WE tv’s new prison romance reality series Love After Lockup turned four weeks old tonight, and viewers FINALLY get to meet Angela and her incarcerated fiance Tony. We previously shared some information about Angela in an in-depth profile post, and now we have some details on Tony’s (real name Antonio) rather extensive criminal history.
We will pick up with Tony’s 2009 arrest near Lake Tahoe, Nevada. According to numerous news reports, Tony was picked up along with two others as part of a month-long investigation into alleged drug distribution — including the sell of ecstasy at a nearby high school. On January 28, 2009, Antonio was arrested on suspicion of two counts of trafficking in a controlled substance, conspiracy to violate the Uniform Controlled Substances Act, possession of stolen property, and ex-felon in possession of firearms. His bail was set at $75,000, but apparently the amount was moot because he had a “no-bail hold” due to a parole violation in California.
When police arrested Tony and the two other suspects they recovered 15.8 grams of suspected psilocybin mushrooms, 127 suspected Ecstasy tablets, cocaine, drug paraphernalia, prescription pills, a price list, firearms, GPS units and aviation gear. Those last three items were from a burglary that occurred at a Minden-Tahoe Airport business location where Tony used to work. Stolen in the burglary were multiple AK-47 and SKS assault rifles, sporting-type firearms, portable global positioning system units and aviation electronics. Being in the possession of all these stolen firearms was doubly bad for Tony because he was already a convicted felon.
Tony was later found guilty of trafficking in a controlled substance, burglary of a firearm, and ex-felon in possession of a firearm. In April of 2009 a judge sentenced him to two ten-year terms and one five-year term in Nevada State Prison with his first chance at parole being roughly five years later.
At his sentencing, Tony pleaded with the judge for leniency. “I really think there is a chance for my future,” he said. “A long prison term would really hold me back. I made a big mistake here. I don’t think I should be punished. I might be discouraged after a prolonged incarceration.”
The judge was having none of it, especially considering that Tony had six prior felony convictions. “I don’t believe hardly anything you said,” the judge told Tony. “You need to examine yourself and find out if there’s anything truthful about you.” The judge added: “I am disgusted by you making a living selling drugs and stealing from a person you worked for.”
It seems that Tony did get his parole after five years, but that was a good news/bad news situation because his next online arrest records are from 2014. One is from California and the other is from Nevada, but neither provide any details on his arrest(s).
Tony’s WE tv bio states “The hunky convict, 13 years her junior, is currently serving three years for possession of a firearm.” I am going to guess that Tony somehow violated his parole and returned to serve out the remainder of his sentence for the previous firearm possession charge. If he was serving three years and was released in 2017 (in order to be on Love After Lockup), then his conviction would have been in 2014. There’s no way he wasn’t still on parole at the time, and if it was a separate firearm possession charge, then I would assume his sentence would have been much longer than just three years given that the new charge would have also been a parole violation.
Angela seems like a nice lady, but I am not optimistic about her chances at a happily ever after with Tony. I suppose we will all have to tune in to new episodes of Love After Lockup airing Friday nights at 10/9c on WE tv to find out if she gets one!
