Dumb and Dumber robber Anthony Prince tells how he survived four years inside US prisons

FOR ex-con Anthony Prince, surviving his four-year term in the US prison system was all about respect - something that was always going to be pushing uphill for a guy famous as one of the stupidest crims in history.

Luke Carroll of Byron Bay, shows off some of the money he and AnthonyPrince stole from a US bank in Vail. The pair have been dubbed the 'Dumband Dumber' robbers.

FOR ex-con Anthony Prince, surviving his four-year term in the US prison system was all about respect - something that was always going to be pushing uphill for a guy famous as one of the stupidest crims in history.

Reports at the time never specified which half of the “Dumb and Dumber” bank-robbing duo Prince actually was. But when you hold up your local Colorado branch with accents straight out of a Tourism Australia commercial does it really matter?

Now back in his hometown of Byron Bay and working for a streetwear brand, Christmas 2010 is Prince’s time to rehabilitate his IQ - in book form.

He bills Bank Robbery for Beginners – “a story of criminal stupidity and its very serious consequences” – as a cautionary tale, with full admissions of his failings at the time.

But whatever the bungles – and there were many - that had he and mate Luke Carroll identified within eight minutes of pulling their guns, it’s the story of what happened next that does the heavy lifting.

Life inside

The book details prisons in the US as places of seemingly petty - yet crucial - codes.

Places where buying the wrong shoes can mark you for death. Where the differences between Aussie and US humour genuinely matter. And where if you stumble on the leader of the Bloods in a broom closet with his special friend “Wiggles” - you don’t mention it again. Until you’re safely out and writing your memoirs.

“Everything in there is always trivial – just trivial crap,” Prince tells news.com.au. “But it’s not about that - it’s about respect.

“If someone steps in front of you in the chow line the others will think you’re a pussy - so you need to do something about it. If you don’t, everyone will know you’re a pushover and take advantage. Even if you lose they’ll know you did what you had to do.”

Whether any of this is enough to lose the “Dumb and Dumber” handle and get Mensa on the line, the book does have a few useful tips for anyone “stupid” enough to end up in the can.

At various times the narrative has Prince punching his way through the US prison system alongside a white supremacist gang after earlier joining a hardcore group of Dominican coloureds. Explaining this to the members of each posse and living shows at least some basic survival nous.

While his first prison fight ends with just a bruised lip, a later argument over the TV channel has left a deep blade scar on his arm as a lasting reminder of the violence inside.

Another legacy is his collection of photos from a number of institutions taken against the apparently ubiquitous backdrop of prison murals featuring exotic island paradises on the otherwise drab walls.

Getting out

But after coming back to the real deal in 2009 and sniffing the patchouli again on Byron Bay’s hippie beaches – Prince found fitting in was harder than he thought.

“It was hard looking old friends in the eye,” he says. “They didn’t know how to take me in the beginning. With just a bit of time they began to realise I was the same lad - even though I was a lot bigger and with the prison mentality – over time that has faded.”

At 25, Prince is looking to a future with expanding the streetwear business. He acknowledges a ban on entering the US and other travel restrictions are going to be an ongoing problem for these aspirations.

While inside he ran an ultimately unsuccessful but self-acknowledged “risky” credit racket before finishing his Bachelor of Business - using the privatised Corrections Corporation of America as one of the case studies.

There’s an air of this business lingo - and perhaps just a little of Byron - that slips in while talking up the virtues of his first book.

“It’s not just about me and my dumb crime,” he says. “It’s something that’s much more. It has a greater utility for all – that has been the wonderful part.

“I feel there’s a significant deterrent as well for others who are going through that mode of reckless behaviour and thinking.”

Partners in crime

Prince says he’s still mates with Luke Carroll, who is also back after serving five years at different institutions. Carroll has shunned any publicity since regaining his freedom and is apparently trying to rebuild his life in private.

“It’s good to see him safe and sound,” Prince says. “I still catch up with him for a surf. I can confide in him – he’s my partner in crime.”

Of his infamous tag he says: “It’s hard to shake – it’s the first thing people talk about – ‘Dumb and Dumber’. But I’ve come to terms with it. I’ve matured and I’m extremely confident about the person I am – I’m happy to laugh about it.

“I’m extremely remorseful but there’s a flipside that it was a crazy funny thing and it’s OK to laugh. Obviously it’s a stupid thing that I did and I deserve it.”

Originally published as Dumb and Dumber robber Anthony Prince tells how he survived four years inside US prisons