The Price of Honesty

About the Book

It turned out that Robert Yugovich had to leave the gang of which he was a key part for many years. He was aware of the gravity of his actions and knew that the gang would not sit idly by and overlook the fact that he had broken the unwritten rules of the mafia. He had two choices: killing his boss – his only friend still alive – or fleeing with his family. Trusting the laws of the European Union, the orderliness of democracy, and the respect of human rights and dignity, under a false name he sought refuge in one of the member states of the European Union, with support from the witness protection program. He soon realized that what lied ahead of him was not what he had expected. It was doubly true for Hungary: anything could happen. Robert realized that not only the Serb mafia but the biased, unfair national justice system was after his skin. Neither the former nor the latter would refrain from hurting him without a second thought for his family. He had no other choice but to survive whatever may come and keep fighting, even if the face of hope slowly ebbed away. He didn’t believe in miracles, but the real loser was the one that did not even try to win. The fight for survival, dignity, and justice still continues to this day. The reason he decided to write this book was to help others learn from his mistakes. The other reason was personal. He wanted to put reality on paper because it was disgusting how neither the truth nor reality was needed to judge or to condemn someone. Just as there were good cops, there were good criminals too – and there were brutal people in the “establishment” as well. Truth is always where the power is.

About the Author

The pseudonym Robert Yugovich is necessary because serious safety precautions are required. The author decided to leave one of Europe’s most active criminal organizations, the Netherlands-based Serbian mafia. In the past he worked for the Vojvodina Hungarians, receiving special military training, participating in the Yugoslav wars, and then deserting. First he was a bouncer in Szeged, and then slowly but surely he became a member of the Serbian mafia, and after years in this organization he became fed up and left. Because of the flawed Hungarian court system, he received nine years – despite the fact that turned himself in and willingly gave a detailed confession. Today he is in Hungary, in prison, and he is working on his fourth book.