Ian Bick

Ian Parker Bick
Born:	May 31, 1995 Danbury, Connecticut
Charges:	Wire fraud (6 counts), Money laundering (1 count)
Sentence:	36 months federal prison, 3 years supervised release (first year in home confinement)
Facility:	Federal detention facility
Status:	Released

Ian Parker Bick (born May 31, 1995) is an American entrepreneur, podcaster, public speaker, and media personality from Danbury, Connecticut. Bick is best known as the creator and host of Locked In with Ian Bick, a podcast featuring interviews with former inmates, law enforcement officials, addiction recovery advocates, and others affected by the criminal justice system. Before his media career, Bick operated Tuxedo Junction, a nightclub in Danbury, becoming one of the youngest nightclub owners in the United States at age 18. He was convicted in 2015 on federal wire fraud and money laundering charges for defrauding investors of approximately $480,000 and served 36 months in federal prison.

Since his release, Bick has become one of the most prominent figures in the "prison influencer" space, with content reaching hundreds of millions of views across social media platforms. His story was featured in the HBO Max docuseries Generation Hustle (2021), and in 2025 he participated in MrBeast's 100-Day Prison Challenge, winning $500,000 which he used toward federal restitution payments.

Background and Early Life

Ian Parker Bick was born on May 31, 1995, in Danbury, Connecticut, and attended Danbury High School. From an early age, Bick demonstrated entrepreneurial tendencies, beginning to organize parties and events while still in high school. His parties attracted hundreds of attendees, and by his estimation, he was earning up to $10,000 per night during his most successful events.

Bick's early event promotion focused on youth nights and electronic dance music (EDM) events. During his junior year of high school, he formalized his business operations by establishing an LLC and securing business debit cards. His reputation for organizing successful events led him to expand from house parties to concert promotion at venues throughout Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Tuxedo Junction and Business Ventures

At age 18, Bick purchased Tuxedo Junction, a live music venue and nightclub in Danbury, Connecticut, making him one of the youngest nightclub owners in the United States. During his tenure, the venue hosted performances by notable artists including Steve Aoki, The Chainsmokers, and 21 Savage.

In addition to Tuxedo Junction, Bick operated several business entities including This Is Where It's At Entertainment, LLC; Planet Youth Entertainment; W&B Wholesale, LLC; and W&B Investments, LLC. In October 2013, he opened Skyy Bar and Lounge, an 18-and-over nightclub at the Ives Street location in Danbury, which closed in early 2014.

Bick has attributed his business troubles to a combination of factors including poor financial management, a gambling addiction, and mounting debt. He has publicly stated that a concert he organized at the University of Rhode Island, which he believed had been profitable, actually resulted in significant losses. This became what he describes as "the one defining moment" that led to his fraudulent activity, as he chose to lie about the concert's profitability rather than admit failure to his investors.

Federal Indictment and Prosecution

In January 2015, a federal grand jury in New Haven returned a 15-count indictment charging Bick with fraud, money laundering, and false statement offenses.

The Scheme

Federal prosecutors alleged that Bick used his various business entities to solicit investment funds from friends, former classmates, acquaintances, and their parents by promising high investment returns over relatively short periods of time. The scheme involved two primary fraudulent representations:

Electronics Resale Business: Bick falsely represented to investors that he could generate high returns by using their funds to purchase electronics and electronic devices—including iPhones, tablets, and headphones—and reselling them for substantial profit via the Internet. According to prosecutors, this electronic resale business never actually began in earnest and did not return any meaningful profit.

Concert Promotion: Bick falsely represented to investors that he could generate high returns by organizing and promoting concerts at venues in Connecticut and Rhode Island. He claimed to have made significant profits from past concerts, when in fact the concerts had not generated the profits he represented.

As part of the scheme, Bick entered into various investment contracts with victims, including "Loan Agreements" and "Music Venture Participation Agreements." Rather than investing the funds as promised, Bick used investor money for personal expenses including hotel stays and the purchase of jet skis. He also used new investor funds to pay purported "interest payments" and "return of principal" to earlier investors—a hallmark characteristic of a Ponzi scheme.

