The Connect- with Johnny Mitchell

Journalist, Luis Chaparro, sat down at the U.S.-Mexico border in Juarez to discuss the current immigration crisis. He explains how Ciudad Juarez has become the number one crossing point for migrants getting into the United States, how criminal organizations AND government officials have profited, and toll it's taken on the citizens on both sides.Go Support Luis!IG: https://www.instagram.com/luiskuryaki/YouTube: @luischaparro  This Episode Is Brought To You By The Following Sponsor:Get 50% off of Factor at https://www.factormeals.com/connect50 anduse code connect50Join The Patreon For Bonus Content!https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshowSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6mc4qAxpztC6D20wzeS91C Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gary Heyward started as a normal jail guard fresh out of the marines. But after financial struggles and exposure to corruption from other corrections officers he soon began running a smuggling ring bringing in tobacco, drugs, and women to the inmates. This behavior eventually landed him in the role of inmate, completely changing his life.Go Support Gary!Book: https://a.co/d/bd09oab YouTube Channel: @garyheyward  This Episode Is Sponsored by PrizePicks! Visit https://www.prizepicks.com/connect for a first deposit match up to $100!Need some boost to your mental clarity? Try Magic Mind!https://magicmind.com/ For bonus content sign up for the Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ian Bick, a kid from a gated community in Connecticut, started throwing parties for other kids his age. He quickly found a calling in promoting and by his late teens he was booking concerts for some of the biggest artists at the time. His investors were promised big returns on their money as his business was booming. Little did they know, not only was he not making their money back, but he was spending on a lavish lifestyle...Go Support Ian!Website: https://www.ianbick.com/YouTube Channel: @ianbickCT  This Episode Is Sponsored by BetterHelp! Visit betterhelp.com/connect for 10% off your first month!Need some boost to your mental clarity? Try Magic Mind!https://magicmind.com/ For bonus content sign up for the Patreon!https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charlie Webster, renowned journalist and host of the successful Surviving El Chapo series, joins the show to discuss the Flores Twins. She spent years interviewing them and getting deep insight to the two brothers that became some of the largest kingpins in the world and then making the shocking decision to work with American feds to take down one of the most wanted men on the globe. Go Support Charlie!Surviving El Chapo Podcast: https://lionsgatesound.com/shows/surviving-el-chapo IG: https://www.instagram.com/charliewebster/ This Episode Is Brought To You By The Following Sponsor:MOOD: https://hellomood.co/ Promo Code: CONNECT20, CONNECTFREEJoin The Patreon For Bonus Content!https://www.patreon.com/theconnectshowSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6mc4qAxpztC6D20wzeS91C Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Larry Rolla started out as a young kid in Queens surrounded by the tough life of 1950s NYC youth gangs and wise guys. He went from stickups to finding a passion and calling in horse training and racing. After a corrupt racetrack owner sent him into the grips of poverty his legitimate, reformed life quickly turned into fixing races for the mob and a gripping gambling addiction. Larry joins the show to tell us all about his odyssey. Go Support Larry!Book: amazon.com/Against-All-Odds-Larry-Rolla/dp/1729108598Website: https://larryrolla.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RollasCorner YouTube: @LarryRollaThis Episode Is Brought To You By The Following Sponsors:Manscaped: https://www.manscaped.com/Promo Code: CONNECTFUM: https://tryfum.com/ Promo Code: CONNECTMOOD: 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

Crip Mac is a member of the dangerous 55th Street Crips in Los Angeles. He has spent his life in and out of county jail and state prisons. Mac joins the show to describe how life works in the Crips organization, on the deadly streets of South Central, and the violent rules of gangs in prison.Check Out Crip Mac!IG: https://www.instagram.com/55thstreet_/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@therealcripmacYouTube: @55thstreet_ and @macventures  This Episode Is Brought To You By The Following Sponsors:BetterHelp: https://www.betterhelp.com/connectPromo Code: CONNECTMOOD: 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

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