From prison cells to success stories, these individuals prove it's never too late for redemption. Join us as we explore remarkable journeys of transformation from criminal pasts to inspiring new beginnings. These former offenders didn't just leave crime behind—they built extraordinary new lives and legacies.
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00:00A whole lot of suffering has transformed an ex-con into an honest man who is doing his best to make
00:05the world a better place. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at criminals who transformed
00:10their lives and found success. It was more about maturity. I started getting older,
00:15and so consequently I started realizing that's not the way I want to live my life.
00:20Georgia Durante
00:21A model from a young age, Georgia Durante once appeared as the famous Kodak girl in the 1960s.
00:27Then, life took her in an unexpected direction. At a mafia-run nightclub one night,
00:32Durante found herself driving an injured man to the hospital. Her stellar driving earned her a
00:36reputation, and pretty soon, she was running deliveries for the mob.
00:40And I later found out they were actually the CIA,
00:44who was laundering the money for the mob in foreign countries.
00:47But when she graduated from deliveries to getaway driver, Durante knew she needed to get out.
00:52She went on the run.
00:53They escaped, but she knew her days in front of the camera were over.
00:57Modeling was no longer an option since she was trying to keep a low profile,
01:00so she again relied on her driving skills. At first, she had to beg for work. But eventually,
01:05Durante became a highly successful Hollywood stunt driver, appearing in many commercials.
01:10Then I realized you could never see the driver. I said,
01:13that's perfect. I can do that.
01:14Junior Johnson
01:15Before he was a NASCAR icon, Junior Johnson was a famous bootlegger. In fact,
01:20he was busted for running the biggest moonshine operation in the United States.
01:24Born into a bootlegging family, Johnson started running moonshine with his dad and brother.
01:29I basically was in the moonshine business when I was a young boy.
01:34He enjoyed working on his cars to better evade the police who patrolled the area looking for
01:38moonshiners. Because he was such a good driver, he was never once caught. But when his family's
01:43home was raided, he was arrested.
01:44This resulted in the Johnson family raid, where ATF officers busted up the largest moonshine
01:51operation in American history. He served approximately one year in federal prison.
01:56Following his release, Johnson dedicated himself to stock car racing and helped form the sport into
02:01what it is today. He won 50 Cup Series races and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
02:07Junior Johnson was now a six-time champion. It was a long way from the moonshine runs of the 50s
02:12to the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
02:14Kweisi Mfume
02:15When his mother died, Kweisi Mfume dropped out of high school to support himself and his
02:19three sisters. Unfortunately, he eventually turned to a life of crime, hanging out with
02:24gang members and spending some time behind bars.
02:26And I struck out by hanging out with gangs, running through the streets.
02:31According to Mfume, something came over him during a craps game in 1972. In an instant,
02:36he understood he needed to turn his life around.
02:39Fortunately for me, I got out of that by the age of 22.
02:43He dropped his birth name, Frizzell Tate, and adopted the African name Kweisi Mfume.
02:48Then, he got to work building a new life. He ran for Baltimore City Council, winning by three votes.
02:54From there, he served nine years in Congress and became the chairman of the Congressional Black
02:59Caucus before taking over as president of the NAACP from 1996 to 2004.
03:04I have not given up on the American idea or on the American possibility.
03:10Jeff Henderson
03:11Chef Jeff Henderson was the first Black chef de cuisine at Caesars Palace, and he didn't stop there.
03:16His resume includes several other notable accomplishments. He was the first executive
03:20chef at Cafe Bellagio. He's also a renowned public speaker and successful author who's penned
03:25three best-selling books. In 2008, he launched a competition cooking show on Food Network called
03:31The Chef Jeff Project.
03:32Collard greens. I grew up on collard greens. Love them to death. There's so many different
03:37things you can do with collard greens.
03:38Several additional reality cooking shows followed, but before he found fame in the kitchen,
03:43Henderson made his living as a drug dealer.
03:45And it's a part of my life that I'll forever pay to society.
03:50He was busted in 1988 and spent 10 years in prison, where he was put on kitchen duty.
03:55During his time behind bars, he discovered his passion for cooking and ultimately decided
04:00to turn his life around.
04:02In the prison kitchen, I was able to be coached by men.
04:09Men who helped me see the value in myself.
04:13Juliet Hume
04:14British novelist Anne Perry published several best-selling murder mysteries during her career,
04:18but a shadow was cast over her achievements when news broke that the acclaimed author was
04:23a convicted murderer.
04:24Of course I would like to be known as a great writer, wouldn't all writers?
04:27She was born Juliet Hume. Suffering from tuberculosis, Hume was sent to New Zealand in hopes the warmer
04:32climate would help her health. There, she befriended classmate Pauline Parker.
04:36I've got scars. They're on my lungs.
04:40The relationship became all-consuming. When Hume's parents decided to send her to live with
04:44relatives in another country, the pair was desperate to stay together. They hatched a plan
04:48to kill Parker's mother because they knew she would not let Parker move with Hume.
