How Witness Protection Manages to Keep a 100% Success Rate

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  • Опубліковано 22 бер 2023
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    Video written by Amy Muller

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,4 тис.

  • @Ominous_Walrus
    @Ominous_Walrus Рік тому +9932

    Next video: How to find someone who is in witness protection with a 100% success rate

    • @inh4855
      @inh4855 Рік тому +16

      The manhunt logistics of snitches under protection

    • @jai-kk5uu
      @jai-kk5uu Рік тому +206

      Considering the kind of social media history people come with nowadays. I am baffled how this even works. And I am doing a tech degree .

    • @1-4-johnny.cash.fan-8-8
      @1-4-johnny.cash.fan-8-8 Рік тому +145

      ​@@jai-kk5uu they're probably not allowed to go online anymore. You do realize the government can stop most average people from accessing information, right? They can shut down many links and whatever.

    • @jai-kk5uu
      @jai-kk5uu Рік тому +114

      @@1-4-johnny.cash.fan-8-8 yes but people in your new job will want to connect to you online. And specially in tech industry you need a linkedin profile.

    • @deleted-something
      @deleted-something Рік тому +1

      Fr

  • @kickapoo1390
    @kickapoo1390 Рік тому +11938

    The truth is that we wouldn't really know if witnesses are often found and killed because of the very nature of the program, we are just trusting the government which is obviously incentivized to show the most promising outcome.

    • @Jehty21
      @Jehty21 Рік тому +1828

      And everyone who gets killed just gets labeled as "didn't follow the rules" 🤷🏼‍♀️

    • @jojoprocess2820
      @jojoprocess2820 Рік тому +838

      Honestly we can extremely confidently say some have been killed but written off for reasons stated above

    • @johnrichardson8209
      @johnrichardson8209 Рік тому +888

      If life has taught me one thing, it is that claims of 100% are essentially always deceptive. And I'm doubly skeptical especially since WITSEC is specifically incentivized to try to convince people that it is perfectly safe.

    • @ooooneeee
      @ooooneeee Рік тому

      Yeah totally agreed. I don't trust secret security agencies' claims of success.

    • @greenoftreeblackofblue6625
      @greenoftreeblackofblue6625 Рік тому +40

      I feel like you would know a case where someone got killed because it would be big news.

  • @dereklawr
    @dereklawr Рік тому +5463

    the roblox terms being many times longer than literally changing your entire identity had me laughing so hard 😂

    • @brodriguez11000
      @brodriguez11000 Рік тому +53

      Easy to say, we own you. But then the military says that too.

    • @CinemaDemocratica
      @CinemaDemocratica Рік тому +250

      Someone with a UA-cam channel once read the entire agreement for joining Facebook and it took nine hours.

    • @adityarasendriya5138
      @adityarasendriya5138 Рік тому +106

      ​@@CinemaDemocratica I bet he pressed declined

    • @Woodledude
      @Woodledude Рік тому +26

      Just a sad chuckle from me, considering all the child labor exploitation that that particular document enables.

    • @kingsavage2272
      @kingsavage2272 Рік тому +8

      The government is efficient when it wants to be

  • @marcwenger9424
    @marcwenger9424 Рік тому +14335

    Now I want a 30 minute Wendover feature on Mob Logistics

    • @marcwenger9424
      @marcwenger9424 Рік тому +186

      And logistics of your favorite airline, conair!

    • @thorgot911
      @thorgot911 Рік тому

      ​@@marcwenger9424I believe he already did Conair...

    • @satakrionkryptomortis
      @satakrionkryptomortis Рік тому +25

      which timeframe we talking about? ancient times? not so ancient times? 10th till 12h century? 12 to 14? 14 to 16? early american history?

    • @JKG52
      @JKG52 Рік тому +21

      How the Mob tracks down Snitches

    • @marcwenger9424
      @marcwenger9424 Рік тому +6

      @@JKG52 Yes! Yes! And yes! Sam, make it so!

  • @OtakuUnitedStudio
    @OtakuUnitedStudio Рік тому +9131

    I love that Sam just outright said "The New York City government is in with the mafia."

    • @wmeuse2375
      @wmeuse2375 Рік тому +249

      It is why they have offices all over the world😂

    • @michaelvick2872
      @michaelvick2872 Рік тому

      As a New Yorker, it’s probably true. They’re literally some of the worst most useless politicians and government officials in America. And the corruption is blatant

    • @iliketrains0pwned
      @iliketrains0pwned Рік тому +432

      "In other news, scientists recently discovered that the sky is blue!!"

    • @Delritho
      @Delritho Рік тому +142

      Come on now, the mafia at least has some standards.

    • @deleted-something
      @deleted-something Рік тому +3

      Lmao

  • @milesmojave8223
    @milesmojave8223 Рік тому +6200

    Fun fact: it's a bit of an open secret that many people under witness protection are sent to Point Roberts, Washington. The community is disconnected from the rest of the United States because it's only accessible via boat or via Canada, requiring two border crossings to get there.
    This adds an extra layer of protection since the overland route places two additional checks on anyone accessing the community and removes the ability to bring a firearm, so the only access is by boat.
    Boat only access doesn't make it impossible for crooks to reach the island, but it adds another layer of security since the area is near the border and boats in the area are closely monitored.
    The more you know!

