FLINT (WWJ) -- Richard Wershe Jr.— better known as White Boy Rick — appeared in a federal courtroom in Flint on Wednesday as he awaits an important decision from a judge.
WWJ's Charlie Langton reports a judge is set to decide whether Wershe brought his federal lawsuit against multiple parties, including the federal government, within the statute of limitations.
Wershe's attorney, Nabih Ayad, says that back in 1988, the government abused the then 14-year-old Wershe, who was the youngest known FBI informant in U.S. history. Then, in 2003, Ayad said the feds backed out of a deal to get Wershe out of prison.
"In a nutshell, the hearing is specifically to address whether this $100 million lawsuit can go forward against the the FBI and the government agencies and the Detroit Police and the City of Detroit."
The argument from the defense is that Wershe should have brought this lawsuit a lot sooner then he did.
The counter to that, Langton explained, is that if you're in prison, and you fear retaliation, the statute of limitations is tolled — meaning you get extra time to bring the lawsuit.
"He had every right to fear that if he brings the lawsuit while he was in custody in jail all those years, for 32 years seven months, that he would either never get out of jail or be killed in jail," Ayad said.
Wednesday's hearing lasted three hours, but no decision was made. The judge said a written decision will be issued at a later date and that he wants to hear more evidence, Langton reported.
Wershe, imprisoned at age 17 for drug offenses, gained fame as the longest-serving non-violent juvenile offender in Michigan’s history.
He was granted parole in Michigan in 2017, but owed 22 months in Florida on a racketeering and conspiracy conviction involving the sale of stolen cars.
Wershe, now in his 50s, was finally released from prison in Florida on July 20, 2020, and has since been promoting a marijuana brand in Michigan.
His story was inspiration for the feature film "White Boy Rick," starring Matthew McConaughey, as well as various documentaries.
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