Original Gangsters Podcast · Original Gangsters, a True Crime Talk Podcast

Kansas City Street Legend Eddie Cox on His Former Life and Story of Redemption

·58 min·1 clip

He helped inspire the film King of New York and spent 30 years in prison, now doing paralegal work helping others get out.

Original Gangsters podcast features 89-year-old Eddie Cox, a Kansas City organized crime legend who inspired the film King of New York. Eddie operated in the Black Mafia (despite being white) in the 1960s-80s, acting as a bridge between Black and Italian organized crime. He was connected with Doc Dearborn, Eugene Richardson, and the Sevilla family, and frequently visited Las Vegas. Convicted in 1970, 1982, and 1989, Eddie spent 30 years at Leavenworth prison. Starting in the late 1950s, he studied law extensively, becoming a legendary jailhouse lawyer known coast-to-coast for helping inmates navigate the legal system. Released in 2021, he now works as a paralegal for Tom Nord in Springfield, Missouri. Co-guest Rusty Marks, 89, follows a parallel arc: grew up in Hispanic Texas neighborhood, became drug intermediary, connected with Colombians who owned a BMW dealership next to the skateboard park where he hung out. His chemist roommate tested cocaine from Colombian supplies. Arrested in 1990 for cocaine trafficking, Rusty received mandatory life sentence as one of the first three-strike law prosecutions. Meeting Eddie in Leavenworth prison (early 1990s), Rusty worked 10 hours daily in the law library for 7 days a week under Eddie's mentorship. Eddie's philosophy: become valuable to everyone through legal expertise rather than join a gang crew, avoiding dependence on any single faction. Today, Eddie and Rusty work together securing compassionate releases and appeals, recently helping Mark Sorrentino (Kansas City mob figure) achieve release for cancer treatment.

As heard by us

An underworld life story that moves from prison history to legal work in Springfield.

Scott Bernstein presents Eddie Cox as a Kansas City underworld figure whose path runs from notoriety to about 30 years in prison and then to quieter work helping people navigate the legal system.

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Why you'd press play

You want an underworld-to-redemption interview with prison and post-release work detail.

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