    • @ronblack7870
      @ronblack7870 Рік тому +506

      since its a small community wouldn't they quickly know there is a new person or family in the area? so i think it's an urban legend rather than fact.

    • @CyanideCarrot
      @CyanideCarrot Рік тому +526

      @@ronblack7870 A lot of people there are seasonal residents so it wouldn't be that unusual

    • @jayteegamble
      @jayteegamble Рік тому +81

      I would think the Northwest Angle would be even better since villains would have a much tougher time getting a boat on a lake vs from anywhere on the coast

    • @verde7595
      @verde7595 Рік тому +158

      @@jayteegamble NWA is much easier to get into by land and has a relatively permanent, albeit very small, population; whereas Point Roberts is mostly tourists and seasonal residents with only one point of entry via land, so it's a lot more secure in a few different ways.

    • @mintyrainbow6994
      @mintyrainbow6994 Рік тому +54

      I worlk for a NW trucking company, and we deal with five island carriers: ones for Vashon Island, San Juan Island, Orcas Island, Lopez Island, and the fifth one is Point Roberts Auto Freight. Point Roberts isn't an island, but it might as well be. ^_^

  • @maddiejoy6619
    @maddiejoy6619 Рік тому +1464

    I had a teacher who was in witness protection decades before I knew her. She was able to keep her identity because her name was so common it would have been like finding a needle in a haystack.

    • @adamofblastworks1517
      @adamofblastworks1517 Рік тому +21

      Then how did you know?

    • @maddiejoy6619
      @maddiejoy6619 Рік тому +385

      @@adamofblastworks1517 she told us. It had been so long and the guy was in prison, so she didn't keep it a secret.

    • @lmtlouis7546
      @lmtlouis7546 8 місяців тому +5

      What’s her name?

    • @maddiejoy6619
      @maddiejoy6619 8 місяців тому

      @@lmtlouis7546 previously, her first name was a super common name and her last name was Smith.

    • @sabrinavladimira2079
      @sabrinavladimira2079 4 місяці тому +54

      More like finding a needle in a needlestack.

  • @CaptainMarvelsSon
    @CaptainMarvelsSon Рік тому +3065

    I remember a case from many years back where the witness, along with two kids, would be receiving new identities after the trial, but in the meantime they were put up in a 1-star roadside motel room for two years because the trial kept getting delayed. I'd go mad.

    • @Massive-3D
      @Massive-3D Рік тому +51

      oh wow, living in a hotel where your every need is catered to daily ... wow so terrible!

    • @stvia
      @stvia Рік тому +695

      @@Massive-3D I don't think the were put in a 5 star hotel...
      Also the time till you get the trial must be extremely nerve racking when your life is on the line...

    • @SecureLemons
      @SecureLemons Рік тому +65

      @@stvia yeah i can imagine, sitting on the couch watching tv, eating chips and fearing for your existence

    • @crowonthepowerlines
      @crowonthepowerlines Рік тому +463

      @@Massive-3D If this is your idea of a good time, I feel really bad for you...

    • @hughcaldwell1034
      @hughcaldwell1034 Рік тому +348

      @@Massive-3D Did you somehow miss the last few years? Little refresher - people coped so badly with being asked to stay inside their own homes (with a bunch of exceptions) that they lost it after two *weeks*. I myself haven't been able to leave my house regularly for several years and can only see friends under quite stringent circumstances. Let me tell you, it isn't a fun time, and I'm not even under threat.

  • @DoctorX17
    @DoctorX17 Рік тому +1079

    So sad that this is the last Half as Interesting video since Sam got arrested. But I heard there’s this new channel called Halls and Interstates run by a similar person named Salvador that does similar content

  • @slimjimcognito
    @slimjimcognito Рік тому +467

    Bill joins witness protection.
    His name is changed to Jim.
    Jim is murdered.
    Bill is still alive afaek.
    100% success!

  • @colinpovey2904
    @colinpovey2904 Рік тому +2440

    WITSEC used to be (30+ years ago) a customer for a company I worked for, doing on-site field service at their offices.
    Despite me having multiple security clearances, whenever I went into one of their offices, they passed the word around, all of them stopped what they were doing, and turned the papers on their desk upside down.
    And their HQ was in a very unexpected location, meaning not a normal office building.

    • @tvdan1043
      @tvdan1043 Рік тому +634

      So it really is at Victoria's Secret at Tyson's Corner Mall?

    • @richardhands904
      @richardhands904 Рік тому +184

      ​@@tvdan1043 fbi incoming

    • @colinpovey2904
      @colinpovey2904 Рік тому +237

      @@tvdan1043 Nope. But the people who worked there loved working near a mall. Arrive for work before the mall open, so parking was close and easy. Forgot to being a lunch, lots of choices in the mall.
      Except for December. If they had to leave the office during the day in December, then return to the office, they had a hike in front of them!

    • @harrisonkarn2078
      @harrisonkarn2078 Рік тому +169

      @@colinpovey2904 thanks for the information on the location of their headquarters!

    • @LimabeanStudios
      @LimabeanStudios Рік тому +96

      ​@@harrisonkarn2078 I think they were only flipping papers over when this guy walked in haha

  • @noahstrike7022
    @noahstrike7022 Рік тому +801

    The mall you showed is Tysons Galleria (or Tysons II). It is only designer stores, and there's no Victoria's Secret. Tysons Corner Center (or Tysons I) is the mall you're looking for. It's across the street and *does* have a Victoria's Secret.
    Source: I worked at Abercrombie & Fitch in Tysons I for five years.

