EP 9 - The Prison Librarian

Summary

Cocaine Air: Episode 9 – The Prison Librarian

Release Date: July 30, 2025
Host: Jonathan Walton
Guest: TJ Dominguez
Location: Putnam County, Florida State Prison & Bungalow Coffee Company, Las Vegas

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Introduction: A Glimpse Behind Bars

In Episode 9 of Cocaine Air, titled "The Prison Librarian," host Jonathan Walton delves deeper into the tumultuous life of TJ Dominguez. By day, TJ was at the helm of the world’s largest Lamborghini dealership, and by night, he orchestrated large-scale cocaine smuggling operations for the notorious Pablo Escobar. Now free from prison, TJ shares his harrowing experiences for the first time, offering listeners an unfiltered look into the complexities of life behind bars.

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Meeting Leanna Lovell: The Unsung Hero

Timestamp: [00:31] – [03:40]

Jonathan Walton begins his journey early in the morning, driving to Las Vegas to meet Leanna Lovell, a retired prison librarian from Putnam County, Florida. Their meeting at the bustling Bungalow Coffee Company sets the stage for an insightful conversation about the prison environment and the pivotal role of the library.

Notable Quotes:

• Jonathan Walton: “You worked in a prison library. I didn't know that." [00:31]
• Leanna Lovell: “And they make sure everybody signed into the library. And if they had appointments for the law library, he sent them over there." [04:00]

Key Points:

• Prison Environment: Leanna describes the prison as a minimum to medium security facility where inmates live under harsh conditions—no air conditioning and minimal fan airflow, making it a “sweat box” ([03:13]).
• Library’s Importance: The library serves as an oasis for inmates, not only providing education but also being a hotspot for contraband smuggling ([03:40]).

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Contraband and Corruption: The Dark Side of Prison Libraries

Timestamp: [04:33] – [10:28]

Leanna exposes the rampant corruption within the prison system, highlighting how correctional officers facilitate the smuggling of drugs like cocaine and marijuana into the facility. This illicit activity not only undermines the legal framework but also creates a black market where inmates can purchase contraband at exorbitant prices.

Notable Quotes:

• Leanna Lovell: “There are a lot of correctional officers or people that have worked in that system that have a lot more material things than their jobs allowed them." [05:20]
• Leanna Lovell: “Corrup supervision is supplying drugs... They’re making a fortune.” (Paraphrased)

Key Points:

• Contraband Methods: Drugs are concealed within hollowed-out books, leveraging the library’s accessibility ([04:52]).
• Economic Disparity: Correctional officers accumulate significant wealth through these illicit dealings, with one officer revealing an online account balance of over $100,000 ([06:11]).
• Inmate Exploitation: Inmates often act as middlemen, selling these drugs within the facility, thereby perpetuating the cycle of corruption and abuse ([07:06]).

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Surviving Prison: TJ’s Strategies and Encounters

Timestamp: [10:28] – [20:50]

TJ Dominguez recounts his personal experiences navigating the perilous landscape of prison life. From facing threats of violence to mastering self-control through martial arts, TJ illustrates the constant vigilance required to survive behind bars.

Notable Quotes:

• TJ Dominguez: “It's a joke to me, right? It's a joke." [10:18]
• TJ Dominguez: “Don't get mad. Don't take a swing at somebody. And out of your anger and your emotion, you're closing your eyes and the rage takes over." [14:11]
• TJ Dominguez: “I transformed myself." [13:57]

Key Points:

• Threats and Violence: TJ describes a tense encounter with a fellow inmate threatening him for protection money, showcasing his unwavering resolve to protect his family at any cost ([12:12] – [20:50]).
• Mental Fortitude: Drawing from his background in martial arts, TJ emphasizes the importance of self-control and strategic thinking in avoiding conflicts ([14:11]).
• Transformation: During high-stress situations, TJ taps into a heightened state of awareness and aggression, a survival mechanism honed over years in the criminal underworld ([13:56] – [14:19]).

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Legal Maneuvers: Leveraging the Prison Library

Timestamp: [22:00] – [29:31]

Leveraging the prison library’s resources and the expertise of law clerks, TJ embarks on a mission to reduce his prison sentence. His strategic use of legal research and collaboration with knowledgeable inmates underscores the often-overlooked intellectual battles fought within prison walls.

Notable Quotes:

• TJ Dominguez: “I put everybody on payroll in that library. I had all the law clerks working on Tito's case, doing research." [28:55]
• Jonathan Walton: “I don't feel it. I knew I was getting the job." [24:32]

Key Points:

• Library as a Power Hub: TJ recognizes the library as a strategic asset, employing law clerks—many of whom are former lawyers or knowledgeable inmates—to build a robust legal case ([28:55]).
• Sentence Reduction: Through diligent research and legal maneuvering, TJ successfully petitions to have two years removed from his Florida state prison sentence ([29:27]).
• Ethical Stance: Despite his criminal activities, TJ maintains a strict moral code within the prison, refusing to engage in illicit photocopying requests that could jeopardize his position ([25:06] – [26:22]).

