Speaker
Wallo267
Appearances over time
1 episodes
Episodes
1
Podcasts
Quotes & moments
Wallo was arrested for the first time just days after turning 11 years old on June 30, 1990, for snatching jewelry.
Wallo spent essentially his entire teenage years, from 11 to 17, cycling in and out of juvenile facilities.
At 17, Wallo received a combined sentence of 19.5 to 52 years for two armed robbery convictions — 6 to 25 years for one case and 13.5 to 27 for the other.
Wallo served approximately 20 years in prison across two separate sentences, spending more of his life incarcerated than free by the time he was in his forties.
In 1998, Wallo and his stepfather Hip — whom he used to visit as a child — were cellmates in Dallas Penitentiary in Pennsylvania.
Wallo and his older brother Steve ended up as cellmates at Dallas Penitentiary in 2005, before Steve was later released and shot dead.
In 2013, Wallo smuggled in an iPod Touch paired with a Clear wireless hotspot and immediately created his Instagram account, posting content while still incarcerated.
Wallo was originally on parole until 2048 but received a governor's pardon approximately two years ago, granting him full freedom.
While in prison, Wallo wrote down over 30 cities he wanted to visit in America; after release he visited all but two — Albuquerque and Honolulu.
Wallo's 2024 book 'Armed with Good Intentions' was an instant New York Times bestseller, marking a major milestone in his post-prison career.
Through his own publishing company Nanny's House Publishing, Wallo released three books on the same day in 2025: 'Fuck Them,' 'Social Media Made Me Do It,' and '3 Buckets.'
Wallo's grandmother, whose home he returned to upon release, is still alive at 92 years old — a milestone he had feared she would not reach while he was inside.
By age 47, Wallo had spent more of his life incarcerated than living freely outside of prison.
The governor granted Wallo a pardon roughly two years before this episode was recorded, removing his parole obligation that had stretched to 2048.
On his first night in adult prison, a staff member asked the 17-year-old Wallo where he wanted his body sent in an emergency. He froze. Then came the sound: keys and handcuffs clanking all day, every day — a psychological tactic to keep your mind broken.
While locked up, Wallo kept what he called the Book of Life — a running list of everything from the type of peanut butter he wanted to over 30 American cities he planned to visit. Nine years after release, he's been to all but two of them.
After an instant New York Times bestseller, Wallo launched Nanny's House Publishing and dropped three books simultaneously: 'Fuck Them,' 'Social Media Made Me Do It,' and '3 Buckets.' No label, no gatekeepers, total ownership.
The most frightening day in prison isn't your first — it's when they open the gates. You've told everyone you've changed, but change is an action, not a thought, and you've never had the chance to prove it. Walking out means the test finally begins.
Drug dealers got respect in Wallo's neighborhood while working men went unnoticed. America idolizes Michael Corleone and Tony Soprano — ask any FBI agent their favorite movie. When crime looks glamorous from every angle, choosing it feels rational.
Armed robberies of a KFC and a Hollywood Video at 17 resulted in a combined sentence of 19.5 to 52 years. One case gave Wallo 6–25 years, the other 13.5–27. In the system he came from, you get charged not just for what you did but for what could have happened.
In 2013, a friend smuggled Wallo an iPod Touch and a Clear wireless hotspot. He immediately created Instagram, spent hours watching YouTube, and kept writing in his Book of Life. By the time he walked out, he already had a following and a plan.
When his brother Steve was shot and died in their grandmother's arms, Wallo learned about it watching the news in prison. He chose forgiveness over revenge — not out of weakness, but because revenge doesn't always go your way, and Steve's kids needed someone still standing.
In prison and in the free world, Wallo studied one constant: everybody operates from ego and feelings, which consistently override logic. Ego is why revenge feels mandatory, why conversations escalate into battles, and why relationships die.
Wallo was released from prison but remained on parole until 2048. About two years ago the governor granted him a full pardon, citing him as an example of real change. One paper ended decades of state supervision.
Twenty years ago, Mariana couldn't have gotten these interviews. Social media flipped a switch: criminals who used to hide now want to be seen. The same culture that made Scarface iconic is now powering Instagram confessions.
Sitting in a prison cell watching Anthony Bourdain travel the world made Wallo realize street culture was just a tiny corner of something enormous. He started writing cities in his Book of Life, dreaming of chili dogs in Oregon and skylines he'd never seen.
Analysis
What they talk about
- Society & Culture 84%
- Education 8%
- Technology 8%