    • @CathodeRayKobold
      @CathodeRayKobold Рік тому +217

      Living proof that no matter what you say or how insignificant the mistake is, SOMEONE with more experience will find you and correct you.

    • @OnlyGrafting
      @OnlyGrafting Рік тому +36

      Noah, listen. It's Victoria's Secret so we get it. She's proud of you, but the gig is up.

    • @bagaboiebailey
      @bagaboiebailey Рік тому +12

      literally didn't check what stores the mall offers 😂😂😂

    • @thenorwegianbuttercrisisof2011
      @thenorwegianbuttercrisisof2011 Рік тому +18

      I live near Tyson’s and I was like “huh, the mall sure looks different than I imagined from a satellite” but yeah that’s totally galleria now that I’m looking at it

    • @phongtheorymemes3342
      @phongtheorymemes3342 Рік тому +6

      I was so confused when it showed not Tyson’s

  • @FarmerSlayerFromTheEdoPeriod
    @FarmerSlayerFromTheEdoPeriod Рік тому +678

    Ah, witness protection... The thing Michael WASNT IN.

  • @gobdeep
    @gobdeep Рік тому +811

    "Not one rule abiding witness has been harmed or killed while under protection." But we wouldn't know that... because we don't know who they are... because they have another identity. Things that make you say hmmmm.

    • @mnm1273
      @mnm1273 Рік тому +109

      The agency that's running witness protection does though. Obviously they could be lying, although it being an official government stat gives it a none 0 level of credibility.

    • @gobdeep
      @gobdeep Рік тому +90

      @@mnm1273 They are from the government and they are here to help. "It's weird. Every single one of our witnesses that have been killed also dropped out of the program on the day they were killed. Glad we have that 100% success rate."

    • @esmeecampbell7396
      @esmeecampbell7396 Рік тому +52

      True. In the UK I know someone, an entire family relocated to my village.
      A mother and about 6 kids. They couldn't be photographed etc, all to try and stop the father from finding out where they were.
      Within a month they'd all got Facebook accounts under their real names and were posting where they were.
      The kids were stupid but raised by that family you can't really blame the children, some of the teenage ones you can they should know better.
      Sadly the father didn't come down to deal with the mother so they've continued to live here sponging off the state these last 20 years. They don't work (because goodness me that would be too much of a risk, far safer they just spend all day socialising and claiming unemployment while going on 3 holidays per year paid for by my taxes)
      About a half a million pounds or more to relocate them and it was technically wasted within a month.
      We should recoup the cost of wasted tax payer money by selling her organs on the black market...

    • @mario97br
      @mario97br Рік тому +7

      Dying is against the rules xD

    • @KVWI
      @KVWI Рік тому +98

      ​@@esmeecampbell7396 You sound like a really nice person, huh

  • @eliwilson3902
    @eliwilson3902 Рік тому +215

    We had a guy in my neighborhood when we first moved in my parents called "witness protection guy". The guy moved in right when the neighborhood was built, was never even seen there (garbage cans ana cars would be moved so signs of life but nobody ever really met the guy) then one day out of the blue, the guy was gone. Just moved out after a few months. We have no idea if he was actually witness protection we just called him that because that would explain the oddity of the situation. Moving in, not talking to anyone, then leaving like you were never even there. Even stranger, this was before the internet but the house sold right away before they could even post a sign in the yard.

    • @ben2474
      @ben2474 Рік тому

      The majority of witness protection houses are those seized by the FBI / government bodies in general, be it through busts/raids or court case wins, etc. They then turn those houses into witness protection safehouses. Few are just bought on the open market, at least the ones we know about....

    • @kiiturii
      @kiiturii Рік тому +91

      basically what I am to my neighbours as a night shift worker lol

    • @edwardscott3262
      @edwardscott3262 Рік тому

      Growing up there was a house in our neighborhood all the kids thought sold cocaine. Cocaine because the type of people were a lot more rough than you would see with like say a pot dealer. The people there didn't work, weren't disabled or anything like that.
      It turned out they had ads in the yellow pages and newspapers for years for escorts. All us dumb kids called those ads for laughs not knowing the calls were literally going to a neighbor. The rough looking people we saw were pimps and hookers dropping off their part of the deal.
      They ran those ads for years. They were exactly what you have heard and they had no fear from law enforcement. Law enforcement at that time was too busy harassing the old guy with cancer in the neighborhood for his grass being too long or harassing others for unplanted cars in their driveways to ever car about in your face human trafficking.

    • @yankees29
      @yankees29 3 місяці тому +3

      Sounds like he was a really smart drug dealer.

  • @melimsah
    @melimsah Рік тому +711

    I loved the thruline bit of your identity being secret. One of your best videos yet, made me giggle.

    • @mario_k
      @mario_k Рік тому +15

      the lore behind who Sam is thickens

    • @pdrt2377
      @pdrt2377 Рік тому +15

      The best part is that it’s really not, he has no issue showing his face in Jet Lag

  • @kaitlyn__L
    @kaitlyn__L Рік тому +337

    Was lowkey hoping you'd mention how Henry Hill (from Goodfellas) actually got kicked out of the witness protection program because he kept bragging about being the guy from Goodfellas when he got drunk and they got sick of having to relocate him so many times. Also his wife divorced him partly because of all the hassle of the aforementioned relocations.

