Movie Trailer
Arturo Hoyo |
This is the true story of Arturo Hoyo, told to Ronnie Berkowitz while he was serving time in a federal prison for drug trafficking in the late 1970's. Arturo was a fifteen year old immigrant from a wealthy Cuban family that had millions stolen from him by his father's business partner, who then left him and his brother Felix penniless in Miami. Shortly thereafter, the partner had his parents murdered. Only by chance encounter, years later, does Arturo come across the treacherous business partner. In his efforts to get revenge, he becomes a changed man, he becomes "The Plastic Magician", one of the greatest con artists of the 20th century.
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About the author
Ronald J. Berkowitz was born of the Jewish faith in Miami beach, Florida but was raised in the Bronx, New York since the age of five. He has been a drug dealer and smuggler most of his life, even though he maintained steady and prestigious jobs in the hospitality and financial fields. He started working on Wall Street as a specialist clerk on the floor of the N.Y.S.E. at post 13, where he handled books for AT&T, McDonald Douglas and Sprague Electric. He was stilling selling marijuana on the streets of New York City and to stock brokers before the opening bell. After work, he would be attending Hunter College and New York School of Finance before getting drafted in 1967.
He served 18 months in Vietnam with the US Army, twelve of which were spent in an infantry company called the “Swamp Rats”. It was there where after a firefight that lasted three days, against a North Vietnamese division in May of 1968 that left him with 40% disabilities. He was then transferred and given another assignment as an SG with an MP company in Saigon riding around the city in an MP Jeep with an M60 machine gun mounted on the front hood, protecting servicemen and civilians, and making sure they were out of the bars and off the street by the 10PM curfew.
He started selling marijuana back to friends in the states in already rolled cigarettes, 10 to a pack, 10 packs in a Martell Cognac box for $200.00. Then he would exchange the American money for Vietnamese money and get twice the amount on the black market. When he landed in Bakersfield, CA. on his birthday, April 23, 1969, he had $26,500 in his pocket. That was the start of his smuggler career in the United States.
In 1977, he moved down to Florida to take care of his dying parents leaving his job at the Playboy Club in Manhattan as a bartender. Once in Florida, he began smuggling marijuana and cocaine from Jamaica and Columbia on a larger scale, all the while maintaining a manager’s position at Bobby Rubino’s Place for Ribs in Ft. Lauderdale.
In 1980, after his second trial for cocaine, the Feds gave him 23 years for his role as a drug ring leader, trafficking on the east coast of the United States. The sentence came after being held without bond by Federal Judge Norman Roettger, who ruled he was a menace to the community.
He started doing his time in F.C. I. Tallahassee in May of 1980. That is where he met and befriended Arthur Hoyos in the summer of 1983, when Arthur came there having been sentenced to 8 years for credit card fraud. He had ripped off American Express for over 8 million dollars. His story landed him of the front page of the Miami Herald.
This is the story of his life up to his incarceration as one of the greatest impersonators and scam artists of the 20th century. As for the author, Ronald J. Berkowitz, served a total of 10 ½ years in federal prison. He has managed to stay out of jail and live a productive life without fear of going back to prison for illegal activity. This is a story he feels needs to be told as Arthur Hoyos was the most interesting and memorable person he has ever met.
He served 18 months in Vietnam with the US Army, twelve of which were spent in an infantry company called the “Swamp Rats”. It was there where after a firefight that lasted three days, against a North Vietnamese division in May of 1968 that left him with 40% disabilities. He was then transferred and given another assignment as an SG with an MP company in Saigon riding around the city in an MP Jeep with an M60 machine gun mounted on the front hood, protecting servicemen and civilians, and making sure they were out of the bars and off the street by the 10PM curfew.
He started selling marijuana back to friends in the states in already rolled cigarettes, 10 to a pack, 10 packs in a Martell Cognac box for $200.00. Then he would exchange the American money for Vietnamese money and get twice the amount on the black market. When he landed in Bakersfield, CA. on his birthday, April 23, 1969, he had $26,500 in his pocket. That was the start of his smuggler career in the United States.
In 1977, he moved down to Florida to take care of his dying parents leaving his job at the Playboy Club in Manhattan as a bartender. Once in Florida, he began smuggling marijuana and cocaine from Jamaica and Columbia on a larger scale, all the while maintaining a manager’s position at Bobby Rubino’s Place for Ribs in Ft. Lauderdale.
In 1980, after his second trial for cocaine, the Feds gave him 23 years for his role as a drug ring leader, trafficking on the east coast of the United States. The sentence came after being held without bond by Federal Judge Norman Roettger, who ruled he was a menace to the community.
He started doing his time in F.C. I. Tallahassee in May of 1980. That is where he met and befriended Arthur Hoyos in the summer of 1983, when Arthur came there having been sentenced to 8 years for credit card fraud. He had ripped off American Express for over 8 million dollars. His story landed him of the front page of the Miami Herald.
This is the story of his life up to his incarceration as one of the greatest impersonators and scam artists of the 20th century. As for the author, Ronald J. Berkowitz, served a total of 10 ½ years in federal prison. He has managed to stay out of jail and live a productive life without fear of going back to prison for illegal activity. This is a story he feels needs to be told as Arthur Hoyos was the most interesting and memorable person he has ever met.
Ronnie on Radio
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