03x01 - Stairway to Heaven

[bunniefuu]

JOHN: She should be out already.

This is gonna be
a nerve-racking day.

I came across Lindsey's
stunningly beautiful face

on a prison website.

All you 50-year-old guys
out there,

you can be as jealous as you want.
LAUGHS

Maurice and I got married
while he was in prison.

She's going after you
for your money.

If she does miss court,
the court would put you on the hook

for $50,000.

EXHALES SHARPLY

NARRATOR:
All new convicts...

I've never met Lindsey
in person.

- How old is she?
- 27.

I'm 51.
- Ah!

Do you need money?

LINDSEY: Before I started
selling drugs,

I had a few older boyfriends
because they were rich.

JESSICA: Maurice and I come from
two different worlds.

You really don't know
this guy.

I'm not gonna let anybody
hurt my daughter.

SHAWN: Destinie and I
have never met in person

cos she said she gained weight,

and didn't want me
to see her like that.

She could be a guy
for all you know.

Check it out.
She using you, old man.

TYRICE: I could see a future
with her, marriage.

There's felonies, burglaries...
Like, 30 of them.

Who doesn't want to get married
in a truck [?]

JOHN: I want to marry Kristianna
on the day she gets out.

- Will you marry me?
- Oh, my gosh.

I've been incarcerated
for 12 years for armed robbery.

He ain't never been a father.
He ain't been in no relationship.

As his mom, Quaylon getting
right into a relationship,

I don't agree with it.

I sat in prison and wrote down
my diabolical plans on a notebook.

MAURICE: Don't get over.
What the BLEEP is you doing?

- Keep going.
- What if you go back to jail?

You with me, or against?

Do you ever consider your kids in
anything? Everything is about you!

- Have her call you, you BLEEP.
- I'm done with this BLEEP show.

Get in the BLEEP car, please,
Dillon.

JOHN: Love can make it through
almost anything.

Hell's gonna come down
if something happens.

DOORBELL RINGS

- Hello!
- Hi. How are you?

Hi. I'm Scott.
Come on in.

- I'm good. Hi.
- They're...

- Dogs. Are they friendly?
- They are extremely friendly.

- Thanks for coming over.
- Yeah, sure.

And, basically,
I am looking for some ideas on,

you know, things to spruce
the house up a little bit.

OK.

My girlfriend is coming home
in a couple of days,

so, yeah...
I'm under the g*n a little bit.

You're in a big rush, huh?

SCOTT: I do consider myself
successful.

I'm a risk-taker, entrepreneur,

and if I decide I'm gonna
do something, I make it work.

But my dating life
for the last ten years,

prior to meeting Lindsey,

was always a short-term,
as-needed basis.

I'm not interested
in getting involved with someone

who's gonna be a train wreck
for the next 25 years.

So, Lindsey has provided me
with pictures from magazines

of things that caught her eye
for each room.

SHARON: Oh, great.

Now, have you thought about
a budget for all of this?

I'm open at this point.

Anywhere between a dollar
and $1 million.

So how's that?
- Ah!

I came across Lindsey's profile
on the Internet,

and I don't think it's really
anything different than Match.com,

but they just happen to be
in freakin' prison.

Decided to write her.

Got a response back, and our
relationship took off from there.

I moved from Upstate New York...

- OK.
- ..to come to Mississippi.

- This is where Lindsey is from.
- OK.

So I came here to be with Lindsey
and start a new life.

So what does she do?

Um, so, uh, Lindsey is, um...

Lindsey is being released
from prison.

- Oh.
- Yes.

- OK.
- She's being released in two days.

I've never met Lindsey in person,

but I am very much
in love with her,

and I see marriage at this point.

But no-one in my family

knows about my relationship
with Lindsey.

Scott is my boyfriend.

We met through
a prisoner dating website

almost two years ago.

Scott had wrote me with pictures.

He seemed really sincere,

and we immediately clicked.

I felt like Scott was different.

You know, a lot of guys
want to get on and meet,

you know, want sex letters
right off the bat and all that.

For the first time, I was like,
"Wow, this person could be somebody

"that I connect with
on a deeper level than a pen pal."