    • @realdragon
      @realdragon 10 місяців тому

      I don't think this should be a thing

    • @f4rr3r
      @f4rr3r 9 місяців тому +41

      This is… not true. He was kicked out of witness protection for dealing cocaine several years before Goodfellas was released.

    • @kaitlyn__L
      @kaitlyn__L 9 місяців тому +14

      @@f4rr3r he was kicked out multiple times, IIRC it was 3 or 4 times

    • @Wendy_O._Koopa
      @Wendy_O._Koopa 4 місяці тому +5

      Wait... is Goodfellas... _real?_ By which I mean based on a true story? I've never actually seen it, all I know about it is that it held the record for most F-bombs for some time.

    • @caitlyn8475
      @caitlyn8475 4 місяці тому +3

      ⁠@@Wendy_O._Koopayup! Based off a book called “Wise Guy” by Nicholas Pileggi! Good read

  • @Zanzubaa
    @Zanzubaa Рік тому +466

    I wonder what happens if the witness has debts they cannot immediatly pay off. Even a mortage could get complicated if you where in negative equity.

    • @Xenuos
      @Xenuos Рік тому +112

      I'd guess it all goes through WITSEC and they handle it for them

    • @garf02
      @garf02 Рік тому +84

      I
      DECLARE
      BANKRUPTCY!!!!

    • @theshuman100
      @theshuman100 Рік тому +25

      thats why the success rate only applies to law abiding citizens

    • @Keitorin2013
      @Keitorin2013 Рік тому +32

      I was thinking the same. I have quite a bit of student loan debt, so if I was required to pay it all off before getting my new identity… I’d be screwed, hahaha! 😅

    • @Berkeloid0
      @Berkeloid0 Рік тому +134

      @@Keitorin2013 If they can set people up with a new birth certificate and fake school records, I'm sure they could arrange a new student loan you have to pay off, and use the proceeds to anonymously pay off the original loan. They'd effectively transfer the debts to your new identity, in a way that doesn't leave any sort of paper trail.

  • @ricequackers
    @ricequackers Рік тому +771

    I'm interested to know how WITSEC defends against its own officers being compromised and corrupted by criminals. If I was a mob boss I'd be trying to get one of my own guys hired to work there.

    • @tymenvanessen3119
      @tymenvanessen3119 Рік тому +331

      like he said, a witsec officer would only know about 1 family in the program at a time, which they do not get to choose.
      so the chance that a well monitored person would be putting in the work to only maybe get to know the location of the specific snitch they are trying to catch would be way to much work.

    • @Berkeloid0
      @Berkeloid0 Рік тому +21

      @@tymenvanessen3119 But if the mob boss got 10 of his guys hired...?

    • @AG-yc7vt
      @AG-yc7vt Рік тому +248

      @@Berkeloid0 The mob boss is going to have to wait for 20 years of their US Marshal career to pass before they get considered for WITSEC. Also they need a spotless record since WITSEC agents are usually doing it until they retire or are promoted to Head of Special Agents. (The top of WITSEC). So position’s don’t open up for years unless someone retires.

    • @despareint
      @despareint Рік тому +15

      @@Berkeloid0 you think that the mob boss or anyone simply could get into the Witsec?

    • @Berkeloid0
      @Berkeloid0 Рік тому +27

      @@despareint No, I think it would be nearly impossible. But the person I was replying to said the program could not be compromised because your informant would only deal with one case at a time, so I pointed out that if you were capable of getting one informant in there, then you only need repeat the process to get more informants in there in order to compromise it.

  • @michaelstooksbury2256
    @michaelstooksbury2256 Рік тому +250

    My grandfather was head of transportation for James Earl Ray (MLK’s killer) after he escaped from prison. The press got so bad, and because they were afraid he’d be assassinated, they sent an empty prison van to the front of the courthouse and drove Ray to the back in my Grandmother’s 1960’s Ford Falcon. I still have the cigarette lighter from that Ford Falcon.

  • @brainandforce
    @brainandforce Рік тому +145

    I love how your sons are Oscar and Lando. McLaren fan confirmed.

    • @dfp327
      @dfp327 Рік тому +7

      Poor Sam...

    • @CaseFaceMcGee
      @CaseFaceMcGee Рік тому +32

      Zak Brown probably wants to enter witness protection based on how this season is starting

    •  Рік тому

      Not surprising, as he had a McLaren cap in season 3 of Jet Lag.

    • @sotongz88
      @sotongz88 17 днів тому

      He gave Lando's birthdate to Oscar at 3:01

  • @thesourpatchkidd579
    @thesourpatchkidd579 11 місяців тому +52

    Our sense of reality is warped by tv and film. Because stories around law enforcement agencies continue to be one of the most profitable genres out there we take what we see as fact- there’s a consistent way Hollywood portrays each career path and it’s activities, but in reality it’s way more boring than you’d think. The same is true for witness protection. As long as you follow the rules you would be safe- it’s when you slip up that you get caught up. But media opts for the more dramatized version where super assassins can find a needle in the ocean because it makes for a more exciting story, but because we see it so often we take it as fact.

