I Got 20 Years in Prison for a Conspiracy to Kill a Cop — This Is How I Survived | Million Dolla $mile
October 18, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readIn the summer of 2007, a Queens street kid known as Smiley sat in a Rikers Island dayroom and watched his own face flash across a television screen: an inmate had conspired to kill a New York City police officer. He had just turned 20. The charge would add a 15-year gun sentence to a five-year conspiracy term, run consecutively, and cost him the next 16 and a half years of his life. But the story of how he got there—and how he survived it—begins long before that fight.
From the Backstreets to the Boxing Gym
Growing up in South Jamaica, Queens, on Guy Brewer Boulevard, Smiley (born Andrew Spencer) was a heavy-set kid with low self-esteem, bullied daily. Walking through the nearby projects meant getting jumped, beaten out of his shoes, or slapped in the back of the head by groups of kids who operated like hyenas. "Getting jumped was a norm for me," he says. His father died when he was 15, leaving him without a role model. His mother ran a home with 13 foster kids, and money was scarce.
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What you'll learn
- 1 Timestamped Navigation Outline
- 2 (01:30) **Introduction: 20 Years for Conspiracy to Kill a Cop** - Million Dollar Smile introduces himself and his 16.5-year sentence
- 3 (02:04) **Childhood in South Jamaica, Queens** - Growing up poor in a violent environment with no father figure
- 4 (03:25) **How He Got the Name "Smiley"** - The origin story involving a girl named Love who beat him up
- 5 (05:29) **Boxing Saved His Life — But Also Got Him Locked Up** - Learning to fight transformed him from victim to predator
- 6 (07:42) **The Environment of Fear and Intimidation** - Living with constant bullying and learning learned behavior
- 7 (10:54) **First Arrest: House Invasions for Video Games** - The spiral into juvenile detention and prison
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Million Dolla $mile went from the streets of Queens and running with the G-Unit crew to being sentenced to 20 years in New York State prison for a conspiracy to kill a cop. After serving 16½ years, he opens up about surviving prison, practicing Islam behind the walls, and rebuilding his life through music after coming home.
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Connect with Million Dolla $mile:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milliondollasmile_ny/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MillionDollaSmile
Website: https://linktr.ee/milliondollasmile
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Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick:
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: The Million-Dollar Smile
00:34 Growing Up in South Jamaica, Queens
04:19 Discovering Boxing and Learning to Fight
09:39 Teenage Robberies and Juvenile Detention
11:41 The Conspiracy Case and Attica
14:04 Childhood Dreams Before Prison
15:40 Early Cases and Returning to the Streets
16:56 Meeting 50 Cent and Joining G-Unit
20:55 Life on 134th and Learning from Lloyd Banks
25:00 Getting Played and Connecting with Domination
28:00 Best Friend Shot: The Aftermath
32:54 The Case That Led to 16 Years
35:00 High-Profile Inmate at CMC
38:00 Going to Trial and Getting the Max
40:18 Plea Deal and Consecutive Sentences
43:20 Prison Politics and Choosing a Side
47:39 Arriving at Attica
49:50 Violence in Attica
51:40 Transfer to Sing Sing and Prison Business
53:51 The Muslim Community in Prison
59:30 Muslim Policies on Sex Offenders and Snitches
01:00:28 Gang Members Converting to Islam
01:02:00 Muslims vs. Bloods in New York Prisons
01:03:40 Relationships with Female Guards
01:04:08 Transferring Prisons and Honor Block
01:05:30 Murder Over a Slap in Honor Block
01:09:56 Focusing on Education and Mentors
01:11:40 Music and Carnegie Hall in Prison
01:13:05 Marriage and Children in Prison
01:14:30 Release and Adjustment to Modern Life
01:17:20 Creating the Main Smile Character
01:19:30 Views on the Music Industry and G-Unit
01:21:00 Life After Prison: Work and Finances
01:23:50
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