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Conclusion: The Irony of the System

Jonathan Walton reflects on the paradoxical nature of TJ’s incarceration. While TJ serves time for supplying drugs, it is the very system and its corrupt officials that perpetuate the cycle of drug distribution within prisons. This irony not only highlights systemic flaws but also underscores the complexities of justice and corruption.

Notable Quotes:

• Jonathan Walton: “TJ gets busted for supplying cocaine to users and serves years behind bars for it. And yet, apparently, a lot of these prison guards are supplying cocaine and other drugs to inmates locked up." [29:31]

Key Points:

• Systemic Corruption: The episode sheds light on how those entrusted to uphold the law within prisons often abuse their power, creating a lucrative black market that undermines rehabilitation efforts ([29:31]).
• Next Steps: The episode teases future stories, including how the Cocaine Air podcast impacts TJ’s life and the escalation of the war on drugs initiated in the 1980s ([30:25]).

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Upcoming Teasers

The episode concludes with intriguing hints about TJ’s future encounters, including a mysterious flight on the British Airways Concorde that brings him face-to-face with a major pop star, setting the stage for the next installment of Cocaine Air.

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Key Takeaways

• Corruption Runs Deep: The prison system is rife with corruption, where those meant to enforce rules often engage in illicit activities, exacerbating inmate struggles.
• Survival Requires More Than Strength: Mental resilience and strategic thinking are as crucial as physical prowess in navigating the dangers of prison life.
• Knowledge as Power: Access to legal resources and skilled allies can significantly impact an inmate’s ability to mitigate their circumstances.
• Systemic Ironies: The very institutions designed to punish and rehabilitate can sometimes perpetuate the very issues they aim to resolve.

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For those intrigued by TJ Dominguez’s gripping story, Episode 10 promises even more revelations, including his unexpected encounters on a Concorde flight and the profound impacts of being scammed by con artists.

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Remember to subscribe to Cocaine Air and share this episode with friends and family who seek an unvarnished look into the life of a former smuggler navigating the complexities of the prison system.

Transcript

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[Jonathan Walton]

You worked in a prison library. I didn't know that.

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, I worked as a clerk in the library. I basically put everybody on payroll in that library. I had all the law clerks working on Tito's case, doing research.

[Jonathan Walton]

And how did you put him on payroll? What do you do?

[TJ Dominguez]

Well, you pay him with coffee, you know.

[Jonathan Walton]

I'm Jonathan Walton and this is cocaine. Air the TJ Dominguez Story Episode 9 the Prison Librarian what's about to happen in this episode will at the very least surprise you. And at the very most, it'll blow your mind. I mean, it blew mine. So buckle up. It's 5am now in Los Angeles, and I'm getting in my car and I'm driving to Las Vegas. It's a 3 hour and 45 minute drive at this time of the morning. I'm meeting up with a prison librarian. Well, a retired prison librarian, an incredible woman who forms an unusually close bond with TJ when he's serving time behind bars in Florida. We meet at the Bungalow Coffee Company off East Charleston Boulevard, just a stone's throw from the famous Las Vegas Strip.

[Leanna Lovell]

Good coffee.

[Jonathan Walton]

Good coffee. It's 9am on a Monday, so the place is pretty crowded and noisy. But I got my podcasting headphones on and the audio sounds good, so I start the interview first. Let me have you introduce yourself.

[Leanna Lovell]

My name is Leanna Lovell. I used to be employed at the correctional facility in Putnam County, Florida.

[Jonathan Walton]

And that's where the prison was that T.J. was serving his time.

[Leanna Lovell]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Walton]

How would you describe that prison? What does a prison like that look like, feel like?

[Leanna Lovell]

Well, this is a minimum to medium security prison, so everybody was getting out at some point.

[Jonathan Walton]

Oh, okay. So this is a prison where people go who are getting out soon?

[Leanna Lovell]

Well, they might still have 15 years, but they're still getting out at some point. So they have life in prison. Right.

[TJ Dominguez]

Ah.

[Jonathan Walton]

Does everyone have a cell? They. They're confined to.

[Leanna Lovell]

There are cells and then there are dorms that they have. The prisons in Florida are not air conditioned.

[Jonathan Walton]

Oh, that's hell. Yes, that is hell.

[Leanna Lovell]

And very little fan air movement.

[Jonathan Walton]

So it's a. It's a sweat box.

[Leanna Lovell]

It is.

[Jonathan Walton]

Wow.

[Leanna Lovell]

So they love the library because it was air conditioned. The clerks that worked for me, Tito, made such a huge influence on me.

[Jonathan Walton]

And what was he doing in the library primarily? What did he tell you he was up to? Like, why did he go to the library?