    • @hansshekelstein9450
      @hansshekelstein9450 20 днів тому

      Yep. It’s pretty constant across anything. Military shows love to hype the 1% of things, the “super elite navy seal team”, or documentaries love to focus on the “war winning wonder weapons” when 99% of the military is not that, and most of the important weapons of war are mass produced and pretty average.
      Same with heist or crime movies too. The most effective robberies are the simple, low security banks. Most criminal murders and hits are usually the easiest and most deniable, like drive bys or something.
      You know not multi step high profile bank heists or teams of highly trained gunmen storming a mansion to kill one guy. Real life is just pretty mundane.

  • @adamofblastworks1517
    @adamofblastworks1517 Рік тому +23

    3:33 "at least 90 days of subsistence payments... On average about $1,150 a week."
    That's more than TWICE what I made while working in a factory.

    • @iprq7276
      @iprq7276 Рік тому

      So? The government takes away the money the second he stops looking for the job and it's only for 90 days. What do you expect? The government to literally rip away everything in his life and survive in a foreign area with nothing?

    • @hint0122
      @hint0122 2 місяці тому +1

      Me too

  • @ratoim
    @ratoim Рік тому +168

    It's scary how well some bad guys can do their job. Get tasked to find witness, learn of funeral, realize witness may show up, remember witness has house in area, confirm witness presence at funeral, drive over to house, and rig bomb without being seen or leaving traces that would tip off witness. And since this wasn't a one person operation, there had to have been close timed coordination between the those who handled the relationship aspect and those who handled the hardware.

    • @justinwyllie3359
      @justinwyllie3359 11 місяців тому +41

      You don't have to do all that planning. Just leave a bomb there as a backup plan in case they come back. It's pretty simple to assume that someone will go back to their house.
      They most likely didn't know that he was back and just left it there when they saw the empty house.

    • @realdragon
      @realdragon 10 місяців тому +1

      It doesn't have to be bomb, witness could have "accident"

  • @gavhoffdrums3129
    @gavhoffdrums3129 Рік тому +34

    Could you imagine being transported in a mail truck, I'm willing to bet if there going that far they probably put the witness in a box as well to get him from the truck to inside lol

    • @brodriguez11000
      @brodriguez11000 Рік тому +4

      Funny how the picture of the "mail truck" was a Fedex truck. Talk about rough handling.

  • @leotrollstoy2351
    @leotrollstoy2351 Рік тому +52

    I really wish witness protection would be offered more often in gang cases, how could you expect someone to put a bullseye on their head without protecting them?

  • @joew8438
    @joew8438 Рік тому +49

    Stationing cartel witnesses in Orange County is the dumbest thing I've ever heard of. It's too close to the Southern border and the main smuggling corridor. Hit teams can just drive in and drive out. Or the witnesses themselves could decide to flee the country and be out of the country before breakfast. Other than El Paso or Nogales, I can't imagine there's a worse spot for a drug witness.

    • @joseville
      @joseville 11 місяців тому +6

      That's why they sent him to Aspen, CO instead
      (Good point though)

  • @the_reconnaisant
    @the_reconnaisant Рік тому +60

    Sam, can you make a video about the logistics of bricks? 😊

    • @Ralofguy
      @Ralofguy Рік тому +13

      The bricks are under witness protection, speaking about bricks is strictly prohibited.

  • @buggytheprophet1017
    @buggytheprophet1017 3 місяці тому +7

    Fun fact: when a witness is found, the program takes their designation as “protected witness” away from said person, so they never lose a “protected witness”

  • @MICHAEL-ke7vh
    @MICHAEL-ke7vh Рік тому +22

    Michael Townley (DeSanta) was never in witness protection!

  • @777gpower
    @777gpower Рік тому +15

    4:20 so now I’m curious about Half as Interesting’s past

    • @sashaschmidt2019
      @sashaschmidt2019 Рік тому +3

      The town he mentioned that with the relocation is also the town where he lives

    • @DinoRicky
      @DinoRicky 4 місяці тому +1

      @@sashaschmidt2019I think it’s just a skit as this vid was made by Amy miller and unless she’s ratting him out than it’s fake

  • @djb1634
    @djb1634 Рік тому +27

    It is easy to get 100% success when you grade your own test. In other words you are not meant to know who is in WP. Therefore anyone who goes “missing” can be said to not have been in WP.

  • @mildredthegoat8340
    @mildredthegoat8340 Рік тому +45

    Those of us who are pretty nifty, are grateful for the extra work you put into the little details! It made my day!

  • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
    @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Рік тому +24

    I love how this channel keeps building lore about Sam from HAI. It's like he's an entirely different persona from Sam Denby.

  • @grl_adventures
    @grl_adventures 5 місяців тому +2

    Love your videos! Tyson’s corner mall is 10min from where I was born and raised and it’s always been the closest mall! :)
    Always excited when you come out with new videos! You’re going great work!

  • @brettabraham
    @brettabraham Рік тому +67

    Half as Interesting: exposing the secrets that keep witnesses safe for your enjoyment! 😂
    Edit: secrets that are keeping him safe???

  • @LaszloR1
    @LaszloR1 Рік тому +38

    Witness protection for what? No one was convicted of anything.

