"Gorilla Tango', by Warren Stelman

From Businessman to Convicted Felon and Surviving the US Prison System

I’m a Canadian in a Us prison. I robbed old people and got caught.

With these opening words Mr. Stelman narrates a story of personal redemption, spiritual growth and survival. It is a compelling remembrance of incarceration. He once owned a digital signage company and was a respectable Montreal entrepreneur till the day all came crashing down, then he moved to the Dominican Republic where he became involved in a sweepstakes scam that stole money from the elderly. Interpol got the better of him, got caught and ended up in a Santo Domingo jail. Months later extradited to the US where he spend more than five years in federal prison. . His prison name was Canada.

Mr. Stelman describes his crimes, capture, trial process and prison time in great details as well as his daily life and how he had to adapt to survive in a brutal, violent and unforgiving world. According to Canada it was a journey through hell. Said in the first person he paints himself honestly and plainly as a convicted felon his tone has frankness to it when he tells us about his prison businesses and his relationships with his family. He says a lot in his mémoirs and his words are deep in prison jargon, lots of swear language. It got to me after a while but prison is prison we have to accept this.

I was intrigued by this man and his story and I found his openness to be touching but do I empathize with him ...no way he did the crime ruined 100s of lives. How easy targets make those entering multiple sweepstakes he calls them “dreamers” and telling them they won will get them every time....he deserved every bit of what he got....He knew better....

Now home he deserves to have his life back.....

Although hard to read, no doubt this book is a page-tuner hard to put down and a pretty good read.