Rick Harrison Speaks Out On Chumlee's Life Sentence
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00:00Metro Police arresting Pawn Stars' Corey Harrison early Friday morning, accusing him of driving drunk.
00:05Pawn Stars' creator Rick Harrison mourning the death of his son, Adam.
00:11Chumley is sentenced to life in prison after a shocking raid.
00:14Rick Harrison speaks out, exposing the dark side of fame.
00:18The Pawn Stars family is shattered by scandal and betrayal.
00:22As Rick fights his own legal war, Chumley's fate is sealed.
00:26Tune in as Rick reveals the moment everything fell apart.
00:30Pawn Stars, Courtroom Wars.
00:32What is going on?
00:33The big question is, why would Joanne Harrison, Rick's own mother, sue him?
00:38On the surface, it looks like a case of family trust gone up in flames.
00:42For years, fans of Pawn Stars saw the Harrisons as a tight-knit crew.
00:46Rick, his son Corey, the late Richard old man Harrison, and of course, Chumley, who always brought the laughs.
00:53They seemed like a solid bunch.
00:55But behind the scenes, cracks were forming.
00:58And now those cracks have turned into a full-blown legal earthquake.
01:02And buried within those court documents lies a revelation so explosive,
01:06it threatens to rewrite everything we thought we knew about the Harrison family.
01:10The whole thing starts with Richard's passing in the year 2018.
01:15The old man was the backbone of the Harrison family and co-owner of the gold and silver pawn shop.
01:20When he passed, his share, 49%, went to Joanne, making her co-owner alongside Rick, who already held the other 51%.
01:30Pretty straightforward, right?
01:32Not so much.
01:34Joanne claims her ownership was not always handled fairly.
01:37She says back in the early 2000s, she was in the hospital when Rick showed up with papers for her to sign.
01:43According to her, she did not fully understand what was happening, but those papers effectively handed over her ownership to Rick.
01:50From then on, Rick and Richard ran the shop, and Joanne was left in the background.
01:55For years, she did not question it.
01:58Maybe she trusted Rick, or maybe she just did not think about the long-term consequences.
02:02But after Richard died, things changed.
02:06Suddenly, Joanne started looking at the business differently.
02:09She was a co-owner again, at least on paper.
02:12But she says Rick was not treating her like one.
02:15Instead of being kept in the loop about finances and decisions, she felt like she was being pushed aside.
02:21She wanted answers.
02:22And when she did not get them, she took action.
02:25The lawsuit is not just some petty family squabble.
02:28Joanne is accusing Rick of mishandling money, keeping financial records hidden, and even misappropriating funds.
02:35According to court documents, she claims that over $500,000 in cash and silver belonging to Richard has vanished without explanation.
02:44And that is not all.
02:45She also wants a deep dive into how the shop's profits are being managed.
02:49Is Rick using the business money for personal expenses?
02:53That is what she wants to find out.
02:55Joanne's demands are clear.
02:56First, she wants a full accounting of the business finances.
03:00Every dollar, every transaction, every piece of silver.
03:04She wants to see it all.
03:05Second, she is asking for financial damages, arguing that Rick's handling of the business has cost her what is rightfully hers.
03:13And third, she wants a court order stopping Rick from making major financial moves without her approval.
03:19In short, she wants more control, more oversight, and more answers.
03:24Rick was not backing down.
03:25If Joanne was coming for him, he was ready to fight.
03:29A family business or a business family.
03:31Rick, on the other hand, is not backing down.
03:35He is calling the lawsuit baseless and insists he has done nothing wrong.
03:39He has even suggested that Joanne is not acting alone, that she is being influenced by outside forces.
03:45Who?
03:46He has not said, but it is clear he believes someone is whispering in her ear, pushing her to go after him.
03:52And here is where things get even more tangled.
03:55The lawsuit is not just about the pawn shop.
03:58Joanne is also going after other business entities tied to the Harrison name, including Gold and Silver Pawn Shop Limited Liability Company, Harrison Properties, and Joyke Properties.
04:09This legal battle is not just about one business.
04:12It is about an entire empire.
04:14So what is the evidence?
04:16Honestly, there is not a lot.
04:17At least not yet.
04:18Joanne's case hinges on her own testimony and the fact that Rick has not been as open with the business finances as she believes he should be.
04:26She is arguing that his secrecy is proof something shady is going on.
04:30Rick, meanwhile, says she signed away her shares willingly and that she is either mistaken or being misled.
04:37The legal fight is dragging on and there is no clear resolution in sight.
04:42But one thing is for sure, this case is taking a toll on the family.
04:46Rick and Joanne's relationship has gone from trust to courtroom warfare, and it is hard to imagine how they could ever go back to the way things were.
04:55And they are not the only ones caught in the crossfire.
04:58While Corey and Chumlee have not spoken publicly about the situation, it has got to be weighing on them too.
05:04The whole thing is a shock to fans who saw the Harrisons as a family that worked together, built something great, and stayed loyal.
05:11That is what Pawn Stars was all about, right?
05:14Watching them hustle, negotiate, and crack jokes while keeping their business running.
05:18But now, instead of working out a deal on a vintage car or a rare coin, they are battling it out in court.
05:24Then again, maybe it is not all that surprising.
05:28Money has a way of turning even the closest families against each other.
05:31The Harrisons built an empire, but that kind of success brings its own set of problems.
05:37This is not the first time their family issues have gone public.
05:40Back in the year 2018, Richard cut another son, Christopher, out of his will completely.
05:46No explanation, just gone.
05:49That alone showed the world that things were not as picture-perfect as they seemed.
05:53As for Joanne's lawsuit, it could go either way.
05:57If she wins, it could mean big changes for the gold and silver pawn shop.
