Louis Ruggiero grew up in New York City with privilege and connections — his mother, Rosanna Scotto, is a famous Fox News anchor, and his father is an attorney. But behind the perfect image, Louis was spiraling into addiction. College introduced him to Xanax, which quickly led to harder drugs, arrests, and trouble that was often swept away by his family’s influence. His life took a shocking turn when a close friend confessed a murder to him, forcing Louis to testify in a high-profile trial. In this interview, Louis reveals his struggles with drugs, what it was like to be caught up in a murder case, and how he’s working to turn his life around.

Sarma Melngailis seemed destined for success. A brilliant student who started her career in finance, she later pursued her passion for food and co-founded Pure Food and Wine, one of New York City’s hottest vegan restaurants that attracted stars like Alec Baldwin. But Sarma’s life took a shocking turn when she fell under the influence of a controlling con man who manipulated her into a web of lies, fraud, and destruction. Once the celebrated “vegan queen” of NYC, she became a fugitive, was arrested for fraud, and ended up behind bars at Rikers Island. Sarma’s story of love, betrayal, and downfall captivated the world and was chronicled in Netflix’s hit documentary Bad Vegan. In this episode, she opens up about her childhood, career, and what really happened behind the scenes of one of the most infamous scandals in the restaurant world.

Luis Espinoza grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut, surrounded by crime, addiction, and chaos. With a mother in and out of jail, he dropped out of high school and started hanging around the wrong crowd. By 22, he was sentenced to 18 months in prison—but just three months in, Luis made a desperate move: he tried to escape. After being captured only hours later, he was forced to face the reality of life behind bars. In this episode, Luis opens up about his troubled childhood, his escape attempt, what prison was really like, and how he finally turned his life around after incarceration.

Nick Gojcaj grew up in Queens dreaming of becoming an NYPD cop, but after that didn’t work out, he spent 20 years in the corporate world before making a drastic career change in his 40s—joining Rikers Island as a corrections officer. For three years he worked inside one of America’s most notorious jails, dealing with chaos, violence, and the daily dangers of being a prison guard, until a confrontation with inmates left him permanently disabled. Instead of protecting him, Rikers illegally terminated his job, sparking a legal battle that he’s still fighting today. In this episode, Nick opens up about his journey from the academy to life on the inside, the shocking realities of working at Rikers, and how he’s now exposing the system that betrayed him.

Joseph Schultze’s life looked nothing like the path that would eventually lead him toward prison. Growing up in Binghamton, New York, he had a loving home — but also parents battling cocaine addiction. Forced to take care of them while still a teenager, Joseph dropped out of high school and developed crippling anxiety. A car accident became the turning point that pulled him into painkillers, harder drugs, and a spiral of crime that racked up multiple larceny charges. Facing years behind bars, Joseph took a chance on New York’s infamous shock program — a grueling alternative to prison designed to break inmates down physically and mentally.