Top 20 Former Criminals Who Became Successful

Top 20 Ex-Criminals Who Became Successful

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most remarkable instances of ex-convicts who defied all odds by turning their lives around and achieving success in their chosen professions.

#20: Larry J. Levine

We’ve all heard the popular quote “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Perhaps no one took that saying quite as seriously as Larry J. Levine. In 1998, Levine was convicted of a slew of crimes including racketeering, securities fraud, obstruction of justice and narcotics trafficking. As a result, he spent nearly a decade in prison, only regaining his freedom in 2007. After his release, Levine decided to capitalize on his experience. He founded Wall Street Prison Consultants, aimed at advising convicted white-collar criminals on how to navigate life in prison. His clientele typically consists of bankers, Wall Street executives, and individuals convicted of fraud or narcotics offenses. However, he draws a line at assisting particularly violent criminals.

#19: Booker T

Today, he’s one of the most respected professional wrestlers of all time, boasting six world championship titles. But Booker T’s journey to this pinnacle was far from rosy. The wrestler had a rough upbringing, having lost both of his parents at a young age. In 1987, Booker was arrested, alongside some of his friends, for robbing several Wendy’s restaurants in Houston, Texas. Booker was an employee of Wendy’s at the time, and would carry out the crimes while dressed in his uniform. He pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery and served 19 months in prison. While still on parole, Booker enrolled in a wrestling school and quickly realized that was his true calling.

#18: Larry Lawton

If you ask Larry Lawton, he’d tell you he was the biggest jewel thief in America in the 1980s and ‘90s, and there’s substantial evidence to support that. Lawton was involved in a string of robberies along the Atlantic Seaboard, amassing around $15-18 million worth of jewelry. He was finally arrested by the FBI in 1996 and spent 11 years in prison for racketeering and robbery. During his sentence, Lawton became a paralegal and resolved to use his own experience as a deterrent for others. Upon his release, Lawton established the Reality Check Program, aimed at steering at-risk youth away from criminal activities. For his work, he was made an honorary police officer in Missouri, becoming the first ex-con to ever achieve that.

#17: Nigel Milsom

Nigel Milsom was once seen as one of Australia’s most promising painters. He earned an MFA from the University of New South Wales in 2002, and a decade later, won the highly coveted Sulman Prize for one of his paintings. However, his trajectory was marred by mental health issues and substance use disorder. In 2012, while intoxicated, Milsom robbed a 7-Eleven and was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison. During the case, Milsom was represented by Australian criminal lawyer Charles Waterstreet, who helped reduce his sentence to two years and four months on appeal. After leaving prison, Milsom worked on a portrait of Waterstreet, which ultimately won him the Archibald Prize, Australia’s most prestigious portrait award.

#16: Coss Marte

Coss Marte was just a teenager when he was drawn into the drug trade in New York. Marte ascended through the ranks, selling a variety of substances and raking in an estimated $2 million annually. This continued until 2009 when he was arrested by federal authorities and sentenced to seven years in prison. While locked up in solitary confinement, Marte embarked on a rigorous fitness journey, shedding 70 pounds in just six months. This experience served as the foundation for Conbody, the fitness program Marte established after his release. Today, Conbody is a successful enterprise, employing former inmates to lead high-intensity workouts for clients. Remarkably, the recidivism rate among Conbody staff who are ex-cons stands at an impressive zero.

#15: Tracy Mackness

At the age of 37, Tracy Mackness was convicted of drug conspiracy charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Prior to that, she gained notoriety in the Essex crime underworld, as a drug-debt collector referred to as “the Queen.” While in prison, Mackness took a counseling course that opened her eyes to the grave consequences of her actions. She credits this course for transforming her life. After working in the prison butcher shop, Mackness used her experience as well as the money she earned to set up a sausage business called The Giggly Pig Company upon her release. This company, which employs over 20 individuals, has won Mackness accolades for her diverse range of gourmet sausages.

