A SAD TALE TO TELL –
Sept. 6, 2023 – He also founded The Prodigy Foundation, a non-profit organization that aimed to end mass incarceration and expand literacy in American prisons. He was engaged to Karina Franco, who confirmed his death on Facebook. Ryan Leone was born on August 3, 1985, in Framingham, Massachusetts. He became involved with drugs at a very young age and dropped out of high school. He went on to become part of the Mendoza Clan, an infamous drug cartel that operated a heroin ring out of Mexico. He was arrested and sentenced to five years in federal prison for his involvement with the cartel.
It was during his time behind bars that he wrote his first novel, Wasting Talent, which was published in 2013. The book received critical acclaim and was praised by authors such as Bret Easton Ellis and Jim Uhls. Leone described his writing style as “transgressive fiction”, which explored the dark and taboo aspects of human nature.
Leone also ventured into film production and sold the rights to his novel to William De Los Santos, the screenwriter and producer of the addiction film Spun. He also collaborated with De Los Santos on a documentary about his life, titled Idiot Savant: The Savage Life of Ryan Leone, which featured guest appearances from celebrities such as Johnny Depp, Tommy Chong, Nick Stahl, and George Jung.