  • @EternamDoov
    @EternamDoov Рік тому +7

    Thank you to whoever put in the sponsorblock sections for filler/jokes. There are seven of them and I'm glad I didn't have to experience them

  • @jontedeakin1986
    @jontedeakin1986 Рік тому +11

    1:37 shocks me that polygraphs are still used in the modern justice system

    • @Raisinininin
      @Raisinininin Рік тому

      Yeah they suck

    • @R_C420
      @R_C420 Рік тому +1

      Artificial Intelligence can polygraph yo ass wirelessly

    • @Raisinininin
      @Raisinininin Рік тому

      @@R_C420 (censored) (censored) (censored) and (censored) or (censored) (censored)

  • @ethangraff8704
    @ethangraff8704 Рік тому +19

    Amazing that Sam could afford to hire the Bojack Horseman writers for that intro

  • @markmcdonald1022
    @markmcdonald1022 Рік тому +16

    This may sound strange, but I was so excited to hear the ad read. 80000 hours is an excellent organization that helps people do good in the world more effectively. And I'm all about efficiency.

  • @nnnnnn6793
    @nnnnnn6793 Рік тому +7

    the delivery and writing of the line "super murdered" had me pig laughing. please keep doing wat you're doing.

  • @Aesthetycs
    @Aesthetycs Рік тому +7

    0:36 “not one rule-abiding witness has been harmed or killed” until there’s Trevor.

    • @cannedfrootloops7803
      @cannedfrootloops7803 2 місяці тому

      A certain speedrunner is now feeling a disturbance in the force

  • @egyphon
    @egyphon Рік тому +2

    Loved it! I loved the show In Plain Sight you referenced.

  • @artielikesthings
    @artielikesthings Рік тому +41

    Crime Spree feels a lot different after watching this video

  • @Ram-en3zq
    @Ram-en3zq Рік тому +6

    2:57 those 2 weird sons are not gonna have a fun time this year at McLaren

    • @alphaca66
      @alphaca66 2 дні тому

      They are having fun this year tho

  • @spddiesel
    @spddiesel Рік тому +21

    "My Blue Heaven" is a great movie featuring witness protection. It's also considered the comedy version of "Goodfellas," kinda.

    • @robbienorton9522
      @robbienorton9522 11 місяців тому

      it worked back before internet days...today not so much.

  • @Kiwi2703
    @Kiwi2703 Рік тому +20

    One question though - even if someone in witness protection were harmed, would we, the general public, actually get to know about it?

    • @SocksPropaganda
      @SocksPropaganda Рік тому +17

      Well they tend to have an ethical responsibility to report accurate data but we know the government doesn't always act ethically. It's probably not too far off though

    • @isthissparta1485
      @isthissparta1485 10 місяців тому +2

      @@SocksPropaganda Or they have a greater ethical responsibility to bust organized crime, so they classify someone who gets harmed as a rule breaker so more witnesses are willing to rat on organized crime groups

    • @marietailor3100
      @marietailor3100 4 місяці тому +3

      Or there’s the more charitable way to look at it. Criminals thinking it’s possible to successfully murder witnesses in protection makes it more likely that those criminals will try and/or succeed. If it seems like finding and killing someone in witsec is impossible, then criminals will resort to other tactics that don’t involve going after those people.

    • @user-ip5hm5tb8z
      @user-ip5hm5tb8z 3 місяці тому

      ​@@marietailor3100i do not say It IS Impossible... People are flawed...

  • @kevindavis5693
    @kevindavis5693 Рік тому +169

    The joke about Waffle House was absolutely perfect.

    • @galenwilds3273
      @galenwilds3273 6 місяців тому

      I would 100% believe that every waffle house is staffed purely by ex-mafiosos in witness protection

  • @Firescout23
    @Firescout23 Рік тому +4

    2:04 That's not Tyson's Corner Mall, that's Tyson's Galleria. Tyson's Corner is on the other side of 123. That's its northern parking garage at the bottom center of the video

  • @ultrab2777
    @ultrab2777 Рік тому +7

    As an Aspen lover, seeing how often such an awesome place comes up in your videos is really sick.

  • @CinemaDemocratica
    @CinemaDemocratica Рік тому +11

    Mother's maiden name: Wend
    Father's maiden name: Over
    Transcripts: All D's and F's
    Both the buyer and the seller of the house have (at least some of) a real address, and in that document it is revealed that Sam is also the owner of the Miami Heat, which he runs out of his house, but still doesn't know that the possessive form of "it" is "its" without the apostrophe. The sale price of the house is $2.2Billion. His only unpaid debt is his tuition to Keiser University, the balance of which was due eight years ago.

  • @jeffkadlec8264
    @jeffkadlec8264 Рік тому +51

    Some of your videos are funny & informative.
    Others are ridiculously hilarious & informative.
    This one was the latter - great job!!

  • @imjustkenough
    @imjustkenough Рік тому +4

    As a NOVA resident, that 2 second Tysons mention made me feel so seen

    • @insertchannelnamehere8685
      @insertchannelnamehere8685 Рік тому

      Except he put the pin on the wrong mall ( Tysons Corner mall is across 123, he put it on the Tysons Galleria)

  • @im_nikkys
    @im_nikkys 11 місяців тому +1

    Thanks for leaving the ad at the end of the video, some people put mid roll ads and it can completely ruin the video for me.