And he has been my support system,
my financial support system.

I would say Scott has sent me
somewhere around $15,000

to $20,000 in the last two years,

but he also takes care of, like,
my daughter

and helps take care of my mom
if she needs anything.

He has, like, really kept me going
through my entire incarceration.

So, can I ask why Lindsey
is in jail?

Uh, sure.
She got caught selling drugs.

- Ah.
- It's free now.

LAUGHS
You can buy it.

Uh, no, it was crystal meth.

OK. All right.
Well, everybody makes a mistake.

That's what I say, yeah.

What is this?
Oh, that's gorgeous.

Lindsey is a single mother
who struggled

with being able to pay her bills.

She was basically speeding.

She had a substantial amount
of crystal meth in the car

and was attempting
to outrun the police

and was up to 140 miles an hour.

But I'm pretty confident
Lindsey will follow the rules

that she needs to follow
to stay out of prison.

What's a high-energy colour?

Uh, reds and yellows and greens.

So I think I want those colours
for the bedroom.

Oh. You gonna be able to handle her?
How old is she?

Well, she's actually, um, 27.

Ah!
HE LAUGHS

- So how old are you?
- I'm 51.

Mm. And then
she's been incarcerated, too?

Boy, you got your work cut out.

You're gonna have to keep Viagra
on both sides of the bed.

I am not gonna be nervous
with having sex with Lindsey.

I think Lindsey's incredibly sexy.

All you 50-year-old guys
out there,

you can be as jealous as you want.
BOORISH LAUGH

So what's your ballpark
in what you think it's gonna cost?

Well, I want to say you
about right at, maybe, $50,000.

OK.

She's so young.

I think that he could be
a sugar daddy,

but who knows?

I am in love with Scott.

I hope we're gonna be
together forever, like, marriage,

big diamond ring,
big house, happy family.

Attaboy.
CHUCKLES

- Well, hi! Where you been?
- Hi.

- Hi, Dad. You hiding?
- He's hiding, yeah.

I grew up in the suburbs
of Las Vegas.

I always had whatever I wanted
and did whatever we wanted.

We'd travel and play sports,

barbecuing,
going out to the lake.

We were like
the all-American family.

OK, so tell me the plan.

- Tomorrow is your flight, right?
- Yeah.

So how are you feeling
about everything?

- Are you nervous?
- I'm getting nervous.

I mean... We're very nervous.

You're nervous? Why?

You're our girl.
You know, we don't know him.

You're gonna get to know him.

I mean, I know you love him,

or you wouldn't be going
through all this.

No. This last, how many years?

I would not do this for anybody
if I didn't love him.

I never believed in love
at first sight, but...

SHE LAUGHS
..I do now.

I met Maurice on Plenty Of Fish,
a dating website,

and I was like, "Wow.
This guy's really BLEEP handsome."

And then I go in and look
at the rest of the pictures,

and I'm like, "Oh, my God."

SHE LAUGHS

He's in prison.

Right now, he's serving
a seven-year prison sentence

for first-degree burglary.

I never thought I'd ever be
with someone that was in prison,

but Maurice is definitely
my dream guy -

He's got everything
I always -

tall, handsome, funny.

He's just, like, a real man.

And we've been together
for four and a half years.

A lot of things change when
a young guy like that gets freedom.

You never know what's gonna happen
in these guys' minds.

I honestly believe that he's not
gonna do anything to go back.

Be a lot of people watching.

Yeah, I know.

Maurice and I come from
two different worlds.

Maurice grew up in Compton,
California.

I mean, Compton is a rough area,

and I believe he was about 12 or 13
when he was in a g*ng.

But I know Maurice has changed
since he's been in prison.

He's just grown up and matured,

and he has a nine-year-old daughter
that needs him.

So he knows he has to be good.

What was wrong with the stockbroker
from New York?

- Ah!
- Oh, God.

I mean,
when it all comes down to it...

..you gotta be careful.

You really don't know this guy
like you think you do,

and he's been around
some rough customers.

What do you do when you fall
in love with somebody, you know?

You never expect to fall in love
with someone in prison.

