. But despite the success of fame and professional skateboarding he lived a dark life full of crime and drug addiction. After two decades he's gotten clean and found his calling in life; helping others. Brandon joins the show to tell us all about his life and road to recovery.Support Brandon's Work and Recovery Homes!Website: https://brandonnovak.com/Novak's House: https://www.instagram.com/novakshouse/?hl=enSupport Our Sponsors!Fum: https://tryfum.com/Promo Code: CONNECTHello Fresh: https://www.hellofresh.com/connect50Promo Code: CONNECT50BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com/Promo Code: CONNECTPrizePicks: https://www.prizepicks.com/Promo Code: CONNECTJoin The Patreon For Bonus Content!https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cookie Hood grew up in both the US and Nicaragua. At a young age she was a socialite and became close with the people that would not only fight in Nicaragua's revolution, but also traffic drugs to help the CIA fund a proxy war that ended in one of the biggest scandals in American history. When she became a journalist for CBS during the Iran-Contra conflict, those old contacts came in handy to help expose secrets of both the American and the Nicaraguan governments!Subscribe to Cookie's Platforms 👇👇👇 https://journalistapodcast.com/Support our sponsors!PrizePicks: https://www.prizepicks.com/Promo Code: CONNECTSupport the Patreon: patreon.com/theconnectshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Salvatore Polisi was a young kid in New York City when we started doing jobs for the Colombo mafia. He came up with guys like John Gotti and ACTUAL characters from the classic film GoodFellas. He went from loan sharking to dope dealing before really taking off planning heists. He tells us all about his time in the mob, the moment he knew he wanted out, and how he was able to take down a corrupt judge as a state witness.Check out Sal's book: https://a.co/d/5RttFuQSupport our sponsors!Mood: hellomood.coPromo Code: CONNECT20, CONNECTFREESupport the Patreon: patreon.com/theconnectshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Roger Reaves, former drug smuggler turned pilot who worked with Pablo Escobar, shares thrilling stories about being shot out of the air, prison escapes, smuggling drugs across borders, dangerous flying, escaping prison, and exploring the culture of the drug trade.

Before he was a standup comedian, Richard Villa grew up in Compton where at the age of 8 years old he worked his dad as a drug dealer. Richard joins The Connect to talk about his upbringing in Los Angeles, the trauma of being involved in crime at such a young age, and how he turned his life around and became a successful comedian.Support our sponsors!Mood: hellomood.coPromo Code: CONNECT20, CONNECTFREESupport the Patreon: patreon.com/theconnectshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices