Vato Maldito: My Life of Crime by John "Bubbles" Gallegos, edited by Raoul Vehill

I pleaded with my wife to change her mind and join me. I tried to explain that I was wanted for various robberies and probably wouldn't see daylight for a long time if I was taken down. She said she understood that, but that the family would help me when I needed it.

On the way back to Denver, I decided to quit using heroin.

I was delighted with our new family member, Elgie, and glad to be with my family again. I had been away from them for almost a year.

My wife did not appear to be in good health but after a few months she improved remarkably. I painted houses by contract to earn a living. For the most part, I stayed away from drugs, though I drank a bit overmuch.

My brother, Sam, was in college at Boulder, and building an A frame home in the mountains above the city. When the house was completed we visited him quite often. He wanted to lease the house to us until he completed his education, but I got busted before we completed the deal.

One night Leno M., his brother Ben and I decided to do a break in at an appliance store because we were all short on cash. We managed to get away initially. About an hour later though, Ben drove by the place we had hit while driving to my place. The cops were still outside talking to a witness who recognized the car as we went by. The cops came after us. The car we had was not Indy class so they soon overtook us.

The charges against me were burglary. No one could identify me for any of the robberies in Denver which I had been investigated for before I left for Los Angeles. But Jefferson County had holds on me for two supermarket and a super-drugstore robberies. I couldn't bail out. So I sat in Denver County Jail till trial.

I was charged with being a habitual criminal which carries a life sentence.

The Jury found me guilty of theft by receiving, but not guilty of all the other charges. I was given a ten year sentence then taken to Jefferson County to face charges on three robberies. No one could identify me on any of those. But they still wanted to try me hoping to luck out and convict me. I knew their evidence was weak. But my lawyer had abandoned me, as I had no money. I had no confidence in my Public Defender. So I undertook my own defense.

When I went to the pre-trial conference with the D.A., I told him that their case was very weak, but that I was willing to make a deal. I would plead to simple robbery, if the sentence ran concurrent with the sentence I already had in Denver. That way I wouldn't have to do anymore time than I had to anyway. Ordinarily, I would never have plea bargained. But I would rather be in prison then having to sit in their jail while awaiting trial. The Jefferson County District Attorney accepted the deal.

My mother had died the past February, and my wife died the following July, of cancer. It tortured me to think of my children, now practically orphans, their mother gone, their father in prison. But I had cut my path years before, and now it was time to pay the toll. My daughters were taken in by my brother Joe and his wife Sophie. I was grateful at least that they were being taken care of by family.

VATO MALDITO: My Life of Crime, by John "Bubbles" Gallegos

Now Available!!! from Enlightened Pyramid

A notorious Denver professional criminal tell his story in his own words. Armed robbery, addiction and hard time are just the tip of the ice berg in this career thief's autobio.

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