People think that
we're supporting Jessica

on the decision she made,
and that's not true at all.

I mean, he was in prison
for a reason.

I'm not gonna let anybody
hurt my daughter.

This is not exactly
what we envisioned...

- Right.
- ..when you born.

When you have two daughters,

you envision them marrying
better than us,

and didn't quite work out that way.

JESSICA: Growing up,
me and my sister were really close,

but she cut me off
as soon as she found out

that I was with Maurice.

And it's been, like,
four and a half years

since I've talked to my sister last.

We would love to be able
to have a real wedding

cos no-one was there for it.

That's something
that has to be earned.

- Yeah.
- Yep.

JESSICA: So Maurice and I
actually got married in prison.

LAUGHS

I bought our rings online,
and they were two dollars each.

CHUCKLES

When I told my parents
about my marriage, my mom cried...

..and I don't remember
my dad really saying much.

He's got a lot of things to prove.

It's gonna be a tough road.

DAVE: 'This was the last thing
I expected.'

I mean, I'll stand by her
to the point where

I see I need to step in,
and then I'm gonna step in.

You may have been used
this whole time.

You never know.

Prior to her being in jail,
you guys were friends?

No, I never met her before jail.

She's got forgery charges,

giving false information, escape.

The last thing I wanna have you do
is lose $50,000.

That scares the BLEEP out of me.

QUAYLON: When I came to prison,
I was angry.

I got 12 years.

What the hell?

This is an eagle wing
for powwow regalia.

It's not the only eagle wing
I got sitting around here.

I am a traditional Native American,

and I follow the belief system
of the Oglala Lakota.

Even though
I am only half Native blood,

my spirituality and culture
is everything to me.

PHONE RINGS

JOHN: How goes it?

Well, you can't really go far
in the cage.

Me neither.

I met Kristianna
on a prison dating site.

She is in prison for burglary
and a parole violation

because she escaped
from a halfway house.

I talked to her the first time,
I just...

I felt there was
something else there.

She was just... she was nice.

We had things to talk about.

We've been dating, I'd say,
three months,

and she will be released
in two days.

Really?
LAUGHS

All right.
We'll talk about that later.

LUSTY LAUGHTER

All right. I'm gonna go ahead
and get off of here.

I got many much things to do.

All right. I love you, too. See you.

- See you.
- Cool.

My relationship history
has not been great.

I've been married four times,

and I've probably been engaged...

PROLONGUED: ..uh...

three times, maybe?

Nope, the numbers are off.

I was engaged twice, married four.

Most of my relationships
have not exactly been, uh...

been happy ones.

I was just kind of there
and going through the motions,

but I'm in love with Kristianna.

And love can make it through
almost anything.

TRUCK BEEPS

About time you got here.

JOHN: I called my brother, Cordell,
to come over to the house.

I got this huge surprise
planned for her,

and, um, I think this is the
craziest thing I've ever done.

Kristianna gets out in two days,

so I've got a little plan going.

I'm gonna turn the truck
into a wedding chapel...

..and a honeymoon suite all in one.

I got a mattress inside.

When Kristianna gets out,
I'm going to ask her to marry me

and then hopefully,
she will say "yes"

and we'll get married immediately
on the road

to get to the halfway house.

So, she doesn't know I'm doing this.

So we're doing this cos
you're actually getting married

when she gets out?
- Yes.

My plan is to pick her up,
get her over to the wedding spot.

I'm gonna have about 30 minutes
once we get there

cos the halfway house
is three hours away.

So this has to be very quick

cos I'm gonna have no time.

What if she says "no"?

STAMMERS
Then I'm BLEEP.

I don't know very much about
John and Kristianna's relationship.

He started mentioning her
to me a few months ago,

and I think it's a little crazy.

I just hope that he's really
thought about this decision

because they've had visitations,

but they've never actually spent
time together in the free world.

It's a big gamble to take.

And, you know,
her life's been a little bit crazy,

so she's been in and out
since, uh...

well, for about eight years.

Biggest thing I'm concerned with is

she has a history with
the substances.

Oh.

I really think Kristianna will stay
out of trouble this time around.