#14: Tim Allen

Long before gaining fame on the ABC sitcom “Home Improvement,” Tim Allen was a struggling comedian who got embroiled in a criminal case. In 1978, the actor was caught with over 600 grams of narcotics at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport in Michigan. To avoid a potential life sentence, Allen cut a deal with prosecutors to rat out other drug dealers, and he received a sentence of three to seven years. Once he got out of prison, Allen focused on his comedy career and, about a decade later, landed the role on “Home Improvement” that launched him to stardom. He further solidified his reputation by voicing Buzz Lightyear in the “Toy Story” franchise, and playing Mike Baxter on “Last Man Standing.”

#13: Uchendi Nwani

Raised by a minister, Uchendi Nwani led a less-than-virtuous life during his college years. Nwani operated a drug empire, smuggling illicit substances from Miami to Nashville. However, his day of reckoning came during his senior year. Authorities had intercepted a million-dollar shipment of drugs and declared him wanted. Nwani ultimately turned himself in and received a sentence of six-and-a-half months at a federal boot camp. He managed to finish his studies after his release and capitalized on the one skill he had: cutting hair. In 1998, Nwani established his own barber shop and school, which quickly took off. These days, he is also a motivational speaker, traveling the country to share his story and inspire others to learn from his mistakes.

#12: Mark Wahlberg

Oscar-nominated actor Mark Wahlberg made quite a few questionable decisions when he was a teenager. The young Wahlberg was involved in a series of racially motivated attacks, most notably attacking two Vietnamese-American men in one day and hurling racial slurs at them. Wahlberg was initially arrested for attempted murder, but he later pleaded guilty to felony assault and served 45 days of a three-month jail sentence. However, the actor managed to turn his life around in his later years. He made his big screen debut in the mid-90s, and quickly rose to stardom by the end of that decade. Not only has he earned multiple accolades and nominations since, but he was also the world’s highest-paid actor in 2017.

#11: Greg Mathis

The life of Judge Greg Mathis is one that essentially came full circle. Early on, Mathis faced numerous arrests as a juvenile delinquent, and later served nine months in adult jail on a concealed weapons charge. Upon his release, Mathis earned his Bachelor’s degree, and then went on to the University of Detroit School of Law. However, due to his criminal background, Mathis was denied his license to practice law for many years. Once he eventually acquired it, he made a rapid ascent in his legal career, becoming the youngest person in the history of Michigan to be elected a district court judge. Additionally, his TV court show, “Judge Mathis,” enjoyed a successful 24-season run and received a Daytime Emmy award.

#10: Georgia Durante

Explored in detail in her memoir, “The Company She Keeps,” the road traveled by Georgia Durante to her current profession has been filled with unexpected twists and turns. As a young woman, her interest in danger made her a regular at a mafia-owned club in NYC. After a shooting, Durante was ordered to take the victim to the hospital, proving herself to be an excellent driver in the process. Before she knew it, this unlikely speed demon was a mafia getaway driver and married to a Mafioso. She eventually escaped the life and made a name for herself in the stunt-driving world, becoming one of top industry’s drivers.

#9: Paul Karsten Fauteck

For Paul Fauteck, a stay in the federal pen was a pretty serious wakeup call. Having started his criminal career at the tender age of 13, he had a diverse resume that included counterfeiting, burglary, car theft and illegally smuggling his Mexican wife into the United States. Upon his release, he began visiting a therapist, who not only helped him to better comprehend his own criminal inclinations, but also to discover his future career - psychology. Starting with a GED, he entered a Masters program, eventually earning his doctorate and a Presidential Pardon, and ultimately publishing a psychology book aimed at helping convicts straighten out their lives.

#8: Daniel E. Manville

Manslaughter is a crime that can be incredibly hard to move past but Daniel Manville did more than just reform and reintegrate into society. With his second chance, Manville became one of the last things anyone expected: a lawyer. It wasn’t easy - his application for a legal license was initially denied, before being overturned in appeal. While some reformed convicts are just looking to forget their stint upstate, Daniel Manville became a serious advocate for prison system reform, and now fights for prisoners’ rights. He’s also been the director of the Civil Rights Clinic at the Michigan State University College of Law since the early 2010s.