[Leanna Lovell]

He worked in the library.

[Jonathan Walton]

Oh, that's his job?

[Leanna Lovell]

Yes. So eight hours a day, 40 hours a week, five days a week.

[TJ Dominguez]

Wow.

[Leanna Lovell]

Yeah. So he had a desk right out in front of my office that watched the.

[TJ Dominguez]

The door.

[Leanna Lovell]

The front door. And we had movements, which is when certain times, people could come to the library. So they weren't just walking in and out all day long. And he would make sure everybody signed into the library. And if they had appointments for the law library, he sent them over there. He basically kept an eye out on everybody. Would let me know if something might be happening. But I have to tell you, the library was always the biggest place for contraband.

[Jonathan Walton]

Really? What kind of contraband are we talking?

[Leanna Lovell]

Anything that they could put into books, they could hollow out. Books?

[Jonathan Walton]

Yeah.

[Leanna Lovell]

Inmates get drugs. The correctional officers bring them in. One of my law clerks told me what he was getting and how much he was getting every week. Cocaine and marijuana.

[Jonathan Walton]

In prison?

[Leanna Lovell]

In prison.

[Jonathan Walton]

And were they cutting books open to hide it in the books?

[Leanna Lovell]

I do not know how, but it was the correctional officers. And there are a lot of correctional officers or people that have worked in that system that have a lot more material things than their jobs allowed them.

[Jonathan Walton]

So in between the lines, what you're saying is the only way those inmates are getting drugs.

[Leanna Lovell]

Correctional officers.

[Jonathan Walton]

The correctional officers are supplying it. Somebody on the outside is paying them?

[Leanna Lovell]

Yes.

[Jonathan Walton]

Connected to the inmate?

[Leanna Lovell]

Yes.

[Jonathan Walton]

Wow.

[Leanna Lovell]

I had. Because I'm a smoker, and my very first day, I set my pack of cigarettes on the. My desk. And the officer that was with me the first couple of days, he says, oh, you need to put those in your. He says, those go for a hundred dollars a pack.

[Jonathan Walton]

So you could sell it to an inmate for $100. And how would the inmate get you that money? From someone from the outside?

[Leanna Lovell]

There is some kind of chain of. I wasn't privy to that.

[Jonathan Walton]

But when you said some of the correctional officers seem to have a lifestyle beyond what a prison.

[Leanna Lovell]

Yes.

[Jonathan Walton]

What did that look like? What did you notice?

[Leanna Lovell]

The officer that Was with me the first couple of days, showed me his account online, and his was well over 100,000.

[TJ Dominguez]

Wow.

[Leanna Lovell]

And he was maybe 25.

[Jonathan Walton]

So where did all that money come from? Like, he's getting paid to give stuff to inmates.

[Leanna Lovell]

Yes.

[Jonathan Walton]

Wow.

[Leanna Lovell]

I. I would have. I would have to assume.

[Jonathan Walton]

Right.

[Leanna Lovell]

Why would he show me that, then tell me that cigarettes are a hundred dollars, you know, a pack or. And I never gave the inmates anything like the contraband.

[Jonathan Walton]

Right.

[Leanna Lovell]

Because they don't need to get in trouble. They're already, you know, you don't need to add to it.

[Jonathan Walton]

Yeah. Yeah. Wow. You blew my mind. Interesting. It's such a blatant hypocrisy, though. Like, here you have these people convicted of a crime, and yet these prison guards who are supposed to be in charge are committing crimes with the, you know, charging inmates to provide them with drugs or whatever.

[Leanna Lovell]

So then that inmate cuts down what he gets in and sells it to the other inmates.

[Jonathan Walton]

Yeah.

[Leanna Lovell]

There's a lot of money to be made on all sides in prison.

[Jonathan Walton]

Wow. I hadn't thought of that until you just brought that up. Interesting. This revelation about all the drug dealing, about all the prison guards making fortunes catering to this illicit demand shocks me. So I asked TJ about it.

[TJ Dominguez]

There's a lot of activity in a state prison and also in a federal prison. It's a small world, after all. So everything that goes on out here goes on in there. So you have probably more drugs per capita than you have in the outside world.

[Jonathan Walton]

And that's what blew my mind. I didn't know. And it kind of upsets me on your behalf because it's just. You're in there for drugs, and yet the prison guards are selling drugs. And it's a. Well, it's an open secret. Like, it's not a secret at all.

[TJ Dominguez]

Well, you know, I'm in a situation. I'm living in a bubble, in a glass house. So I don't want to take a lot of shots at the government. I don't fear the generals and the Pablo Escobars. I fear more the government.

[Jonathan Walton]

But did you witness people buying cocaine in prison?

[TJ Dominguez]

Come on. Of course I did. People offered me that tea. Why don't you jump in? And I want no part of it. I didn't go in there to get another charge.