Investigation

The investigation began in January 2014 after several investors, including individuals Bick's own age, reported losses to local police. According to Bick, his attorney eventually informed all investors that the businesses had no money to repay them, which prompted the reports. The case attracted the attention of a persistent detective who escalated it to federal authorities.

The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Connecticut Department of Banking, the Danbury Police Department, and the Hartford Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael S. McGarry and Christopher W. Schmeisser.

Trial and Conviction

Bick was arrested at his home and initially arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Joan G. Margolis in New Haven, where he entered a plea of not guilty and was released on a $250,000 bond.

On November 25, 2015, a jury found Bick guilty on six counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering. He was acquitted on certain other charges included in the original indictment.

Sentencing

On October 26, 2016, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer sentenced Bick to 36 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, with the first year to be served in home confinement. The court ordered Bick to make full restitution to his victims totaling $480,635. The fraud had impacted more than 15 investors.

Bick's bond was revoked on October 4, 2016, and he was detained pending sentencing.

Prison Experience

Bick served his 36-month sentence in federal detention. During his incarceration, he spent five months in solitary confinement, an experience he has described as formative in shaping his outlook on life. His physical appearance—a distinctive flush of his cheeks and forehead—earned him the nickname "McLovin" among fellow inmates, which he later had tattooed on his arm.

Bick has spoken extensively about the psychological challenges of incarceration and has described the experience as transformative. Following his release at age 24, he deliberately avoided returning to nightlife or social media, instead working conventional jobs for nearly three years while focusing on accountability, mental health, and repairing relationships.

Post-Release Career

After approximately three years of working in the grocery industry as a department manager, Bick decided to pursue entrepreneurship again at age 27. Rather than hiding from his past, he chose to share his story publicly.

Social Media and Content Creation

Bick began creating short-form video content on TikTok, sharing stories about his prison experience and the mistakes that led to his incarceration. The content quickly gained traction, generating millions of views across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube Shorts, and Facebook.

As of 2025, Bick's social media presence includes:

• TikTok: Over 1.2 million followers with 41.5 million likes
• YouTube: Approximately 400,000 subscribers with over 211 million total views

His combined social media following totals approximately 1.7 million followers, making him one of the largest platforms in the prison influencer community.

Locked In with Ian Bick

In January 2023, Bick launched Locked In with Ian Bick, a podcast focused on stories of crime, prison, addiction, trauma, redemption, and second chances. The show features interviews with former inmates, recovering addicts, law enforcement officers, attorneys, survivors, and others whose lives intersect with the criminal justice system.

The podcast is described as featuring "real stories from the people everyone else judges first" and has become one of the fastest-growing justice-focused podcasts in the United States. Bick records the show at Creative Evolution Studios in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and releases new episodes on Sundays and Thursdays.

Bick's interviewing style is notably unscripted. Before each interview, he receives only a one-page biographical summary about his guests and conducts conversations without pre-written questions, allowing for organic dialogue that typically lasts one to two hours. The podcast has featured notable guests including Bobby Shmurda, George Christie (former Hells Angels leader), and Farrah Abraham.

Links to Podcast:

• Website: https://www.ianbick.com/
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-in-with-ian-bick/id1662286355
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2UjiFLVz77x1TQ2V7bsrJv
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRvVklIft6DMelVW18M0oBw
• iHeart Radio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-locked-in-with-ian-bick-107932612/

Creative Evolution Studios

In September 2023, Bick founded Creative Evolution Studios, a company based in Ridgefield, Connecticut, that focuses on podcast production, consulting, and social media growth. The company provides state-of-the-art equipment for content creation and offers services including professional content production, podcast consulting, and social media management.

The studio operates out of a duplex above a strip mall in Connecticut that serves as both a podcast-recording space and video-staging area. The facility includes a reconstructed prison set that Bick uses for creating content.