06:02If Rick is cleared, he will walk away with his business intact.
06:06Before the fame, Rick Harrison was just a kid with big dreams and a knack for business.
06:10Rick Harrison came into the world on March 22, 1965, down in Lexington, North Carolina.
06:21Back then, the Harrison family was not anywhere near the fame and fortune they would later rake in.
06:26His dad, Richard, better known to Pawn Stars fans as the old man, was a Navy veteran who put in 20 years of service,
06:34while his mom, Joanne, was the glue holding the family together, keeping the household running while Richard built his career.
06:42Rick's early days were not all sunshine and rainbows.
06:45When he was just 8, he got diagnosed with epilepsy.
06:49That meant a whole lot of time stuck in bed, unable to run around like other kids.
06:53But instead of sulking, young Rick buried himself in books.
06:58History, antiques, learning about things most kids would not care about.
07:02It all fascinated him.
07:04That obsession with the past?
07:06It would later turn into a business empire.
07:08The Harrisons moved around often because of Richard's Navy career.
07:12Eventually, they landed in San Diego, California.
07:16By then, Richard had hung up his uniform and was looking for other ways to make a living.
07:20He tried his hand at real estate, but when the early 1980s rolled in, the market tanked.
07:26Just like that, the family business was gone, and so was their financial security.
07:31With their backs against the wall, the Harrisons packed up their lives in 1981 and headed for Las Vegas, Nevada.
07:39Not because they had some big dream, more like they needed a fresh start.
07:43And in Las Vegas, a fresh start was at least possible.
07:46They opened up a little secondhand shop, the Gold and Silver Coin Shop, right on Las Vegas Boulevard.
07:53Nothing fancy, just buying and selling coins and small collectibles.
07:58Teenage Rick jumped right in, working alongside his dad.
08:02Turns out, he had a real knack for business, especially negotiating.
08:06He could sniff out a deal, haggle like a pro, and flip items for a nice profit.
08:11By day, he worked the shop.
08:13By night, he repossessed cars to make ends meet.
08:17It was not glamorous, but it was all part of the grind.
08:21By the late 1980s, Rick and his dad saw an opportunity.
08:25Las Vegas had plenty of secondhand stores, but pawn shops?
08:29Not so much.
08:30City rules made pawn shop licenses tough to get, but Richard was not about to take no for an answer.
08:36He called city officials every week, pestering them for an update.
08:40Finally, in 1988, their persistence paid off.
08:44They got their pawn shop license, and Gold and Silver Pawn Shop was born.
08:48It was just a few blocks from the strip, prime territory for business.
08:52In the beginning, it was all hustle.
08:54The Harrisons had to build their reputation from the ground up, grinding every day to keep the doors open.
09:00Rick's love of history and eye for unique finds gave the shop an edge.
09:04Meanwhile, the old man kept everything running smoothly, bringing his years of experience into the mix.
09:11They were a solid team.
09:12By the early 2000s, business was booming, but Rick had bigger plans.
09:17He figured their shop had all the makings of a television show, historical treasures, wheeling and dealing, and the unique family dynamic.
09:24He pitched the idea for years, but it was not until 2009 that the History Channel finally bit.
09:31Pawn stars hit the airwaves, and just like that, everything changed.
09:36The show was a smash.
09:38Viewers loved the mix of rare items, family banter, and behind-the-scenes pawn shop action.
09:44Rick, his dad, his son Cory, also known as Big Hoss, and their goofy employee Chumley became household names.
09:54The gold and silver pawn shop transformed from a local business into a full-blown Las Vegas landmark.
10:01Tourists lined up just to step inside.
10:03With fame came fortune, and with fortune came problems.
10:07The pawn shop raked in cash like never before, but behind the scenes, tensions brewed.
10:13One of the first real signs of trouble came in 2018, when the old man passed away.
10:19His will revealed a bombshell.
10:21He had cut one of his sons, Christopher, out of his inheritance.
10:25No explanation.
10:26Just gone.
10:27That move hinted at deeper family fractures that were not as public.
10:31Then came the big blow-up.
10:33After Richard's passing, Joanne inherited his 49% stake in the pawn shop, while Rick held on to his 51%.
10:40That should have kept things running smoothly, but Joanne felt pushed aside.
10:45She claimed Rick was not giving her financial records, was not being transparent, and maybe even mismanaging money.
10:51Things got so bad that she ended up suing her own son.
10:55That was a mother dragging her child into court over the very business they built as a family.
11:00That was not the only legal mess Rick found himself in.
11:03Around the same time, another lawsuit popped up.
11:06A former associate claimed they were owed a cut of the business.
11:09They said they had helped grow the shop and were promised financial compensation that never came.
11:15Rick's team called it nonsense, but it added more drama to an already messy situation.
11:21And it was not just Rick.
11:22Corey, the easygoing one on Pawn Stars, found himself in hot water a few times too.
11:28Back in 2016, he got arrested after a bar fight in Las Vegas.
11:32Things got heated, fists flew, and next thing you knew, cops were hauling him in.
11:37The charges got dropped, but it was not a great look.
11:40Then there was his divorce, which got a little messy and had fans wondering if it would impact
11:45his role in the business.
11:46But no one had a rougher legal ride than Chumley.
11:49In 2016, his house got raided over an assault investigation.
11:54The assault charges did not stick, but the search turned up something else.
11:58Guns, illegal substances, and all sorts of illegal stuff.
12:02He ended up taking a plea deal, dodging jail, but getting slapped with probation and counseling.
12:08For a while, it looked like that might be the end of Chumley on Pawn Stars, but he managed
12:13to bounce back.
12:15Do you think the drama makes Pawn Stars more real, or just reality TV at its finest?
12:20Let me know in the comments, hit like, and subscribe.