You know, she's never had
anything on the...

on the outside
to really look forward to

and to keep her grounded.

And I'm putting her on the spot,

and there is always the possibility
that she will say, "No."

But I take chances. I take risks.

If I see something I want,
I go after it,

and I wanna marry Kristianna.

That ought to work.

DOORBELL RINGS

Oh!

Dmark, you made it in!
- What's up, baby?

- Dmark's here, everybody.
- Hey. What's up?

What's up, y'all?
- He made it!

- You see Nanna's salad?

SHAVEL: I'm a single mother.
I have a daughter.

She is five years old.

Her name is Myila Kapri,
and she has my heart.

I said I don't like that.

- You don't like the tomatoes?
- Mm-hm.

When did you stop liking tomatoes?

Her biological father
is not in her life.

I am close to my family,
but it's hard being a single mother.

Lord, we thank you for this food.
In Jesus' name, amen.

- ALL: Amen.
- Let's eat!

I cannot have a child
and not be married.

I don't...
I wanna do it the right way.

I've done it the wrong way before,
and this time,

I wanna do it the right way.

It's almost time for Quaylon
to come home.

So, you know,
what y'all think about us...

CLEARS THROAT

..starting our journey?

DMARK GROANS
Anyone can go first!

You go first, you, or you.

SHAVEL: I met Quaylon
through my friend Alana

when her ex was incarcerated
with Quaylon,

and we have been dating
for two and a half years.

I feel like he's my soul mate.

BUZZER

My name is Quaylon.

I've been incarcerated for 12 years
for armed robbery.

When I came to prison, I was mad.

I was angry, you know what I mean?
I got 12 years.

I'm 17 years old.
This is gonna be my life.

I missed out on a lot, you know?

I ain't... I never went to prom,
homecoming.

You know, I had dreams,
aberrations,

so that's the hardest part.

I met Shavel through
my homeboy Steve-O.

I told him I was looking
for somebody to talk to.

Shavel was able to calm me down.
She gave me balance.

She told me everything
would be all right.

She told me that, uh, that,
you know, she...

she gonna be there for me,

so that opened up my heart
a little bit.

It was caged off,
you know what I mean?

But she made it through them bars.

Look, he been in there for 12 years.

He ain't never been a father.

He ain't never been
in no real relationship.

He ain't never lived with a woman.

There's just so many concerns
I have.

Me, personally,

I don't like it...

..at all. Cos I don't even feel like

he, like, really, like, knows you.

But you're guilty until
I prove you innocent.

SHAVEL: I'm going off of how
he treat me,

how he treat my-my...

When I say "treat",
the fact that he cares about me.

That don't mean he is the one.

I just really feel like
you know what he wants you to know.

You're gonna find out so much
that you're gonna be like,

"I didn't know this Quaylon.
Who is this Quaylon?"

- You know what I'm saying?
- But I feel like I know a lot.

SYLVIA: You know,
this comes with a package.

It ain't just you, and it scares me.

Because if he hurts you,
then he hurts that little girl.

And if he hurts her,
then he's torn my heart apart,

and I won't be able to take it.


and do the jail talk.

I know Shavel trusts a whole lot.

You know, she loves hard,
and she's really giving.

I just don't want her to
dive in headfirst

and then it's not what she thinks.

I just don't want nobody to take
advantage of you,

like, when we thought that
the promoters

were gonna give you guys a deal.

I trust Quaylon,
but I guess they biggest concern

is the fact that
when I was younger,

I was an aspiring rapper,

and I was talking to a producer
in New York,

and we gave this man $15,000.

They promised us all this stuff,
and none of it happened.

We got used.

It's just, like, my heart dropped.

We made it through that situation,

so you can make it through this
even if it don't turn out

the way that you want it
to turn out.

I've spent at least, I wanna say,
$5,000 when it comes to Quaylon,

but this is not
the same situation.

I don't feel like Quaylon
would betray me.

Yep, that's her. Oh, my God.

My family members do not accept
my decision to marry Maurice.

Yes.

I don't want to talk about this
any more.

Honestly, I'm done.

Oh, she's hot.

You sure it's the one
you've been seeing?

