Richard Thomas Porter (July 26, 1965January 3, 1990), better known as Rich Porter, was an American drug kingpin and gangster who rose to prominence in the

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

neighborhood of New York City during the crack era in the mid–1980s. The 2002 film '' Paid in Full'' was based on Rich and his partners

Azie Faison Azie Faison Jr. (born November 10, 1964), sometimes known by the nickname AZ, is an American former drug dealer and businessman from Harlem, New York City. He attained notoriety during the War on Drugs era as an individual drug dealer during the ...

and Alpo Martinez.

Life

Born Richard Thomas Porter in the

section of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, Porter was the oldest of three children born to Velma Porter. He had a younger sister Patricia (born in 1966) and brother William Donnell (1977-c.1990). Porter began selling drugs at the age of 12, rising through the ranks of the drug trade in Harlem. He became known for his flamboyant and high-profile lifestyle. He was rumored to have never worn the same outfit twice and that he owned over a dozen luxury vehicles that he kept in a garage in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

during the height of his career as a drug dealer.

Death

Rich Porter was murdered on January 3, 1990, and his body was found in the vicinity of Orchard Beach,

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

the following day. Porter had been shot several times in the head and chest and at the time of his death police found $2,239 (equivalent to $5,446 in 2024) in his pocket. Porter's friend and former drug dealing partner Alpo Martinez was charged with the murder and was later convicted. On December 5, 1989, Porter's 12-year-old brother William Porter was kidnapped in

on his way to school. The kidnappers cut William’s finger off in order to extort $500,000, later lowered to $350,000, in ransom money from Rich. William was eventually killed and his body was found on January 28, 1990, a mile away from where Rich's body was found, less than one month after Rich's murder. William and Rich's maternal uncle Johnny “Apple” Porter was found to be responsible for William’s kidnapping and murder.

In popular culture

The 2002 film '' Paid in Full'' was based on the life and death of Rich, and his involvement in drug dealing along with

and Alpo Martinez. His character was portrayed by fellow

native

Mekhi Phifer Mekhi Phifer ( ; born December 29, 1974) is an American actor. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s, Phifer was known for a few notable roles in films including ''Clockers (film), Clockers'', ''Soul Food (film), Soul Food'', ''High School High' ...

. Richard Porter and the kidnapping and murder of his 12-year-old brother are also the subject of an episode of ''

The FBI Files ''The FBI Files'' is an American television docudrama series that originally ran from 1998 to 2006 on the Discovery Channel and produced by New Dominion Pictures. The show was cancelled in 2006. However, Court TV Mystery, Discovery, and its si ...

'' (Season 03, Episode 18) "The C-11 Squad".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Rich 1965 births 1990 deaths American drug traffickers African-American gangsters Murdered American gangsters People murdered by African-American organized crime People from Harlem Criminals from Manhattan Gangsters from New York City People murdered in New York City Deaths by firearm in the Bronx 20th-century African-American people 1990 murders in the United States