Advocacy and Public Speaking

Bick serves on the board of directors for the National Association for Re-Entry Professionals (NARE-P), an organization that supports individuals transitioning from incarceration back into society. He has presented at conferences dedicated to criminal justice reform in the United States.

Bick now speaks in prisons, schools, recovery programs, and reentry organizations across the country, connecting with individuals who feel defined by their past mistakes. His core message emphasizes that "your past is a chapter — not your whole story."

Media Appearances

Generation Hustle (2021)

Bick's story was featured in Episode 2 of Generation Hustle, titled "The Party's Over," which premiered on HBO Max on April 22, 2021. The 10-episode docuseries, directed by George Plamondon, examines entrepreneurial ventures by young people that did not always end well.

The episode chronicles Bick's rise from a teenage party organizer to nightclub owner and concert promoter, his lavish lifestyle funded by investor money, and his ultimate downfall with the FBI investigation. In the documentary, Bick is shown in an empty nightclub stating, "I don't think I was a con artist."

Director Plamondon noted that the production aimed to bring a "balanced approach" by including perspectives from investors who lost money, the case prosecutor, and Bick himself. The central question examined was whether Bick was running a deliberate Ponzi scheme or was simply "a kid who got in over his head."

MrBeast 100-Day Prison Challenge (2025)

In February 2025, Bick participated in MrBeast's 100-Day Prison Challenge, a viral video challenge in which participants lived inside a constructed prison environment for 100 days competing for a $500,000 prize. Bick was paired with Lenny Bradley, a former NYPD detective, creating a "cop vs. criminal" dynamic for the challenge.

Bick completed all 100 days of the challenge and won $240,000 from the shared prize money. He used his winnings to pay down his federal restitution obligation, transforming what he describes as "internet spectacle into a real-life step toward redemption."

Following the video's release on August 16, 2025, Bick released episodes of his podcast discussing the experience, including behind-the-scenes details not shown in the final edit and comparisons between the challenge environment and his actual experience in federal prison.

Business Entities

Historical (Pre-Incarceration):

• This Is Where It's At Entertainment, LLC
• Planet Youth Entertainment
• W&B Wholesale, LLC
• W&B Investments, LLC

Current:

• BBE Entertainment, LLC – Operates the Locked In with Ian Bick podcast (founded January 2023)
• Creative Evolution Studios – Podcast production and content consulting company (founded September/October 2023)

Terminology

• Ponzi scheme: A fraudulent investment operation where returns to earlier investors are paid using capital from new investors, rather than from profit earned by the operation.

• Wire fraud: A federal crime involving the use of electronic communications or interstate wire communications to execute a scheme to defraud.

• Money laundering: The process of concealing the origins of illegally obtained money, typically by passing it through a complex sequence of banking transfers or commercial transactions.

• Restitution: A court-ordered payment made by a convicted defendant to compensate victims for their financial losses resulting from the crime.

• Prison influencer: A content creator who produces media focused on the prison experience, incarceration stories, and criminal justice topics, often based on personal experience with the system.

• Solitary confinement: A form of imprisonment in which an incarcerated person is isolated from other inmates, typically in a small cell for 22-24 hours per day.

External Links

• Official Website
• YouTube Channel
• TikTok
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Creative Evolution Studios

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is Ian Bick?

Ian Bick is a former nightclub owner who served 36 months in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering. He now hosts the 'Locked In with Ian Bick' podcast and advocates for criminal justice reform.

Q: What was Ian Bick convicted of?

Bick was convicted of six counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering for defrauding investors of approximately $480,000 through a Ponzi-like scheme.

Q: How long was Ian Bick's prison sentence?

Bick was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release with the first year in home confinement.

Q: What is 'Locked In with Ian Bick'?

'Locked In with Ian Bick' is a podcast featuring interviews with former inmates, law enforcement officials, and others affected by the criminal justice system, focusing on stories of crime, prison, and redemption.

Q: What is Ian Bick doing now?

Bick is a content creator with over 1.7 million social media followers, podcast host, founder of Creative Evolution Studios, and board member of the National Association for Re-Entry Professionals.