People have catfished people
all the time.

So far,
I spent $35,000 on Destinie.

What does that mean?

This guy's gonna die.

I'm pretty sure that I know Maurice
very well

and that he's not using me.

I mean, I could be
completely mistaken, though.

My husband, Maurice,
is getting out of prison tomorrow.

And I'm excited to bring him home,

but I'm nervous at the same time

because my family members
do not accept my decision

to marry Maurice.

We can drive past my sister's house.

That would be weird
if she was standing outside.

I haven't seen my sister
in four and a half years,

and it's crazy,
cos we live so close.

My sister lives just a couple
of minutes away from me.

And how do we live so close,
but yet we've never once

run into each other in five years?

Are you tracking me
so you don't run into me?

Growing up, I mean,
we were a close family, just...

Yes. I would be scared to see her.

So my sister cut me off as soon as
she found out I was with Maurice.

She didn't agree with it,

and she thought that I was a bad
role model to be around my niece.

So she said,
"I can't have you in our lives."

VOICE BREAKS:
I feel like this choice that I made

has no effect on her life
whatsoever,

and I don't get it.

I just don't BLEEP get it

cos I would never do something
like that to my family.

I don't want to talk about this
any more.

Honestly, I'm done.

I mean, it's just...
That is her.

I think so.

Yep, that's her. Oh, my God.

That's...

Can we go now?
- All right.

OK, cos I don't
want her to see me.

Oh, God.

Did she look?

I think she saw me,
and this is my mom's old car, so...

I'm pretty sure she knows it was me.

Now I just wish
I wouldn't have driven by.

I hope one day me and my sister
can work things out,

and she gets to meet Maurice
and see that he loves me.

I really think
I'm gonna show everyone

standing by Maurice
is the right decision

because he's gonna stay
out of trouble and do good.

Why am I, like, shaking?

Wow.

That was interesting.

- So I'm done with this car.
- OK.

I'm getting started on
the air filter.

- We need to torque down the wheels.
- OK, no problem.

- So what'd you do this weekend?
- Nothing, really.

Just watched the game.
- Yeah?

I took my wife out. That was fun.
I got to miss the whole game.

So what's going on
with your woman?

- Destinie?
- Yeah, Destinie.

If that's her real name.

She's getting out of prison
this month.

This is the first time
we're gonna meet in person.

You're crazy, brother.

Just meet somebody out of the blue

and not meet them personally,
you know what I'm saying?

SHAWN: I'm pretty much a quiet,
laid-back kind of guy.

My relationship history...
I've never been married,

but they've always been long-term.

My longest relationship
was with my kids' mom, Kelly.

We've been together on and off
for 22 years.

I have six kids with her.

I once thought Kelly was the one,

but now I've met
the love of my life.

So that's the picture she gave you?

- Yeah.
- Oh, wow.

- Oh, she's...
- Oh, she's hot.

She is.

I will date a criminal
in a heartbeat like that!

Now I know why
you're risking everything.

Destinie's in jail
for escape and drugs,

and I don't hold anything
against her

because, you know, being on drugs

makes you do things you probably
wouldn't normally do.

Destinie and I have been
together for nine months now.

Hopefully, we get married one day
cos she just makes me happy.

Are you sure it's the one
you've been seeing?

I mean, people have catfished people
all the time.

- Why would somebody do that?
- I don't know.

Why do people do what they do?

I don't think she would
do that to me, though.

The reason Destinie and I never met

was because she said she gained
a little bit of weight,

and she didn't want me
to see her like that.

I think that's one thing
I'm nervous most about,

is that she doesn't look
like what she looks like.

- Do you send her money?
- I do.

How much have you spent
in total with her?

I haven't really figured
it out, but...

- Is it a lot?
- Yeah, thousands.

Oh, geez. Thousands?!

Oh, wow, Shawnie. Oh, wow.

I think I'm... When I go to prison,
I'm gonna make you my pen pal.

PHONE RINGS
Oh, is it her?

- Oh, yep.
- Oh, wow.

OPERATOR: Hello.
This is a prepaid call from...

- Destinie.
- ...Destinie.

