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Mingling with Royalty:
Interview with Eric Sande
By Carin Chea
A construction professional by trade, Eric Sande didn’t plan on being an author. But, when you meet the man infamously known as “The King of Miami,” you don’t sit on that opportunity.
Sande was able to permeate the rough exterior of Raymond “Little Ray” Thompson, but only through full transparency, unbridled persistence, and an unbelievable amount of grit.
Sande’s book, aptly called, The Real King of Miami, narrates a journey so outrageous (and 100% true) that is has been quickly deemed the “Scarface” of the 21st century.
Who is Raymond Thompson, and how did you two become friends?
Ray Thompson had a smuggling empire. He had one of the largest smuggling operations known to the government. He was known as the most ruthless. If you messed with him, there was no doubt you were going out into the ocean and not coming back.
My uncle (who had long hair and liked to smoke pot and drink) had a best friend who was a boat captain for Ray Thompson. His name was Robert. My uncle would stay with Robert for a few months at a time.
We lived in south Florida, close to the I-95, three miles from the beach. Back then, it was all country and farmland. They’d go to bars a lot and played pool really well. I’d watch my uncle and Robert play.
I didn’t actually meet Ray until years later. I reached out to him [when he was in prison] and said I’d like to meet him. I originally started writing about Robert, but once I started getting more involved in Ray’s story and going to the courthouse, I realized Ray was 10 times more interesting. My uncle (Scott) and Robert were friends their whole lives. Uncle Scott never met Ray.
I started writing to Ray after he was sentenced. His attorney had told him: “There’s going to be people coming to you, wanting to make movies about you. You don’t talk to anyone, keep your mouth shut, and mind your own business. Just keep quiet and do your time.” That was in the 1980s.
Here I am in 2011, writing to Ray and meeting him, and he said, “I want 10 grand upfront.” I told him I didn’t have that kind of money, but I said, “I can send you $150 a month, but I’m going to write this story whether you like it or not.”
He was reluctant to talk to me for quite a while. I feel like it took a couple years for him to trust me and get to the point where I was his actual friend.
How did you get Thompson to trust and confide in you?
At first he thought I worked for one of the newspapers in south Florida or California. Typically, they’re responsible and smart, and truthfully: I never got enough credits to graduate 9th grade. I just wanted to get out there and make money.
Ray got to know me. He found out I was in the construction business. I was sending him money every month. I had also gotten to a point where I was homeless. My daughter and granddaughter had taken off.
I didn’t have any friends; Ray was my only friend. It was nice to have someone to talk to. It got to the point where I didn’t even want to ask him things anymore; I was tired of harassing him. I’d talk to him about things in my own life, how I was living in my van.
I’ll never forget what he said to me one time. He said, “God d***, I can’t believe you have it rougher out there than I do in here.” I was surprised; I was trying to keep it positive, but I guess I had it really tough.
It’s been a roller coaster of good and bad times. I always tried to see him when I could, when I had money. He’s almost a 4-hour ride away. When I first started meeting him I was an 8-hour drive away because I was living in Alabama at that time. Whenever I got enough money I’d stay at a hotel and visit Ray.
I’d seen pictures of Ray. He was always holding his kids, so I knew he was a good man. It was a tough thing to learn that he killed a guy he knew for 20 years because he stole $600,000 from him.
I tried to keep it positive and said, to myself “If he ever got out and I gave him a place to live, it’d be okay.” He told me that he didn’t get into that business to murder people. It was to make money.
Ray had safes everywhere, in concrete. The guy he murdered (Jimmy Savoy) was good friends with him for over 20 years. He decided to put a safe in Jimmy’s warehouse, in the concrete.
One day, Ray put some money in there and told Jimmy he’d be gone for a couple days because he was taking his kids to Disneyworld. Jimmy asks for money, like $500, and Ray gives him $600. Ray takes off to Orlando with the kids, and the first thing Jimmy does is take a sledgehammer and take the safe out of the concrete.
When Ray came back, Jimmy was gone. Ray took 2 of his hitmen and knew someone who had access to a computer. He found where Jimmy was and tracked down his family.
Is The Real King of Miami your first book?
Yes. It seemed like such an amazing story. I couldn’t believe it. It was fascinating. I’d love to turn it into a movie. He was called “the real Scarface” on TV. When I was a kid, he was like a king. He had crazy power.
Who do you think could do Ray Thompson justice if his life were brought to the big screen?
James Caan (who just passed away) could’ve played the older Ray. But, to get a guy who could play a guy who’s been up for 5 days snorting an ounce of coke a day, $2000 worth of coke every single day?
Every 5th or 6th day, he’d take quaaludes and sleep for 24 hours straight…it’d have to be a damn good actor. Like Mark Wahlberg. Did you ever see him in Fear?
Yes, back in the 90s!
Yeah, he could be a really scary guy.
For more information, please visit EricCurtisSandeAuthor.com.
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