[Jonathan Walton]

What I'm struggling to understand is all these inmates are locked up, right? Their movement is restricted. So after the prison guard gets cocaine to one inmate, how the hell are they dealing it to each other?

[TJ Dominguez]

You have these dorms Dorm A, dorm B, dorm C. Now, they tried to isolate everybody. There's only two places that everybody meets, the grounds.

[Jonathan Walton]

And then, like exercise outside.

[TJ Dominguez]

And the library is how do you get the drug or how do you get the cigarettes, or how do you get whatever you're going to get from A to B? Well, there's different ways of moving that. You can move it with the trash, people that go around pushing trash. So, you know, these are in compound smugglers, let's call them, you know, in the trash bag that they're picking up from dorm A. And then they're going to go to dorm B to pick up more trash in there somewhere. There'll be something that's being transported and being moved. Now, these people, they're mules and they're going to get X amount of dollars for that. Now, the library, as I was saying before, when you're talking about all the illegal drugs and so forth and so on, it's a place where A, B, C and D, everybody goes at one time. So if I'm going to pass something to Jonathan, Jonathan, go to the library tomorrow at 11. I'll be there at 11 o' clock tomorrow. And I'm going to hand off this, I'm going to hand off that. It's a way of passing stuff around.

[Jonathan Walton]

And then Leanna told me they would carve it into books, hollow out books.

[TJ Dominguez]

Or I might say to you, jonathan, I can't get there at 11. So listen, I'm going to leave it in the Britannica Encyclopedia F. You know, in the middle of the book there'll be, you know, certain drugs or whatever, cigarettes.

[Jonathan Walton]

And what are you thinking as you're learning all of this on the inside?

[TJ Dominguez]

It's a joke to me, right? It's a joke.

[Jonathan Walton]

It's crazy.

[TJ Dominguez]

It's not my world. I don't want any part of it. I got more important things. You know what they are? My freedom.

[Jonathan Walton]

Yeah.

[TJ Dominguez]

I didn't come here to get in trouble.

[Jonathan Walton]

Life in prison for TJ is fraught with constant threats everywhere he turns. He can never let his guard down. And all the lessons he's learned studying karate and navigating the violent world of cocaine smuggling, of corrupt government officials, and of all those murderous Colombians, uniquely prepares TJ for life on the inside. When you're in prison and another inmate walks up to you, you have to be ready to act because things can go sideways quickly.

[TJ Dominguez]

This gentleman that was a black guy was really, really big, you know, and he corners me in a corner and he says.

[Jonathan Walton]

Let'S map out this week's amazing destinations and travel tips.

[TJ Dominguez]

Honestly, Will, I didn't plan any trips, but I did switch to T Mobile with their new Family Freedom offer.

[Jonathan Walton]

That's not the itinerary we're following.

[TJ Dominguez]

Well, I'm departing from AT T and embarking new journey with T Mobile. They paid off my family's four phones up to $3200 and gave us four new phones on the house.

[Jonathan Walton]

Bon voyage.

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[TJ Dominguez]

Listen, man, you're going to have to start paying protection. They shake people down in these places.

[Jonathan Walton]

So this big guy who's twice your size comes over and says you need to start paying for protection.

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Walton]

Against who? Against him. Like that's the implication, right?

[TJ Dominguez]

Well, he didn't say against, you know, me and my boys, but he just said one word. You have to start paying protection if you don't want something bad to happen. People get stabbed in there all the time. Time is the way it is in there. It's. It's an ugly world. You can't be weak and you can't show weakness. So I looked at the guy. I swear to you on a bible, I said to the guy, listen, man, I didn't come here to be your friend. Pay protection. Let me explain something to you. You won't mess around with other people. I'm not the kind of guy that you're used to talking to. I don't scare. And I don't need anybody to protect me. Let me explain something else to you. You got a family out there. You got kids. You got a mommy out there. I will hurt them from in here. And then the day you get out, I'll have people in the parking lot waiting for you to hurt you some more. You don't want to f with me. I'm not here to be your buddy.

[Jonathan Walton]

As TJ is telling me this story, his face changes completely. Something comes over him. He's suddenly not the same person. His eyes glaze. His voice sounds different. For the first time since I've known TJ Dominguez. I am frightened. So I gotta say, sitting here talking to you, even though I know you're not gonna hurt me, when you clicked into that mode, when you're talking to.

[TJ Dominguez]

That guy, I transformed myself.

[Jonathan Walton]

You fucking did. Like, I was scared. I'm like, oh, my God, how do I get out of here? You do transform. Like, what's the trick to that?

[TJ Dominguez]

You.

[Jonathan Walton]

You just bring it all out.

[TJ Dominguez]

I think it goes back to martial arts. Keying up energy.

[Jonathan Walton]

Energy. That's what it was. That's what you brought up a second ago. That scared me. I start thinking, wait a minute, C.J. effing crazy.