This call is from
a correction facility

and is subject to
monitoring and recording.

To refuse this...
CALL CONNECT TONE

- Babe?
- Hey.

- What are you doing?
- Oh, just working with Hector.

Oh, I didn't hear your...
I didn't hear my phone.

There could be a possibility
that Destinie is catfishing Shawn.

He just trusts people
right off the bat,

and instead of having where
you have to earn your trust,

Shawn gives you trust.

And that's just the way he is,
so...

this guy's gonna die.
He's gonna get robbed,

or he's gonna die.

Well, that's awesome.

What does that mean?

I got to pay money?

I can, I guess.

So far, I spent $35,000
on Destinie...

Phone calls and commissary.

I make a pretty good living,
so I don't mind doing it

to help her and to talk to her.

Oh, you make me
a better person, too.

All right. I love you.

All right.

I've never connected with
somebody like Destinie

in the outside world.

There's a lot of people
that are fake to each other.

They just kind of
put this persona out there

that they're somebody
that they're not.

But I feel like, you know,
talking to somebody this way

and getting to know them is...
probably, it'd be more honest.

There are a couple of things
that I haven't told Destinie

because I was afraid
it would scare her away...

..but I'm gonna have
to tell her soon.

There's felonies, burglaries...
Like, 30 of them.

Do you see all of these?

People can change.

I'm going to marry Kristianna
on the day she gets out.

So the coronavirus has really
affected us in here a lot, too.

The staff is walking around
with the face masks.

They came in this morning
and took everybody's temperatures.

We are locked in our units
under quarantine all the time.

We're allowed two hours of rec
a day, we go as units.

We go separated from lunch.

We don't see the other units
at all.

It's become a really toxic
situation.

People are angry.
People are fighting over TVs.

People are, you know,
fussing with their friends.

Like, everybody's
just really unhappy.

It's like a dark cloud
is surrounding everything.

I'm in this unit with people
who need to be out of here

cos if the corona gets in here
to some of these elderly people,

like, it's a death sentence.

So it's really... I mean,
I know that it's affecting everyone,

but I feel like the prison system

is really feeling it pretty hard
right now.

SHAVEL: This is the first letter
that he sent me,

and he spelled my name wrong, too.

Come on, Quaylon, get it together.

"Because I'm in prison,
I don't have a life in here.

"Therefore, someday,
I'll be back out there.

"I can't wait to meet you."

Reality is, like, hitting me.

I'm just, like,
really about to see my man.

I've been having dreams
about the time he's coming home.

Woke up like, "Wait a minute.
Man, that felt too real."

Like, "What's going on with myself?"

Me and Quaylon, we haven't had sex,

but we have phone sex all the time.

He kind of spicing me up
because I ain't never had phone sex,

so it was kind of new to me.

It was like, "You know, how 'bout
you just play with yourself?"

And I'm like,
"What? What you mean?

"I don't wanna play.
Just BLEEP me."

The first time with Shavel
is gonna be awesome.

The hotel room with the candles

and the chocolate
and the music in the background

and the sexy lingerie

and me coming out
looking like a gladiator.

CHUCKLES

PHONE RINGS

OPERATOR: This call is from
a correctional facility

and may be monitored and recorded.

Hey, babe.

What you doing?

I'm just packing up
and getting ready.

What papers are you signing?

SHE LAUGHS

It just hit me, like,
you're really about to come home.

Like, I'm about to, like,
really have,

like, one-on-one time with you.

Like, it...

As of lately, I've just been
trying to prepare myself mentally

to get out of here.

So the hardest thing
about being inside for me is...

..missing my family.

I'm excited about living
with Shavel in Kansas.

But my mom,
she really want me in Texas.

And I, uh... I told my mama

I was gonna come out there
with her.

So I'm torn between the two.

Oh, man.

I am nervous, um,
about meeting Quaylon's mom.

I know she's very outspoken,
and also, Quaylon told me that,

you know,
she is a little bit controlling.

OK.

I know!
LAUGHS

What the hell?
It's frustrating, the fact that

I have to share that time
with his mom.

I mean, how am I supposed to
have sex with Quaylon

when his mom is there?

