I Faced the Death Penalty — Then Spent 30 Years in Prison | Roger Aletras

Roger Aletras grew up in New York — and by 16 years old he was already robbing people at gunpoint. What followed was a criminal career that escalated from armed robbery to working with organized crime running jewel heists across New York. When the feds came for him on a gun charge it was only the beginning. A murder during a drug deal in Vermont ultimately sent him to federal prison where he spent over 30 years inside some of America's most dangerous facilities. In this episode of Locked In with Ian Bick, Roger opens up about the complete arc of his criminal life — from his first gun robbery at 16 to the jewel heists to the murder that changed everything. He shares what life inside prison really looked like as someone connected to organized crime — the politics the power structures and the stories nobody has ever heard. And he talks about what 30 years behind bars does to a person and what life looks like on the other side. _____________________________________________ #organizedcrime #truecrimecommunity #prisonlife _____________________________________________ Thank you to MARS MEN & BLUEPRINT for sponsoring this episode: Mars Men: For a limited time, our listeners get 50% off FOR LIFE, Free Shipping, AND 3 Free Gifts at Mars Men at https://mengotomars.com/ _____________________________________________ Blueprint: For a limited time only, our listeners get 20% off + free shipping at https://blueprint.bryanjohnson.com/ by using code LOCKEDIN at checkout. #Blueprint #ad _____________________________________________ Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Armed Robber Who Faced the Death Penalty — Roger's Complete Story 00:28 His Early Childhood Broken Home and the Environment That Set Everything in Motion 01:52 His First Crimes and the Juvenile Arrest That Started Everything 06:12 Life Inside Juvenile Detention and What That World Really Looked Like 14:24 Getting Caught Robbing a Gun Store and What That Moment Really Felt Like 20:00 Learning How to Be a Better Criminal Inside Prison and What That Education Looked Like 27:00 Prison Life and the Hard Realities That Defined His Early Years Inside 32:00 Getting Released Reoffending and What Getting Pulled Into Organized Crime Really Involved 41:00 Maximum Security at Green Haven — One of New York's Most Brutal Prisons 43:00 The Escalation From Theft to Armed Robbery and What Drove That Transition 47:00 Shootouts and Life on the Run — the Most Dangerous Chapter of His Criminal Career 54:00 Prison in New Jersey and the Culture That Governed Everything Inside 01:00:00 Prison Violence the Codes That Govern It and What Survival Actually Required 01:05:00 Armored Car Robberies and the Elevated Risks That Came With That World 01:11:00 The Transition to Federal Prison and What That Step Up Really Looked Like 01:18:00 Federal Prison Challenges and the Big Cases That Defined His Time Inside 01:26:00 Facing a Murder Case and the Death Penalty — the Moment Everything Almost Ended Forever 01:35:00 The Prison Transformation — Education Reflection and the Shift That Changed Everything 01:45:00 Release and What Starting Over After Everything He Survived Really Looked Like 01:50:00 His Regrets His Redemption and the Advice He Wants Everyone to Hear _____________________________________________ To advertise on the show, contact [email protected] or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/LockedInWithIanBicka Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices