At 24 years old, Ed Hennings was handed a charge that could have kept him behind the wall for decades.

Most people would have folded.

Instead, he made a decision:

If he was going to do the time, the time was going to build him.

In this episode of Crime Pays, Ed shares how he transformed prison into preparation — developing discipline, mental toughness, and a blueprint for ownership that would carry him when he finally came home.

After being denied parole eight times, he didn’t waste a second of freedom. Within one year, he owned a barbershop. Then trucking. Now he’s building a legacy through a work boot company rooted in identity, confidence, and pride in honest work.

This conversation isn’t about crime.

It’s about mindset, redemption, discipline, and building a future when the odds say you shouldn’t have one.

If you’re coming home soon, already home, or trying to rebuild your life for real — this episode is a blueprint.

• The day everything changed — June 11, 1996

• What “paralysis” feels like when you read your charges

• Why being the “go-to guy” can destroy your future

• Turning prison into training camp for life

• How to protect your mind in an environment designed to break it

• Denied parole eight times — and staying focused

• Why he came home moving with purpose, not celebration

• Building ownership instead of chasing fast money

• The deeper meaning behind his work boot brand

• Why confidence is something you earn, not something you fake

00:00 — The Day Everything Changed (June 11, 1996)

03:42 — When the Charges Hit: Shock, Fear, Paralysis

08:15 — Being the “Go-To Guy” and the Pressure of the Streets

12:28 — Accepting Responsibility vs. Making Excuses

16:50 — First Years Behind the Wall: Mental Survival Mode

21:37 — Turning Prison Into Preparation

27:05 — Discipline, Routine, and Protecting Your Mind

32:11 — The Pain of Being Denied Parole (Again and Again)

38:46 — Why He Never Let Bitterness Take Over

44:02 — The Moment He Realized He Would Come Home Different

49:18 — Walking Out With a Plan, Not Just Freedom

54:36 — Ownership Over Fast Money

59:41 — Opening His First Business

1:04:12 — Building Confidence Through Work

1:08:57 — The Work Boot Company: Identity and Pride

1:13:40 — What People Get Wrong About Coming Home

1:18:22 — Advice for Those Still Behind the Wall

1:22:05 — Redemption, Responsibility, and Legacy

1:26:30 — Final Message to the Crime Pays Family

He caught his first case at 15 years old.

Gang life. Street wars. Federal time.

A mindset built for survival — not success.

Philos Cannada sits down with Ash Cash and Jay White for one of the rawest conversations of the year.

This isn’t a highlight reel.

This is the real story — how the streets grabbed him early, how prison hardened him, and how one mental shift changed everything.

From doing 13 years in federal prison

to coming home and turning $2,000 into $25,000 in 30 days

to building real businesses, fixing credit, running ads, and creating freedom —

Philos breaks down:

• How environment shapes identity
• Why most people never escape the mindset
• What prison really teaches you (if you’re paying attention)
• How discipline transfers from the streets to business
• Why your past doesn’t disqualify you — it trains you

This episode is for:

• People currently behind the wall
• Anyone fresh home trying to figure it out
• Families supporting loved ones inside
• Hustlers ready to redirect their energy the right way

No motivation fluff.

No fairy tales.

Just strategy, accountability, and execution.

🎙 Crime Pays is the #1 personal development platform for formerly incarcerated men, women, and their families.

If Philos can rebuild from this…

so can you.

📲 Philos Cannada

Instagram: @theq.uietbuilder

📲 Ash Cash

Instagram: @iamashcash

📲 Jay White

Instagram: @iamjasonwhite_

Learn how to thrive beyond the wall with real tools, coaching, and community:

👉 https://www.skool.com/crimepaysacademy

First year of high school… he caught his first case.

By 15, he was involved in shootings.

By 18, he was on the run.

And by 26, he had survived 13 years in the federal system.

In this powerful Crime Pays episode, Sharif Robinson breaks down the real story — growing up in a Muslim household while the streets pulled harder, getting jumped by 40 people, surviving violent federal prisons, and how one shift in mindset turned everything around.

When Sharif came home in 2023, he didn’t have clout, followers, or a platform.

He had discipline, a plan, and the willingness to execute.

After getting fired from his first job home, he took his last $2,000, ran Instagram ads, and turned it into $25,000 in 30 days — then built a business that hit multiple six figures.

This episode is not just inspirational — it’s instructional.

📌 FOLLOW / CONNECT with Sharif:

IG: @creditworks_

📲 Follow Ash Cash: https://www.instagram.com/iamashcash @iamashcash

📲 Follow Jay White: https://www.instagram.com/iamjasonwhite_ @iamjasonwhite_

📌 JOIN Crime Pays Academy:

Learn how to thrive beyond the wall (for you or your loved one):

(put your link here)

⏱️ Chapters (YouTube Timestamps)

0:00 – First case in high school

2:20 – The intro: prison to business

4:15 – Growing up in New York with 2 parents split

9:10 – Muslim household vs street reality

10:55 – Seeing death + “I’m all in”

11:40 – Jumped by 40 people

13:20 – First shooting + where the gun came from

15:10 – Caught the same day

16:05 – Probation and feeling “like the man”

18:55 – What led to the 13-year federal case

21:45 – On the run mentality

23:35 – The detective moment: “Get a lawyer”

29:40 – Entering USP prison life (48 hours, stabbings)

33:25 – Gang politics inside

40:05 – The mindset shift begins (Bruce + learning business)

42:10 – Having a daughter changed everything

47:20 – Coming home 2023 + real estate plan didn’t work

51:10 – CDL job, fight, fired

54:10 – Turning $2,000 into $25,000 with ads

56:20 – What he teaches now: credit, funding, business structure

1:08:20 – Joining Crime Pays Academy (pay it forward)