#7: Eugene Brown

For Eugene Brown, a failed bank robbery at the age of 20 earned him an 18-year prison sentence. For many individuals, that might as well be a life sentence... dashing any hope of a real future. But not for Brown. In prison, he mastered the game of chess, and came out a truly changed man. He founded the Big Chair Chess Club, a youth program that teaches kids and teens to always “think before you move.” His inspiring story of redemption and community spirit was even adapted into a film, “Life of a King.”

#6: Jeff Henderson

Sometimes, it takes hitting rock bottom to find what you’re meant to do in life. Jeff Henderson, who was since named Las Vegas Chef of the year in 2001, may have never found his true calling had he not done hard time. After being arrested for dealing illegal substances, he spent 10 years in prison, where he honed his cooking skills working kitchen duty. Upon his release, he worked his way up the cutthroat world of professional cooking. He’s since married, had kids, written a bestselling memoir entitled “Cooked”, and starred in multiple television shows.

#5: Junior Johnson

This NASCAR legend won a staggering 50 races during his time on the circuit in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Johnson’s start as a driver, however, is vintage NASCAR. A moonshine runner for his family’s whiskey operation, Junior was eventually nabbed for having an illegal still, and served a year in prison. Upon his release, he turned his attention to professional racing, winning 5 races in his first season. He proved to be not only a talented racer, but also an innovative one. A super-speedway basic today, in 1960 Junior Johnson discovered “drafting” during a test run and subsequently used the technique to clinch the Daytona 500. And in 1986, he received an even bigger prize: a Presidential Pardon.

#4: Eugène François Vidocq

Few criminals have gone on to greater, or more ironic careers than this legend. Vidocq spent his youth committing petty crimes, forging documents, escaping prison and dueling. Whatever he did, he did with a sense of style, flourish and self-assuredness. His exploits eventually made him too famous for a life of crime, and therefore, he casually switched sides. His work as a police informant inspired him to form the Sûreté Nationale, which would go on to inspire numerous similar agencies around the world. In many ways, he shaped modern police work, popularizing ballistics, crime scene investigation, detailed descriptions of criminals, plaster casts and more. Unsurprisingly, he inspired the works of numerous detective writers in the process.

#3: Mark ‘Chopper’ Read

This former felon spent nearly two decades of his life behind bars due to committing a variety of crimes that ranged from armed robbery to homicide. The number often changed over the years, but by Mark ‘Chopper’ Read’s own estimates, he killed or was involved in the murder of anywhere between 4-19 people. It’s unsurprising then that, over an 18-year period, he only spent 13 months as a free man. Following his final release in 1998, he went on to write crime novels and even a children’s book. He also recorded rap, painted, and dabbled in comedy, while his insane life inspired the 2000 film “Chopper.” Read’s unbelievable life story, however, came to a rather ordinary end in 2013, when he died of liver cancer.

#2: Danny Trejo

While the instantly recognizable actor is essentially a household name these days, he got into the acting business relatively late. Born in 1944, Trejo only got his first part in 1985. Before that, he did multiple stints in prison for armed robbery and drug charges. While in San Quentin he learned how to box, a skill that would take him unexpected places. A recovered drug addict himself, his work as a youth drug counselor brought Trejo to the set of the film “Runaway Train.” This proved to be his break, as he was soon offered a role as an extra and boxing coach for Eric Roberts. From there, the roles just kept on coming for this criminal-turned-actor and activist.

#1: Frank Abagnale

Etched into our memories thanks to 2002’s “Catch Me If You Can,” Frank William Abagnale, Jr. led a life that few could keep up with. Before his capture at the age of 21, he’d already assumed the identity of a lawyer, airline pilot, a physician, and even an US law enforcement agent. Despite being sentenced to 12 years in prison, he was released after just four. Why? The FBI wanted his help investigating other forgers, scam artists, frauds and con men like himself. Apparently first-hand experience is invaluable, regardless of how it’s gained. With his criminal past behind him, Abagnale has since found a career as a legitimate private fraud consultant.

Which of these former inmates inspires you the most? Let us know in the comments below.