Well, I love you.

Bye.

Hello?

What's up, chicken?

What are you making?

- Bear root tea.
- Oh!

Never had that before.

Sapphire is my 18-year-old daughter.

Hold on, let's see.
Tyler, Heaven, Elysia, Sapphire...

Oh, wait.
Tyler, Heaven, Elysia, Sapphire...

..Sarah, Claressa... Abraham.

OK, got it.
I have a total of eight children,

but my son Abraham
and my daughter Claressa

still live at home with me.

You wanna give me a hand
getting this smudge stuff out?

JOHN: Kristianna
is getting out tomorrow.

I'm a little nervous
because my children don't even know

I'm dating anyone, let alone
someone who is incarcerated.

What are you exactly
doing with all of this?

More powwows or...

Not exactly.

A ceremony, yes.
A powwow, not so much.

Uh, I've been...

dating a girl.

OK, from where?

Online.

- So you met her online?
- Yeah.

And currently, she's in prison...

..and I'm gonna go and pick her up.

I'm going to marry her
on the day she gets out.

So you're just gonna marry her
right out of prison?

Yes. That is the plan, yes.

My dad likes to commit
pretty quick.

I mean, one of my dad's girlfriends
he met

because he had put an ad
on Craigslist

asking Santa to bring him
a girlfriend for Christmas,

and she apparently responded,
and then they were dating.

But even for him,
I mean, this is crazy.

- What's her name?
- It's Kristianna BLEEP.

OK, well, I'm pretty sure
I found it.

Like, there's felonies, burglaries.

There's, like, 30 of them.

Do you see all of these?

People can change.

Usually, the senses are tingling

when I feel something is off,

and I just...
I just don't feel like that.

I do think that my dad
is making a huge mistake.

She does have a really long
arrest record,

and that is kind of nerving.

What's to say that she doesn't
end up getting you into trouble?

Cos if you get in trouble,
you could go back to jail.

That's a thought
that hadn't really crossed my mind

because I think I'm strong enough
now after ten years out

to stay away from those things.

JOHN: When I was younger,
I was a scam artist.

I would print my own cheques

and I would just change
one or two digits

in the account number
so it looked like a mistake.

I went to prison for 12 years,

and when I got out of prison
in 2008,

you know, I never wished to be
on that side of the wall again.

But on the other hand,
it's time to live a little.

Is she Native, too, or...

She is a Christian.

I'm a little concerned
about that.

Don't you think that you're probably
going a little fast?

If you get a Native wedding,
you can't get divorced.

I am well aware of that.

The only way that
a divorce could happen

is if she does something...

..against
what the wedding stands for.

I'm just hoping it doesn't
go to that point.

I know we have a lot to discuss,

but being with somebody that could
understand what I've been through

and that I could understand
what they've been through

will help both of us.

This is the first time
I've ever had such a solid,

deep connection in my life.

How do you know you're not
just getting scammed?

I think we have to hope
for the best on this one

and see where it...
Where it takes me.

So far,
I spent $35,000 on Destinie.

They've charged her with escape,
she's a flight risk.

If she does miss court,
the court would put you on the hook

for $50,000.

This mission,
I've decided to name it

"Operation: Free Destinie."

Hopefully, this is the final stretch
to bring her home.

Destinie said
she's getting out soon,

so I'm on my way to
the bail bondsman

to get more information
and see if I can get a release date.

I've taken out of my 41k
and moved a lot of money around

to try to do all this
for Destinie.

She does something to me
that nobody else has.

When I'm around her, people know
that when I've talked to her...

"You've been on the phone
to Destinie cos you light up."

You know? And that kind of tells me
this is gonna work.

- Help you?
- Hey.

- My name is Shawn.
- Hey, Shawn.

I'm here to try to see
what I need to do

about getting somebody
out of jail.

OK. Go ahead and have a seat.
Who's in jail?

Uh, Destinie BLEEP.

And how are you related to Destinie?

- She's my girlfriend.
- Your girlfriend? OK.

So prior to her being in jail,
you guys were friends?

No, I never met her before jail, no.

- Have you visited her?
- No.