  • @rwall514
    @rwall514 Рік тому +1

    Wait, Tyson's corner mall?
    There was a hotel there with a bunch of cables that nobody could explain running into it when it was demolished! Right on Leesburg Pike.

  • @blazernitrox6329
    @blazernitrox6329 Рік тому +8

    We know where you are, Sean. We're coming for you.

  • @Moonflower-gn3xd
    @Moonflower-gn3xd Рік тому +4

    0:07 sounds like a Bojack horseman bit

  • @thegeneralissimo470
    @thegeneralissimo470 Рік тому +3

    Excellent as always.

  • @wgrandbois
    @wgrandbois Рік тому +15

    I guess Sam has decided to just be open about living in Aspen now that he's usually off galivanting around the world. :P

  • @fsmoura
    @fsmoura Рік тому +10

    By eliminating the witnesses when they fail, so no one is ever the wiser! ( o.o)

  • @mired914
    @mired914 Рік тому +7

    "but the rats don't run this city, we do". made me laugh lol. thanks

  • @RyanPlate
    @RyanPlate Рік тому +4

    4:30 "...where they get suuuper murdered" 😂

  • @nobye9716
    @nobye9716 4 місяці тому +2

    My mom went missing 5 years ago, the police said it's very possible she is in witsec and he would never know to tell us...

  • @JK-mo2ov
    @JK-mo2ov Рік тому +7

    That moment when half as interesting becomes a full blown Wendover video.

  • @twofive9068
    @twofive9068 Рік тому +6

    Love how the two weird sons are Oscar and Lando.

  • @lumberjackofalltrades
    @lumberjackofalltrades Рік тому +2

    knock knock "FBI OPEN UP"
    "Hol on lemme do this ad read really quick"
    "aight bet"

  • @mrshadow4007
    @mrshadow4007 3 місяці тому +1

    Thanks a lot! This video just helped me find my buddy Michael after he ghosted me one day. The other guys in the crew will be so happy.

  • @teradaryo
    @teradaryo Рік тому +10

    This is a great video that I've watched in full to the end!

    • @Soul-Burn
      @Soul-Burn Рік тому +7

      The whole 6 minutes? Not bad, not bad.

    • @Massive-3D
      @Massive-3D Рік тому +1

      me who watched 1 HOUR SILENCE BLACK SCREEN HD in full:

    • @real_dddf
      @real_dddf Рік тому

      @@Massive-3D is there even a difference between HD and 480p for that said video?

  • @MultiSciGeek
    @MultiSciGeek 4 місяці тому +7

    This is actually pretty extensive! Considering they could have just dropped charges in exchange for info, the fact that they provide you with new documents, relocate you, and give you money is quite surprising for a country like the US.

  • @chrispychip6569
    @chrispychip6569 Рік тому +2

    One mistake you made was when you put that pin on "tysons corner mall". There is no plave called that. There are two main big malls at tysons corner. The one you have highlighted is called Tysons galleria or tysons 2 which does not have a victorias secret. The other mall is tysons corner center which does have a victorias secret.

  • @Beaula2
    @Beaula2 Рік тому

    That song near the end is chill AF

  • @alchemyty
    @alchemyty Рік тому +3

    At one point (about 3:00) it's mentioned he can't change identities until he pays off all his debts then quickly moved on. How does one "quickly" pay off their debts? I'd assume the program helped with it?

  • @theemclane4037
    @theemclane4037 Рік тому +3

    2:18 IS THAT HOMELANDER from The Boys?

  • @ToLovelyJesus
    @ToLovelyJesus Рік тому

    That was very interesting, thank you.

  • @tubanbodyslammer9125
    @tubanbodyslammer9125 Рік тому +2

    I'm still thinking about John lapolla

  • @JasonicDistortion
    @JasonicDistortion Рік тому +3

    Sam, thanks for recognizing that I'm pretty nifty, and yes, it was pretty wild that I decided to check that last ¶. Thanks for putting in the extra effort!

  • @paveladamek3502
    @paveladamek3502 Рік тому +5

    As a person currently in the program and happily living in Intercourse, PA I can attest to the accuracy of this description and I will say this Intercourse was a hit and a-mish.

  • @theultimatereductionist7592

    I love the "vacation-style" music in the background.

  • @Yaheeeeee
    @Yaheeeeee Рік тому +2

    This man just made a perfect Glock advertisement “instead of stitches get switches” 😂

  • @Breitiger
    @Breitiger Рік тому +7

    what happens if you have debt that you can't pay off but they really need your testimony?

    • @hint0122
      @hint0122 2 місяці тому

      They do a payment plan, or transfer some to your new identity

  • @Michael_De_Santa-Unofficial
    @Michael_De_Santa-Unofficial Рік тому +24

    I was never in Witness Protection.

  • @darren1139
    @darren1139 Рік тому +2

    lol, That "sniper" at 4:08 is using a Typhoon F12, 12 gauge shotgun.

  • @glitchinthesystem4798
    @glitchinthesystem4798 Рік тому +2

    2:35 MFW HAI mentions the city where I live.

  • @HalfAsleepSam
    @HalfAsleepSam Рік тому +4

    Just pointing out that Sam is totally not in witness protection, Sam is totally a name that people not in witness protection would ever pick

  • @Jacob_Buehler
    @Jacob_Buehler Рік тому +7

    It’s crazy how accurate this is!