[T Mobile]

You can feel it.

[TJ Dominguez]

No, no, listen. When I used to go into that mode, everything would go slow down, slow motion. This is crazy. People won't believe it. And I don't even want to say it because people can't relate to this kind of stuff. It turns. Everything turns into black and white. I see silhouettes and I see things that happen before they happen. Everything starts moving really slow and I transform. I become something else and it drains me. After an incident, I just fold. I have to sit down because it just takes everything out of me.

[Jonathan Walton]

But it worked.

[TJ Dominguez]

It works every time. And listen, the bigger they are, you've heard that expression, the harder they fall. There's a lot of truth to that. You know why? It's the little guy that's gonna hurt you. He's unpredictable. And my dad told me that a long, long time ago. Worry about the little guy that's always smiling. The big bad wolf over there, you know how to handle him. When I was a karate instructor, the hardest thing that I used to have to teach was self control. I could teach anybody how to kick and how to punch. Might take six months or six years, but you're gonna learn. But what I can't teach you is, is to control that anger. Don't get mad. Don't take a swing at somebody. And out of your anger and your emotion, you're closing your eyes and the rage takes over. It ain't about rage, man. It's about survival. It's about actually making it happen. The only way you're going to do that is staying in full control of the situation. Maybe that's one reason why I never did drugs. Because I like to be in control of what I do. And I used to be able to break eight 2 inch concrete slabs with my knuckles. You see how my knuckle.

[Jonathan Walton]

Yeah, they're all like. They're all deformed. Yeah, they. I mean, they Kind of are. It looks like a horror movie.

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, yeah. When you're breaking eight splits, they call them two inch. Two inch, two inch, two inch. If you break with power, they break from the top down. You hit it here, and then they go boom, boom, boom, boom. And they break. When you break with finesse, shockwave and technique takes years to master this. They don't break from the top down. They break from the bottom up. The shock wave travels through the. The. The. The concrete. When it hits the end, it can't go any further, and it reverses and it goes boom, boom, boom. And you might break the three in the bottom and not the one on the top.

[Jonathan Walton]

Wow. And that's the evidence that it went.

[TJ Dominguez]

Pretty fascinating. Pretty fascinating. Takes years to. Man, I used to punch a candle and try to suck the flame off. By P.

[Jonathan Walton]

TJ spent stretches of time in a lot of different prisons and jails based on all of his indictments.

[TJ Dominguez]

When I saw that big indictment, it was like 57 counts. Looked like Gone with the Wind book.

[Jonathan Walton]

How many states were you indicted in?

[TJ Dominguez]

I was indicted in Detroit, New York, Florida, Central District, Southern District. They were going to indict me in Georgia. I got a pass on that. And then in the Bahamas.

[Jonathan Walton]

And how many different prisons, jails, did you do time in? It sounds like a lot.

[TJ Dominguez]

A lot, a lot. Including two countries which they flew me out of the United States. I got it. They indicted me in the Bahamas.

[Jonathan Walton]

And you were in jail in the Bahamas?

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, yeah. The jail in the Bahamas is like. It's really ugly. You sleep on the concrete and you poop in a bucket that they change in a bucket where they put a piece of plywood on top, like, to cover it.

[Jonathan Walton]

Yeah, that's hell.

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, it's hell.

[Jonathan Walton]

At one point, T.J. spending time in a Michigan jail.

[TJ Dominguez]

It was only seven tons of cocaine. I think I got indicted for in Detroit, but it was federal. Had I been indicted, state, I would have been doing life. State would give you life for one kilo. So I finally arrived at the jail in Detroit. My wife is pregnant, right? Gonna have a boy. She's due any moment. There's a guy that's on the phone. This guy's on the phone for an hour. He can't be on the phone for an hour. You got a line here, and there's like 10, 15 people waiting on the phone line. I'm waiting. I'm waiting. I'm waiting. I got a line behind me, and this guy's abusing the phone privileges. So I say to the Guy, hey, man, you know, can you give us a break? They're getting ready to do lockdown. So in the next hour, the phones are going to be disconnected. We're going to have to be in the room and we're not going to be able to call. And the guy looks at me like cross eye, and he says, can't you see him on the phone? And I said, yeah, that's why I'm asking you to please, you know, be fair, let us get a shot at the phone. He answers me, really nasty, hey, man, I'm on the phone. So I turn around, I walk away and I get back online. So another 10 or 15 minutes of this and I'm looking at the time and I know they're going to lock down. I'm not going to be able to call my wife. I've been on the road for a month or two. We lose track of time. I don't know what's going on. I don't know if my wife had a baby, if she didn't have a baby. I don't know none of this, right? And I'm starting to get a little annoyed with this abuse. So I walk up to the guy and I say to the guy, hey, listen, man, I tried being really nice with you and understanding, and I get this thing that you're on the phone. I said, but I need to get on the phone, man. You need to hang up the phone. He looks at me, quote, he says, you know why I'm in here? I said, no, I really don't care why you're in here. He said, I killed seven people. That's why I'm in here. You know what I did, I swear to you on everything that's sacred to me, Took my hand, I hung up the phone, grabbed the receiver off, snatched it off his hand. I said, you're gonna have to kill the eighth motherfucker. Oh my God, that's me.

