# (Former) Crooks who have made a huge success of thier lives. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 20, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980 "2007-02-20T17:07:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Engineer\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9fc29f/32.png) [@Engineer\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Engineer_Dude)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/21 "2007-02-21T02:15:06Z")
Ted Kennedy ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/22 "2007-02-21T02:21:57Z")
Tyson and Hill have not made a success of their lives after committing crimes. Don King and Marion Barry are debatable. If the sole measure for the OP is ex-cons who made a lot of money, the doors are wide open. How about actor Mark Wahlberg? He was in the adult prison system in Massachusetts as a 17 year old after being charged with attempted murder. He had a series of arrests for violent assaults, but after that prison stint found a way to re-channel his energies. After making a couple of hit records, he turned to acting, and got an Oscar nomintaion this year. Ron LeFlore was an ex-con who went on to be an all-star outfielder with the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox. William Sydney Porter adopted the pen name O. Henry so that he could get his stories published while serving a five-year sentence for embezzlement. His peak came in the years after his release when he was writing weekly stories for the New York Sunday World. Martin Luther King was in prison more than once, but I suppose he qualifies as a political prisoner, not a crook. Dostoyevsky would be in the same boat, and countless others. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/23 "2007-02-21T03:33:10Z")
[QUOTE=cher3] Mystery writer Anne Perry was involved in a famous murder case when she was a girl. [/QUOTE] And the grown-up Anne Perry was “discovered” after Peter Jackson made the movie Heavenly Creatures. There was curiousity about what became of the two young women. It turned out that the young woman played by Kate Winslet, grew up, moved to the UK and became a mystery writer. Heavenly Creatures is a good movie, by the way, for anyone who hasn’t seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/24 "2007-02-21T06:15:12Z")
Issei Sagawa, who could most charitably be described as a “rogue gourmet” went on to a far amount of fame and success, appearing in several movies, publishing several books (including a cookbook), and frequently getting invited as a talk show guest. > **[Issei Sagawa](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Issei_Sagawa)** > > Issei Sagawa (佐川 一政, Sagawa Issei, 26 April 1949 – 24 November 2022) also known as Pang or The Kobe Cannibal, was a Japanese lust murderer, cannibal, and necrophiliac known for the killing of Renée Hartevelt in Paris in 1981. > Sagawa murdered Hartevelt and then mutilated, cannibalized, and performed necrophilia on her corpse over several days. Sagawa was arrested and deported to Japan but was controversially released unconditionally after two years of pre-trial detention due to the applicable l... [http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial\_killers/weird/sagawa/1.html](http://www.crimelibrary.com/serial_killers/weird/sagawa/1.html) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/25 "2007-02-21T10:31:28Z")
El Lute. A two-bit analphabet thief who ended up becoming a published author and living a comfortable middle-class life with wife, kids etc. Given how low in the social scale he’d started, it’s comparable to being born to a bag lady and later living in a gated community’s largest house (and not as the handyman). ---
**Author:** ![Sleel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/73ab20/32.png) [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/26 "2007-02-22T00:45:40Z")
Damn you, **Sublight** , you beat me to it. I like citing that little slimeball as an example of the Japanese love of depravity. [Kevin Mitnick](http://www.takedown.com/bio/mitnick.html) started a [security consulting company](http://www.kevinmitnick.com/), wrote a couple of [books](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Mitnick) (check the Recent Activity section), and is probably making a very comfortable living now. ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/27 "2007-02-22T03:00:22Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] A two-bit analphabet thief [/QUOTE] Until I checked the dictionary I was almost afraid to ask what he was stealing. Thank you, **Nava** , I learned a new word today. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/28 "2007-02-22T03:28:59Z")
John Singleton Mosby was convicted of “unlawful shooting”, and spent some time in jail before receiving a pardon. He went on to distinguish himself in the Confederate Army, and then in the U.S. government after the war… > **[John Mosby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mosby)** > > John Mosby may refer to: ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/29 "2007-02-22T05:17:42Z")
[QUOTE=Engineer Dude] Ted Kennedy [/QUOTE] This post I like! The key is to not ever get caught. Me? I’m doing just fine, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/30 "2007-02-22T08:33:17Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] Until I checked the dictionary I was almost afraid to ask what he was stealing. Thank you, **Nava** , I learned a new word today. [/QUOTE] Well, it bums me out when a furriner has a better vocabulary than me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/31 "2007-02-22T13:06:31Z")
[QUOTE=Sublight] Until I checked the dictionary I was almost afraid to ask what he was stealing. [/QUOTE] \< Sesame Street \> _…Psst! Ya wanna buy a 'Q"?_ \< /SS \> ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/32 "2007-02-22T20:33:20Z")
Actor Charles S. Dutton did time for murder. He did time for stabbing someone in a fight; I don’t know what the actual charge was. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/33 "2007-02-22T21:02:10Z")
Duane “Dog” Chapman, the bounty hunter, did time for murder. IIRC, he was running with a biker gang at the time of his arrest and he has always claimed that the murder was committed by another member of the gang. He was paroled after five years or so. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/34 "2007-02-22T22:03:41Z")
[QUOTE=Nava] El Lute. A two-bit analphabet thief… [/QUOTE] He was an analphabet–someone who doesn’t know the alphabet–someone who was illiterate–who was a thief. He didn’t steal alaphabets. ---
**Author:** ![i\_am\_a\_scientist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f07891/32.png) [@i\_am\_a\_scientist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/i_am_a_scientist)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/35 "2007-02-22T22:48:30Z")
[Ian Shrager](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Schrager) is ridiculously successful ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/36 "2007-02-22T23:29:53Z")
Oliver North ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/37 "2007-02-23T07:20:08Z")
[Danny Trejo](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0001803/) spent a lot of time in and out of jail for robbery and drug offenses before getting himself straightened out and becoming a rather successful character actor. ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/38 "2007-02-23T07:25:05Z")
[**Lenny “The Guvnor” _or_ “the hardest man in Britain” McLean**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_mclean) did time in detention centres and was charged with assault but cleared of manslaughter as an adult. Had his fingers in a lot of criminal dealings, though. He was the probably the most famous unlicensed boxer, was incredible to watch in the ring, a seething ball of aggression. He was known of late for playing _Barry the Baptist_ in _Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels_, released just two weeks after his death. Moderately good 'auto’biography, _the Guvnor_. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/39 "2007-02-23T22:03:52Z")
Let’s not overlook [Kevin Trudeau](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0826051trudeau1.html), TV pitchman and sleaze purveyor extraordinaire, whose shady past includes a nearly two-year stay with Uncle Sam for credit card fraud, but who recently had a bestselling book (“Natural Cures They Don’t Want You To Know About”). Copies were snapped up by the sort of people who also believe that They are suppressing an additive that lets you get 200 miles per gallon of gas, that planes did not crash into the Pentagon and WTC and that Tom Cruise’s behavior is the result of alien abduction. Well, one out of three ain’t bad. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980/40 "2007-02-24T21:54:40Z")
Tony Sirico, Paulie from The Sopranos , is a convicted stick-up man who was last jailed in 1972. According to IMDB, he’s appeared 40 times on-screen as a gangster and 5 as a crooked cop. For him, make-believe crime has paid much better than the real thing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-crooks-who-have-made-a-huge-success-of-thier-lives/392980.md?page=3)