  • @Topgun232
    @Topgun232 Рік тому +2

    1:05 bro is trying to hold in his laughter.

  • @32OrtonEdge32dh
    @32OrtonEdge32dh Рік тому

    Someone already mentioned getting the map wrong for Tysons, but it also doesn't have an apostrophe. Just trying to help you pad the next Mistakes video

  • @mattsonn
    @mattsonn Рік тому +3

    Did you just listen to the stuff they don’t want you to know podcast? That just did a great episode on witness protection.

  • @brandonlouis1542
    @brandonlouis1542 Рік тому +3

    What if the person undergoing witness protection decides to re-live his life of crime, like say Michael De Santa (Townley) and suddenly meets his old friend from his crime days, like say Trevor, would his witness protection program get sacked?

    • @hint0122
      @hint0122 2 місяці тому

      Definitely.

  • @aidankelly4543
    @aidankelly4543 Рік тому

    good looks for doing the ad at the end

  • @yuuneeq9494
    @yuuneeq9494 5 місяців тому +1

    1:20 one of the funniest pics I've seen this week.

  • @floppyjj
    @floppyjj Рік тому +46

    Think about it, what is worse getting killed or changing your entire life?
    Basically giving up just everything (your job, friends, extended family, things you loved to do, etc.).
    I think the criminals don't mind knowing that the snitch will always live with this mental struggle for the rest of his life.
    For the criminals it would almost be the same as killing him. He is no longer existing in their world/close proximity and even if he returns. They will make him no longer existing. Probably in the most horrible way, if they get to him in person. (Not like in the example of the video with a trap)
    Tbh i can imagine a lot of people in the Witsec programm commited suicide (because they left everything behind and regretted it) this would also explain/go with the 100 % success rate...

    • @Lucky10279
      @Lucky10279 Рік тому +20

      The idea is that the person in trial or their associate's would try to kill the witness *to prevent them from testifying.*

    • @floppyjj
      @floppyjj Рік тому +8

      @@Lucky10279 i do know what the idea behind witsec is... even before i watched the video above. Have you even read my comment?

    • @Berkeloid0
      @Berkeloid0 Рік тому +13

      @@Lucky10279 The problem is even after they have testified, they still have a target on their back as the criminals want to send a message to anyone else thinking of snitching. Otherwise if it was easy to snitch and you could get away with it, everyone would be doing it and their criminal empires would fall apart.

    • @leftysheppey
      @leftysheppey Рік тому +5

      I'd happily leave everything behind and start anew. I have no strong connections to people where I currently live; I'm only still here because
      1) half decent job
      2) I bought a house because I hate moving house, and it's cheaper than rent

    • @NO0MMM
      @NO0MMM Рік тому +12

      Being killed is worse. Not everyone has a lot of friends and family to lose, especially if you’ve been doing shady things and all your “friends” are criminals or connected to that lifestyle.
      I’d for sure take the chance to rebuild a life if I had to, instead of giving up and letting myself be tortured and murdered

  • @nityodaytekchandani701
    @nityodaytekchandani701 Рік тому +2

    5:25 that's a nice text

  • @Mirsab
    @Mirsab Рік тому +2

    The title "Princess Protection Program" used to confuse me so much when I was younger!

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Рік тому

      I still can't hear the words "witness protection program" without thinking of that movie.

  • @Tcoc11
    @Tcoc11 Рік тому +5

    Michael Townley be like:

  • @greeniehead8094
    @greeniehead8094 Рік тому +5

    Honestly, I'm not sure that I would believe that this is true. I'd be happy to believe they've got a 99% or maybe even better success rate, but I very much doubt 100% just due to how many people they've hidden. And it would make perfect sense for them to lie about it since for someone whose life is at risk, the difference between 99% and 100% is still pretty big and they may not want to come forward if they are perfectly safe if they just continue as they are.

    • @screamingcactus1753
      @screamingcactus1753 Рік тому +7

      A. They're frequently moved to the opposite side of the country. Very few crime organizations have a significant foothold on both coasts
      B. Crime organizations don't want to mess with people who are explicitly under the protection of the federal government, there's far too much heat there
      These two factors alone would probably obtain a 99% success rate, and that's before changing their identity. Add that in and I really don't find it that unbelievable that Witness Protection has a perfect track record. The situations where all the steps they take are necessary would be one in a million.

    • @WyvernYT
      @WyvernYT 11 місяців тому +2

      It's easy enough to believe that the people who follow the rules about hiding do indeed stay hidden. But once they expose themselves, well...

    • @user-ip5hm5tb8z
      @user-ip5hm5tb8z 3 місяці тому

      @@screamingcactus1753 i am sorry brother.. The Human being is flawed by their own nature... i can't believe in 100%..

  • @-szega
    @-szega 8 місяців тому +1

    0:40 One easy bureaucrats trick: Everyone who ends up hurt is found to have broken a rule, nobody said breaking a rule had anything to do with getting hurt.

  • @Dinoakin991
    @Dinoakin991 Рік тому +1

    I know the dude who essentially wrote the book for this, he changed his identity around 19 times. It’s pretty cool

  • @gianfrancoortizvera6161
    @gianfrancoortizvera6161 4 місяці тому +6

    Witness protection for what?! No one was convicted of anything

    • @juleswillow
      @juleswillow 4 місяці тому

      was looking for this comment 😂