You've never visited her
or seen her?

No. So when I get her out,
it'll be the first time.

- OK.
- We just started off, uh,

talking on, like, a pen pal site,

and a kind of relationship developed
over that time.

OK. I know you wanna start
having a relationship with her,

it sounds like, but, man,

we've got to make sure you know
who you're talking to

and I know who I'm dealing with.
- OK.

I'm gonna look her up
and do some criminal history stuff.

In my 37 years of doing this,

I have seen people walk in
and wanna bail people out of jail,

and there's many times
they don't know this person.

I don't know if Destinie
is using Shawn,

but in my past experiences,
it usually turns out that way.

Have you ever bailed anybody before?

Do you know how it works?
- I have not.

We issue insurance policies
to the courts of California

guaranteeing people's appearance
in court.

The insurance policy
in this case is for $50,000.

EXHALES SHARPLY
All right.

- All right?
- Mm-hm.

They're saying, "We feel that amount

"will guarantee her appearance
in court."

However,
if she didn't go to court,

the court would send us a notice
and demand payment of $50,000,

putting you on the hook 100%.

OK.

So the cost of a bail bond
is 10% of the bail amount,

so the cost to bail her out of jail
would be $5,000.

- Right.
- It's non-refundable

no matter what
happens with the case.

OK.

I can tell you that she's got
a significant criminal history.

- Mm-hm.
- OK.

She's had a case in 2011,



She's got forgery charges,
giving false information.

The reason that she has to bail

is because they've
charged her with escape.

She was on an ankle monitor,
and she cut the monitor off.

She's a flight risk,
so she will be released

from the state prison hold.

However, she does have the matter

that she needs to take care of
for the escape.

She could get sentenced
to more jail time,

more prison time.

There's a lot of things
I didn't know about Destinie,

about the charges and how she's been
in and out of jail since she was 14.

I would never believe
that Destinie would run,

but on the other hand, you know,
her past says something different.

I will tell you some good news.

Her release date for state prison...

- Uh-huh?
- ..is tomorrow.

- Oh.
- So once we post the bond,

she'd be out of jail
relatively quickly.

Now, she goes back to court
just a couple weeks away.

If she does miss court
or something does go haywire,

the last thing we want to
have you do is lose $50,000.

Right. I don't wanna lose $50,000,
either.

I think I know her enough
to where that I feel comfortable

doing this, and you know,
my dad was in prison.

And he changed for the better,
and he turned his life around,

and that's kind of
what I see in Destinie.

SHAWN: I was 12 when my dad
went to prison for theft,

and he was in prison for five years.

My dad gave me some advice.

He just told me to watch out
for people in prison...

Just tend to use people to get by
with whatever they need

and say whatever they need
to say to get what they need.

But he doesn't know Destinie
like I know Destinie.

I'm ready to do whatever
it takes to get her out.

OK. We're gonna see what we can do
here to help you get through this.

All right. I appreciate it.

I just hope that, in the end,

that she is who she says she is.

If she takes off, then I'm
on the hook for the whole $50,000,

and it scares the BLEEP out of me.

Oh!
LAUGHS

Oh, my God!
There's a BLEEP limo!

Go big or go home, baby.

Look at that mother BLEEP a*s, boy.

- Uh-uh-uh.
- I know, right?

- Why do you smell like that?
- Come on, let's go.

You ought to take a shower
if you smell like that.

I ain't sh**ting out no blanks.
That's for damn sure.

Let me just lick it really quick.
Uh. BLEEP.

OK, continue. Let's go.

I had come across
a very bizarre letter.

"He's an egomaniac.
I'm used to his type."

I just... I feel blindsided.

I knew what I was getting into.
I knew this was a possibility.

We're making it harder
than it has to be.

Really? BLEEP you. Get out!

People keep coming,
I don't see Lindsey.

I don't wanna be with her.

I'm gonna punch you
in your BLEEP mouth, dude.

JOHN: Love can make it
through almost anything.

- BLEEP exit. Just keep going.
- What if you go back to jail?

You with me,
or are you against me?

I'm really bad at being good.

This isn't what coming home
was supposed to be like.