[Jonathan Walton]

And then what did he do?

[TJ Dominguez]

Looked at me, he says, this ain't over. I said, no, it's over right now. I'm on the phone.

[Jonathan Walton]

The lesson is, if you're ever in a situation where your life's in jeopardy, you're threatened by an aggressor, do not do what they think you're going to do. Don't cower, don't beg, do the opposite. Shake it up, put it, take them off kilter. When he told you I kill seven people, he was expecting you. Oh, okay, I'm sorry. Oh, forgive me. I'm sorry.

[TJ Dominguez]

I clicked the phone off snatched the phone receiver. I was going to hit him with a receiver over the head. Oh, absolutely.

[Jonathan Walton]

But the bullies.

[TJ Dominguez]

I've been sitting there online for, like, 30 minutes thinking about what I'm going to do. This is it. I'm done. I'm not waiting another second. I'm going to take this phone, I'm going to get on the phone. I want to talk to my wife, and there ain't nobody on this earth that's gonna stop me.

[Jonathan Walton]

Years later, TJ's spending time in that Putnam County, Florida State Prison.

[TJ Dominguez]

The state picks me up. They transfer me over to a state facility, which is unbelievably horrible. Mosquitoes are so big out there, you gotta put license plates on them. Yeah. They bite you twice, you're gonna get lightheaded. And it's no joke.

[Jonathan Walton]

That's where you met Liana, right?

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah.

[Jonathan Walton]

Right. Cause there's no air conditioning.

[TJ Dominguez]

It's a warehouse with bars, with bolted beds on the ground out of steel. He's sleeping on steel. With this mattress, which is. I don't even know how to describe it. You know, it's not even really a mattress. It's, you know, a zillion stains on it. It's all kinds of weird stuff on it. Biologically. You could study all kinds of weird stuff on that.

[Jonathan Walton]

From lights. Yeah.

[TJ Dominguez]

That's probably been there like 100 years.

[Jonathan Walton]

You know, and it's. There's no AC.

[TJ Dominguez]

What is that?

[Jonathan Walton]

So you're just in there sweating on this dirty mattress with 200 other sweaty, dirty mattress people?

[TJ Dominguez]

That's right. Yeah.

[Jonathan Walton]

And the smell.

[TJ Dominguez]

Oh, the smell is disgusting. I don't even want to remember all that. It's just nothing that's really, you know, it's just not fun.

[Jonathan Walton]

TJ is brand new there. When a much sought after job at the prison library becomes available, hundreds and hundreds of other inmates are vying for that job. And seniority plays a huge factor in who they choose. And since TJ is a new arrival, it would seem like he doesn't stand a chance. But in TJ's mind, that's not the case at all.

[TJ Dominguez]

There was no doubt in my mind I was getting a job. No doubt in my mind this job was locked up. It was waiting for me before I got there.

[Jonathan Walton]

So how did you get the job in the program if all these people are competing for the job?

[TJ Dominguez]

Well, let's explore the event that shaped the Middle Ages.

[Jonathan Walton]

Honestly, Claire, I didn't finish the research, but I did switch to T Mobile. With their new family freedom offer that's.

[TJ Dominguez]

Not how we tell the story.

[Jonathan Walton]

Well, I'm writing a new chapter by leaving AT&T and creating a turning point with T Mobile. They paid off my family's four phones up to $3200 and gave us four new ph on the house.

[TJ Dominguez]

History in the making.

[T Mobile]

Introducing family freedom, our lowest cost. To switch our biggest family savings all on America's largest 5G network. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com familyfreedom up to $800 per line via virtual prepaid card. Typically takes 15 days. Free phones via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement eg Apple iPhone 16128 gigabyte 8, 2,999 eligible trade in eg iPhone 11 Pro for well qualified credits end and balance due if you pay off early or cancel contact T Mobile.

[TJ Dominguez]

All these people are competing for the job. I go to the library in this prison. It's like a small world. You got everybody from all kinds of walks of life and different languages. So I went in there and I said, I understand that you're going to be interviewing for somebody to work here in the library. And she goes, yeah, that's right. I said, well, I'd like to be considered for the job. And she was, oh, you know, and she's like, oh, what do you bring to the table? Type thing.

[Jonathan Walton]

Like, who the hell are you?

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, I came out of nowhere, right? Parachuted in, right? I've only been there four days, you know, in the prison. And so I said, well, I think I could be a help in the library. And she goes, oh, how could you be a help? I said, well, I speak four or five languages. Let's start with that.