04:52On June 22, 1954, they went through with their plan. Hume served five years for her part in the murder.
05:04Danny Trejo
05:05With hundreds of movie roles under his belt, actor Danny Trejo is a familiar face for moviegoers.
05:11Known for portraying tough guys and hardened criminals, Trejo draws inspiration from real-life experiences.
05:16In my neighborhood, you could either be a laborer or a criminal.
05:23Before he made it big in Hollywood, he was in and out of prison for years,
05:26serving time for robbery and selling drugs. When he landed behind bars,
05:30he was also suffering from substance use disorder.
05:33While in solitary confinement, Trejo enrolled in a treatment program and found faith.
05:38It was almost like the good Lord said,
05:39He later went on to earn his high school diploma. Following his release in 1969,
05:46he dedicated himself to helping others achieve sobriety. His first acting break happened by
05:51chance when he was asked to be an extra in Runaway Train. He played a convict.
05:57Piper Kerman
05:58Born into an upper-middle-class family, Piper Kerman attended a prestigious university and lived a
06:03mostly ordinary and privileged life. Things took a turn when she began a relationship with an older
06:08woman who happened to be a heroin dealer.
06:11Eventually, she asked me to do something for her, which was to carry a bag of drug money,
06:14and I did it, and it was a terrifying experience.
06:18Kerman decided to join in on the action, and for several months,
06:21she laundered money and transported drugs for a Nigerian drug kingpin. Her dalliance with crime
06:26was brief, but a few years later, it caught up with her when she was indicted for money laundering
06:31and drug trafficking. It was very shocking, obviously, to get that knock on the door
06:35many, many years after I had committed that crime.
06:38Kerman served 13 months in a minimum security prison. She wrote a best-selling memoir on her
06:43experience behind bars. Orange is the New Black, one of the first mega-hits of on-demand streaming,
06:48was adapted from her book. Did you ever stop and go,
06:51oh my goodness, how'd I end up here? It has been a really busy few years.
06:57Dave Dahl
06:58Dave's Killer Bread is the most popular brand of organic sliced bread in the United States.
07:03Founded in 2005, the company is recognized for using wholesome, healthy ingredients.
07:08It's also renowned as a second-chance employer, a meaningful initiative for founder Dave Dahl.
07:13I rose up through the ranks of petty criminals.
07:15Before impressing people with his Killer Bread, Dahl served time in prison for numerous offenses
07:20ranging from burglary to assault. Behind bars, Dahl enrolled in an addiction treatment program
07:25and tried to turn his life around. Upon release, he joined his brother at the family bakery.
07:30There, he developed a new bread recipe, and Dave's Killer Bread was born. At first,
07:35he sold his bread at farmers' markets. Eventually, local grocery stores began to sell it,
07:40and soon, it was everywhere.
07:41I'm just happy and proud that my baby has made a difference in the world.
07:45Kevin Mitnick
07:46Once heralded as the world's most famous computer outlaw, Kevin Mitnick spent time on the FBI's
07:51Most Wanted List during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Before landing on the list,
07:56Mitnick did a short stint in prison for hacking into the network of a major computer company.
08:00Did it ever occur to you that perhaps what you were doing was wrong?
08:04Oh, yeah. Yeah, it was an invasion of privacy.
08:08Following his release, he resumed his illegal activities until a warrant was issued for his
08:13arrest. He spent two and a half years on the run before his apprehension. The case stoked
08:17controversy, with supporters insisting some accusations against him were false. Nevertheless,
08:23Mitnick pleaded guilty to a bevy of charges, including four counts of wire fraud. When he was
08:28released, he started a computer security consultancy and spent the rest of his career advising others
08:33on cybersecurity. Because of the cable, now I'm able to take full control of this computer as
08:38a hacker. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
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08:55Frank Abagnale
08:56Famously portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in the Steven Spielberg movie Catch Me If You Can,
09:00Frank Abagnale is known for his elaborate cons. In his heyday, he impersonated pilots,
09:06forged checks, and stole thousands of dollars. In total, Abagnale claims to have assumed eight
09:12different identities during his daring life of crime.
09:14Please, it's just $5. Don't have to know.
09:17He was locked up on multiple occasions for his various criminal offenses, but eventually,
09:21he decided to turn his life around. He even wrote an autobiography detailing his illegal exploits.
09:27For the last four years, I have a firm in Houston, and I do consulting work for large corporate banks
09:33and partner stores and stuff like that on how not to get ripped off.
09:38Nowadays, the fraudster-turned author spends his time speaking at events and providing expert advice
09:43as a security consultant. The veracity of some of his claims has been questioned in recent years.
09:48But embellished or not, Abagnale's duplicitous past continues to fascinate the public.
09:53I truly believe I was able to accomplish all those things because I was just a teenage boy.
09:58Are there any other criminals who famously turned their lives around? Let us know in the comments.
10:02I didn't cheat. I studied for two weeks and I passed.