Forthcoming Book: Ryan Wedding
Ron Chepesiuk announces a new book contract with Hamilcar Publishers for a forthcoming true-crime book on Ryan Wedding, the former Olympian turned major drug trafficker.
Read MoreAward-winningScreenwriter, Producer& True Crime Author
Host of investigative podcasts exploring crime, power, and the underworld
Ron Chepesiuk has authored 45+ books, optioned screenplays and produced documentaries exploring the criminal underworld through decades of investigative journalism.
As featured in
RON'S FORTHCOMING BOOK!
An investigation into the career and capture of notorious Canadian former skateboarding Olympian and drug trafficker Ryan Wedding.
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NEW
TV Shows & Documentaries
Bringing true crime stories to life through compelling visual narratives for major networks and streaming platforms worldwide.
2023-2024
TV Show
PARAÍSO BLANCO
PARAÍSO BLANCO tells the story, past and present, of the mastermind who changed drug trafficking forever when he decided to buy an island 340 kilometers off the coast of Florida in the 1970s.
Writer
2025
Documentary
The Bus Driver: Britain's Cocaine King
Bus-driver-turned-Cocaine-King. Jesus Ruiz Henao flooded '90s Britain with cocaine, building a billion-pound empire. It took police five years to convict him, in what would become the largest surveillance operation of its kind.
Author / Featured Expert
2024
Documentary
Ross Kemp: Mafia and Britain
Ross Kemp investigates Britain's historical connection with the mafia, understanding the background behind the relationship and revealing the truth.
Consultant Producer
2012
Documentary
The Frank Matthews Story
Frank Matthews was the biggest drug dealer in the entire United States circa 1970.Then he disappeared with $90 million in cash. He was never been found.
Director / Producer
45+ Published Works
Decades of investigative journalism and research into organized crime, drug cartels, and the criminal underworld that shapes our society.
Out of Bounds
From Broken NBA Dreams to Redemption
A rising NBA star lost it all to crack cocaine—but after addiction, homelessness, and prison, he found redemption and a second chance at life.
Out of Bounds was the 2025 runner-up for Sports Book of the Year in the American Writing Awards contest.
Award Winner
View
on Amazon
Latest Release
The Real Mr. Big
How a Colombian Refugee Became the United Kingdom's Most Notorious Cocaine Kingpin
When a Colombian immigrant quietly built one of the U.K.’s largest cocaine empires from a London suburb, the double life he lived would unravel in a downfall as dramatic as his rise.
Audiobook Available
View
on Amazon
Narcos Inc
The Rise and Fall of The Cali Cartel
For two decades, a cartel that ruled 70 percent of the world’s cocaine trade operated like a multinational empire—until its shadow war with Medellín turned Colombia into a battlefield.
5 stars on Amazon
View
on Amazon
Black Gangsters of Chicago
Beyond Capone and Giancana, Chicago’s underworld was shaped by a hidden empire of Black gangsters whose power and violence left a lasting mark on the Windy City.
4.6 Stars on Amazon
View
on Amazon
Black Caesar
The Rise and Disappearance of Frank Matthews, Kingpin
He built a vast criminal empire, then jumped bail in 1973 with $15 million and a beautiful woman—and was never seen again.
4.6 Stars on Amazon
View
on Amazon
Sergeant Smack
The Legendary Lives and Times of Ike Atkinson, Kingpin, and His Band of Brothers
During the Vietnam War, a U.S. Army sergeant turned smuggler built one of America’s biggest heroin pipelines—without firing a single shot.
Award Winner
View
on Amazon
Accolades & Recognition
“Ron could run any intelligence agency in the world.”
— Lou Diaz, former undercover DEA agent
Chepesiuk takes the reader inside the mind of a drug trafficker as he establishes his empire.
David Weeks, author
Ron delivers an eminently readable book about a genuine Mr. Big who knows that no fictional makeover is required for his compelling story – the truth is more than enough.
Steve Morris, former Publisher, New Criminologist
Ron Chepesiuk has managed to put the truth to numerous falsehoods contained in the major movie, American Gangster, about the life of Frank Lucas.
Jack Toal, retired DEA agent of Frank Lucas investigation
As a 25-year veteran of the DEA, I congratulate Ron on setting the record straight on the true story of American Gangster.
Lew Rice, former DEA Special Agent
Ron Chepesiuk has gone from publishing the Black gangster classics, Gangsters of Harlem and Black Gangsters of Chicago, to crafting Sergeant Smack, an astonishing masterpiece.
David 'Pop' Whetstone, Black Star Music and Video
Ron Chepesiuk is one of the premiere true crime investigative journalists.
Jason Brooks, Documentary Director
Latest Insights
From Ron's Notebook
Fresh investigations, awards, and behind-the-scenes updates from the world of true crime storytelling.
Crime Beat Radio Show: Upcoming 2026 Season
Crime Beat with Ron Chepesiuk tees up its 16th season—750 shows and counting—with a 2026 guest lineup spanning notorious names, investigative storytellers, and bestselling authors.
Read MoreThe Year 2025 in Review
A milestone year: book and film deals, new streaming series, award recognitions, fresh scripts in motion, and Crime Beat nearing 750 episodes—all fueling momentum into 2026.
Read MoreAbout Ron Chepesiuk
Ron Chepesiuk is an award-winning true crime author, optioned screenwriter, and documentary producer. A former full professor and investigative journalist, he has written more than 40 books, including Black Caesar, Gangsters of Harlem, and Narcos Inc: The Rise and Fall of the Cali Cartel.
His work has been recognized worldwide, with books adapted for TV and film, including the optioned Crazy Charley, set to air as a 30-part series. His acclaimed documentaries have won international awards, and his reporting has taken him to more than 35 countries.
Chepesiuk has been featured on Netflix, Discovery, History Channel, National Geographic, NBC Dateline, and more. As the host of Crime Beat Radio, he has reached millions of listeners with in-depth conversations about the criminal underworld.
Achievements & Recognition
- Forty-five plus published books
- 4,000 plus published articles
- Expert on crime and crime history
- Investigative Journalist
- Award winning author
- Optioned screenwriter
- Produced filmmaker
- Two time Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Journalism Professor to Bangladesh and Indonesia.
- Former tenured university professor
- Featured on major media networks worldwide
- Award-nominated podcast host
- Reported from 35 plus countries
- Conducted 17,000 plus interviews during writing career
"My mission is to tell the untold stories of America's criminal underworld with accuracy, depth, and respect for the victims and their families."— Ron Chepesiuk
45+
Books Published
15+
Documentaries
25+
Years Experience
100K+
Readers Worldwide
“Crime Beat is the best show of its kind for the thinking listener, both entertaining and educational.”— Al Profit, Filmmaker
CRIME BEAT with Ron Chepesiuk
Crime Beat is an online radio broadcast that puts you, the listener, into the back alleys and board rooms of the WORLD’S MOST FASCINATING SUBJECT: CRIME.
- Weekly hour‑long program, on the air since January 28, 2011.
- Airs every Thursday at 8 p.m. EST.
- Explores compelling topics from the dynamic underbelly of the world of crime.
- Guests include ex‑mobsters, undercover agents, sports officials, informants, prisoners, drug dealers, and investigative journalists.
- All shows archived and usually available within 24 hours of broadcast.
- Programs are free to download on the Artist First website.