When he was 18, Wershe Jr. was convicted of cocaine possession and sentenced to life in prison. Because of his age at the time of his sentencing, the kid known as White Boy Rick would go on to become the longest-serving juvenile drug offender in the history of Michigan. It should be noted that not only was he still a teen at the time of his sentencing, he was also convicted of a nonviolent crime. During his early years in prison, Wershe Jr. began working as an FBI informant in order to shorten his sentence. His work led to the arrest of a number of corrupt cops, but there was no offer of parole.