Inside Marc Nelson Denim, Marcus Hall is quiet, reflective and facing reality.
“I thought I would do it for two years and then greed takes over and you go wow, ‘I’m making a lot of money,’” said Marcus Hall about a very lucrative gambling scheme. “And, two years turns into five. And five years turns right into about seven or eight years. I just couldn't say no to the money. That’s the reality of it. And, did I think I would get away with it? No. I wished.”
Hall started the gambling operation in 2009 called "the numbers." He and 2 co-defendants would take bets on the daily drawings of the Illinois Lottery. It was lucrative--- pulling in as much as $90,000 a week. In his prime, Hall sported 4 cars and dozens of properties. His guilty plea took it all except his denim business.
WBIR anchor Beth Haynes asked Hall, “Did you think, this is wrong?”
“In the black community, the number business was everyday business. You know, people would leave church and go and play a number,” Hall explained. “Did I know it was illegal? Absolutely, I knew it was illegal. Am I making excuses for that? No, I’m not. It was the better of two evils for me. When I was in my early 20s, I actually got in trouble for a drug charge."
Because of that history the judge noted Hall’s “lack of respect for the law” during sentencing.
“Yes, she was spot on. At the time, I didn’t care about the law,” said Hall. “I thought I was above it. You get addicted to the rush--- getting away with something.”
Hall says the judge did him a favor.
“She could've sent me to prison for a lot longer, but she also recommended a drug program which, if you complete it, takes up to 12 months off your time,” Hall added.
Hall did his time at a prison camp in Montgomery, Alabama.
“There were no bars. There were dormitories and again, we were required to work,” explained Hall. “You cut grass or did something in the community.”
Far worse—the damage to Hall's family.
“I have a two-year-old daughter who was just born,” said Hall. “And I’d left her mother basically raising a child by herself.”
It was especially hard for his 16-year-old daughter.
“She rode with me to prison and I’m going to say it was one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do in my life,” remembered Hall. “The picture of your father walking away from you and going to prison… I can’t imagine. I’m still trying to make up for that and I’m sure I will for the rest of my life.”
Marcus says he drifted from faith, but God got his attention.
“Four days into prison, the camp, I tore my Achilles tendon and I had a real conversation with God,” said Hall. “Yeah, me and him are pretty tight now. He let me know who’s in charge.”
After 14 months at the prison work camp, Hall transitioned to a halfway house in Knoxville for 6 months.
“I was fortunate enough that the government allowed me to keep the business. So, I do have the knowledge of production and starting a line, but as far as capital and financing, I’m starting from the ground,” said Hall. “Part of my plea agreement was a $5 million judgment. That basically keeps me from doing any business with banks. I’ve got to take the inventory they allowed me to keep and build off of that because my credit is basically ruined. And yeah, it’s tough to do business without credit.”
Hall is still working out how to make it right.
“One of the things I want to do is to talk to young black men," he said. "I want to mentor these guys and explain to them that immediate gratification, that quick dollar, eventually turns into jail time, if you’re lucky. It could be death. I hope to help some people and change lives and that’s how I believe I can make it right.”
Hall says he has a lot of relationships to mend and he knows it will take time.
As for Marc Nelson Denim, the goal is to begin manufacturing the custom denim program in house within the next 6 months.