[Jonathan Walton]

What languages do you speak?

[TJ Dominguez]

I speak Creole like a Haitian. I speak French, I speak English, you know, and I speak Spanish.

[Jonathan Walton]

Well, give us some, some Creole. What does that mean?

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, that means, what's going on, guy? I'm happening or I'm. You know, it's just an expression that.

[Jonathan Walton]

They have in Haiti.

[TJ Dominguez]

In Haiti, I win the lady over.

[Jonathan Walton]

And you knew you would?

[TJ Dominguez]

I knew I would. I was sure I was getting the job. I knew it. I didn't feel it. I knew I was getting the job. Maybe she didn't know, but I knew I was getting that job with the fact that I spoke a few languages. And the fact that her daughter was married to a Haitian didn't hurt either.

[Jonathan Walton]

Because you spoke Creole?

[TJ Dominguez]

Because I spoke Creole. Next thing I know, I got the job.

[Jonathan Walton]

So again, this is another crossroads in your life. That job seemed impossible. Everyone's vying for it. You just got my language. You're a nobody.

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, yeah. How.

[Jonathan Walton]

What made you think I'm gonna take my shot?

[TJ Dominguez]

You.

[Jonathan Walton]

You were certain you were gonna succeed.

[TJ Dominguez]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jonathan Walton]

How. How did you know that?

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, and this kind of goes to the crystal ball thing or this kind of goes with.

[Jonathan Walton]

You have a psychicness about you, right? You're like, I know if I can make my case to this Lady, I'm in. TJ's job at the prison library is to sit outside the librarian's office and make sure all the inmates coming in have appointments and are behaving themselves while they're there. And on occasion, he also has control of the copy machine, which makes him a beacon.

[TJ Dominguez]

When I was controlling the copying machine, I was continuously offered money for copies for many, many different things. Porn.

[Jonathan Walton]

They want to copy porn.

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, sure. Pages of porn go for X amount of dollars, you know, so. Hey, man, can you make me some copies? I need 20 copies of this. No. No.

[Jonathan Walton]

I guess. Yeah. Everyone off in prison.

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Jonathan Walton]

And that's what? That's all they have? There's no Internet.

[TJ Dominguez]

That's all you have.

[Jonathan Walton]

There's no videos.

[TJ Dominguez]

There's nothing. It's.

[Jonathan Walton]

Porn. And. And did you make.

[TJ Dominguez]

I would not do anything that's illegal.

[Jonathan Walton]

Because you didn't want to jeopardize your situation.

[TJ Dominguez]

No, I just don't do that kind of stuff.

[Jonathan Walton]

Yeah, that's the beautiful irony of this whole situation.

[TJ Dominguez]

I just don't do that.

[Jonathan Walton]

You are a by the book kind of guy.

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, yeah, I am. Yeah.

[Jonathan Walton]

I'm.

[TJ Dominguez]

Okay, fine. Hold the fact that I brought in a lot of cocaine. Okay. I did do that. Guilty of that. I have no problem with that. You know, the 80s, it wasn't say no to drugs. The 80s were. Yes, we're partying. And remember another thing, the cocaine back in those days days was in the hands of very influential people. Lawyers, doctors, actors, movie. I can name a few a actors. And the Oscar goes to that prince of mine Supplied.

[Jonathan Walton]

Really?

[TJ Dominguez]

Oh, yeah, yeah. Go there, you know. Yeah, absolutely.

[Jonathan Walton]

But are they still alive? Yeah, they're still alive, but they're big time actors.

[TJ Dominguez]

Big time.

[Jonathan Walton]

But you can't name them.

[TJ Dominguez]

No, I can't. It wouldn't be fair.

[Jonathan Walton]

What's their big movie?

[TJ Dominguez]

Movie? Let's narrow it down. Where were they on the cast?

[Jonathan Walton]

No, just.

[TJ Dominguez]

No.

[Jonathan Walton]

You continue to impress. You're such an honorable guy. You're not gonna. You're not gonna out anybody. You're gonna Even though you have no right, you serve time, you got convicted. You're still not gonna out any of them.

[TJ Dominguez]

No, it's not right. And they weren't my clients either, because I never sold a kilo.

[Jonathan Walton]

But they were people you like. You sold wholesale to people who sold to them.

[TJ Dominguez]

Right, right, right, right, right, right.

[Jonathan Walton]

What was the prison library like, and why did you get involved?

[TJ Dominguez]

Well, the reason why I got involved in that, because I got what I thought was a pretty unfair sentence. I got sentenced by the state, and I got sentenced by the feds. Right, right. So I got two. Two. Two different sentences. They gave me eight years on the state. They gave me three years on the feds. I would have bombed it out on. On the feds, but I didn't bomb out because the state help me.

