Alex Harper grew up in Cleveland, Ohio with a good family and a normal upbringing, but at just 16 years old he made a decision that would change his life forever. While still in high school and later in college, Alex began robbing banks, eventually landing on the radar of federal authorities and being sent to federal prison for the first time. After his release, he tried to turn his life around, but bad decisions and old patterns pulled him back in, leading to more bank robberies and a second prison sentence. In this episode, Alex shares how he went from a regular kid to a repeat federal inmate, what federal prison was really like, and how he eventually found his purpose and truly turned his life around. _____________________________________________ #TrueCrime #PrisonStories #FederalPrison #BankRobbery #LifeAfterPrison #CrimeStory #RedemptionStory #LockedInWithIanBick _____________________________________________ Thank you to K9S.ORG for sponsoring this episode: Donate anytime at https://k9s.org/ Connect with Alex Harper: https://www.instagram.com/votealexharper/?hl=en Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Shop Locked In Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop _____________________________________________ Timestamps: 00:00 Robbing Banks at 16 – How It All Started 01:35 First Arrest, Probation & Learning the System 04:22 Life After Prison: Supervision, Temptation & Pressure 06:00 Family, Childhood & Where Things Went Wrong 09:00 Early Gambling Addiction & Sports Betting Obsession 13:25 High School Double Life & First Bank Robbery 15:53 Escalation: More Robberies & How He Avoided Getting Caught 21:22 Bank Robbery Tactics, Mistakes & Hard Lessons Learned 25:54 College Life, Personality & Living Two Lives 29:44 Law School Dreams vs. Gambling Addiction 35:23 Getting Caught: The Moment Everything Fell Apart 41:31 First Time in Prison: Survival, Hustling & Reality Check 53:54 Running Gambling Operations Behind Bars 01:03:12 Released From Prison… Then Slipping Back 01:13:20 Second Sentence & Destroying Family Relationships 01:27:00 Depression, Accountability & Choosing Change 01:37:20 Life After Prison: Recidivism, Struggles & Reality 01:55:24 Finding Purpose, Giving Back & Redefining Success 02:08:00 Why the System Makes It Hard to Stay Free (Final Thoughts) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices