Steven Russell

Grew up… in Virginia Beach. Steven, prior to coming out of the closet, lived a startlingly conventional life with his wife and child. After a near-death experience, Steven decides to no longer live this lie.

Living… as a gay man in Miami. Steven left his wife and daughter in order to find himself and live an honest life – well, at least partially honest. In order to fund his extravagant lifestyle he’s had to resort to a bit of petty crime. As he claims, “Being gay is really expensive.”

Profession… con artist. It turns out that living “high on the gay hog” takes more than an average nine-to-five job. Steven took to “…insurance fraud, credit card fraud, passport fraud. I was selling bad tomatoes. Anything to make a buck.” But crime always leads to jail – or at least for Steven, it does.

Relationship Status… in love with a fellow inmate at a Texas penitentiary. When Steven met Phillip Morris he knew that it had to be fate; the two seem tailor-made for each other. “Love sure is a funny thing,” Steven muses. “Makes you happy, makes you sad, makes you do all sorts of things you never thought you’d do before.”

Challenge… finding a way to be with Phillip, the love of his life. Steven is forced to leave his lover behind when he is released from prison. Love, though, is a powerful force, and Steven is willing to go to extreme measures in order to break Phillip out of the joint.

Personality… quirky, enthusiastic, and manipulative. Steven has all the requisite skills for a good con artist: his ability to lie, charm and convince are unmatched. It takes a special sort to break out of prison – twice.