[Jonathan Walton]

It gets so complicated. Right. I don't know how you keep track of it all, but talking to you. You sound like a lawyer now.

[TJ Dominguez]

No, I know more than a lot of lawyers. You know why?

[Jonathan Walton]

Yeah.

[TJ Dominguez]

Because it's my ass inside there.

[Jonathan Walton]

Yeah. So that was your impetus to go to the prison library and learn the. That's when you learned the law?

[TJ Dominguez]

Yeah, I learned what things that pertain to me, and that's what I focused on. What I'm trying to accomplish is to see how I could shave some time off my sentence. Because you got law clerks in there. And believe it or not, some of these law clerks are more knowledgeable than lawyers out here. Yeah, some of them are actual lawyers that got caught doing the wrong stuff, and now they're lawyers inside. But some of them studied law to become a law clerk. So I basically put everybody on payroll in that library. I had all the law clerks working on Tito's case, doing research.

[Jonathan Walton]

And how did you put them on payroll? What do you want?

[TJ Dominguez]

I. You pay them a coffee. You know, I have somebody send money to their account, some other third party.

[Jonathan Walton]

Okay, so these clerks are inmates.

[TJ Dominguez]

Right. And these are not library clerks. These are law clerks.

[Jonathan Walton]

Right. But they're inmates with a knowledge of law, or they're lawyers who are also inmates.

[TJ Dominguez]

Correct? Correct, correct.

[Jonathan Walton]

So they can help to have the power. So they're all helping you with your case. Right. And you're putting money on their account or giving them coffee or whatever.

[TJ Dominguez]

Right, right, right, right, right, right.

[Jonathan Walton]

And it paid off.

[TJ Dominguez]

Paid off tremendously.

[Jonathan Walton]

TJ along with his prison library crew of clerks, researches tons of case law. And in a motion to a judge, he's able to knock two years off that Florida state prison sentence. But still, the cruel irony of it all really annoys me. TJ gets busted for supplying cocaine to users and serves years behind bars for it. And yet, apparently, a lot of these prison guards are supplying cocaine and other drugs to inmates locked up. And they're making a fortune. Life is truly a bizarre paradox. In the next episode, how has the Cocaine air podcast affected TJ's life? How did the war on drugs escalated by President Reagan in the 1980s?

[TJ Dominguez]

37 federal agencies are working together in a vigorous national effort.

[Jonathan Walton]

Actually help TJ sell way more cocaine. And do you remember the British Airways Concorde? The first supersonic passenger airliner to fly.

[TJ Dominguez]

At more than twice the speed of sound?

[Jonathan Walton]

It could fly from New York to London at supersonic speeds and get you there in three and a half hours. Well, back in the day when TJ was flying to London on the Concorde, seats were $12,000 each. This weird guy sits down beside him, and TJ is stunned to learn who he is. And on another flight, TJ's sitting in first class, and another strange man sits down beside him. He's super thin, wearing weird clothes and makeup, and has a strange voice. TJ has no idea who he is. But about an hour in, a flight attendant tells TJ that his seatmate is actually one of the biggest pop stars of all time. It's not Michael Jackson. And can you guess who it is? I'll tell you in episode 10. How crazy is it that TJ Dominguez only becomes a drug smuggler because he got scammed by not one, but two duplicitous con artists in his life? It would be wise to figure out who the con artist is in your life before they scam you. So pick up a copy of my book, Anatomy of a con artist. The 14 red flags to spot scammers, grifters, and thieves. Con artists are everywhere. There's probably one in your social circle right now, but you won't know who until they trick you out of money. The woman who scammed me out of nearly a hundred thousand dollars was my best friend for four years. You've been scamming us out of money this whole time. I have not. You have. And during that entire time, she was scamming everyone around me, too. But no one had a clue until she got their money. Protect yourself or protect your elderly parents or. Or your young, naive kids or your friends and neighbors. Learn how to identify the con artist in your life or in the lives of your loved ones before they trick any money from them. I will show you what the 14 red flags are of every con artist working today so you can spot these soulless demons a mile away. My book is available everywhere. Books are sold in hardcover and on Kindle and Audible as well. Just Google Anatomy of a Con Artist to see some incredible photographs documenting TJ's life, go to cocainair.com and if you're enjoying Cocaine Air, please hit that share button and text it to your friends and family right now. And if you feel comfortable, leave us a five star review. Reviews really help other listeners find us Cocaine Air was created, written and executive produced by me, Jonathan Walton for Jonathan Walton Media Executive producers Evan Goldstein and the inimitable TJ Dominguez. Audio engineering by me, Jonathan Walton. Sound design and editing for this episode was done by Mike Smith and the Cocaine Air cover art is by Bobby Animation. We've got a lot of fascinating untold stories like Cocaine Air coming down the pike at Jonathan Walton Media. So subscribe and keep an ear out.

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