(WXYZ) — According to the family of Richard "White Boy Rick" Wershe Jr., his early parole was denied by a Florida court Tuesday.
The whole family is devastated by the news, said Wershe's sister Dawn Scott. He'll instead remain in a Florida jail until October 2020.
In June 2017, Wershe was unanimously granted parole in Michigan after spending nearly 30 years in prison. He was Michigan's longest-serving non-violent criminal.
Previously, court records indicated he would be released on Christmas Day in 2020. Before that, he was set to be released on April 20, 2021.
Wershe's story gained national attention in the 1980s after he was convicted of possession with intent to deliver over 650 grams of cocaine. He was sentenced to life in prison when he was a teenager. It later became public knowledge that Wershe began trafficking drugs after working for the FBI as an informant.
Wershe's life was portrayed on the big screen in the film "White Boy Rick," which was released in 2018.
