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Michigan Parole Board votes to grant parole to 'White Boy' Rick

Posted at 1:23 PM, Jul 15, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-15 13:23:03-04

The Michigan Parole Board has voted to grant parole to Rick Wershe, Jr., otherwise known as 'White Boy' Rick.

The decision comes after the Parole Board held a public hearing for Wershe on June 8 at G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility.

Wershe was 17 when he was caught with cocaine and sentenced to life in prison in 1988.. Wershe says he had worked as an FBI informant and reported corrupt Detroit police officers but wasn't given leniency.

The sentence was later changed to give him a shot at parole. In June, he told parole board members that he's been rehabilitated and knows drugs destroy communities.

Wershe can be released from custody as early as mid-August and Florida authorities will be informed of his anticipated release. Florida officials will be responsible for making arrangements for his transfer to serve his sentence there.

Wershe was sentenced to serve five years in prison in Florida after being convicted on racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering charges in 2006. The crimes happened while he was incarcerated in Florida as part of the federal witness protection program.