Tonesa Welch (born 13th August 1971; Age: 52 years old) is an American entertainer, producer and philanthropist. She is not Terry Flenory’s wife but they were together for several years.
Welch and Flenory dated for several years in the 90s during which they became popular in the media. They eventually wound up in jail for drug smuggling and this marked the end of their romance. Both are now free from jail but they never resumed their romance and have gone their separate ways. Welch, however, still regards herself as a first lady of the Black Mafia Family, the organization co-founded by Flenory, and has featured in several TV shows to that effect.
Summary of Tonesa Welch’s Biography
- Full name: Tonesa Welch
- Nickname: Toni
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: 13th of August 1971
- Tonesa Welch’s Age: 52 years old
- Ethnicity: African-American
- Nationality: American
- Zodiac Sign: Leo
- Sexual Orientation: straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: divorced
- Tonesa Welch’s ex-Husband: Harold mills, ex-partner – Terry Flenory
- Tonesa Welch’s Children: three sons including Marlon Mills and Corey Mills
- Tonesa Welch’s Parents: Carol (mom)
- Tonesa Welch’s Height in Inches: 175 cm
- Tonesa Welch’s Height in Centimeters: 5 feet 9 inches
- Tonesa Welch’s Weight: 128 lbs. or 58 kg
- Tonesa Welch’s Net worth: $1 million
- Famous for: Terry Flenory’s ex-partner
- Tonesa Welch’s Instagram: @firstladytonesa
Tonesa Welch is a Native of Detroit, Michigan
Tonesa Welch is 52 years old as she was born in the year 1981. She once posted an Instagram picture acknowledging her birthday celebration on the 13th of August 2021. This means that she was either born that day or perhaps around that day. Welch is a native of Detroit and spent much of her formative years in the city. She has African American ethnicity and American nationality.
Her mother’s name is carol and she thought her to be a strong person. Welch was raised in what she describes as a middle class family but a more accurate description might be lower class. She attended school but by her teenage years, she already had a minimum-paying job in an insurance company.
She and Terry Flenory Began a Relationship in 1998
Tonesa Welch first crossed paths with fellow Detroit native Terry Flenory sometime in the late eighties to early 90s. He came to her workplace to book airline tickets for his business trips and they became very good pals. They supported each other through various highs and lows. Welch also took out some loan to help support Terry’s businesses which flourished.
Part of Terry’s business concerns was a drug dealing operation that he and his elder brother, Demetrius, established and he became quite rich from it. Welch on her own part was fascinated with the street life and its accruements such as money, cars and clothes. By 1995, she and Terry had shared their first kiss and they formally started dating in 1998 while she worked on divorcing her husband, Harold Mills, who was in jail.
They Dated For Several Years During Which She Helped Him Launder Money
Once they formally started dating, the romance between Terry Flenory and Tonesa Welch flourished. The couple relocated to Los Angeles in the early 2000s and used the proceeds of Flenory’s drug business to live a life akin to that of Hollywood stars. There was numerous shopping trips as well as visits to night clubs and expensive restaurants.
The couple also enjoyed yachts, jets, luxurious cars and bed sheets with thousands of thread counts. Welch also helped Flenory launder the money that he and his brother made from drug business.
They Both Later Wound Up in Jail in 2008 Which Marked the End of their Romance
Tonesa Welch and Terry Flenory were basically Bonny and Clyde but the law eventually caught up with them. The authorities had been investigating Flenory and his brother’s operations for several years and eventually swooped in and arrested them in 2005. Welch was also arrested and later tried for money laundering. By 2008, she was sentenced to five years in prison.
Flenory was on his own part sentenced to 30 years in jail for his drug trafficking operation. This naturally marked the end of the romance between Tonesa Welch and Terry Flenory as they were both sent to different jails.
Tonesa Welch Was Released from Prison in 2012 and is Now a Prison Reform Advocate
Tonesa Welch spent three years in Prison. It was a very humbling experience for her and it basically brought her back down to earth. It forced her to detox from the drugs she had been using as well as her thirst for a lavish lifestyle. She also realized the suffering and pain her activity caused other people, herself and her community.
Prison also heightened Tonesa Welch’s spirituality and by the time she was released in 2012, she was a changed person. Tonesa Welch is now a prison reform advocate. She has the Silent Heart Foundation which she co-founded with her son, Corey, in 2012. The organization is geared towards helping the children of incarcerated parents with resources such as school supplies, clothes, shoes, mentoring, workshops etc.
Welch also assist female ex-convicts to rejig their lives, giving them clothes and helping to polish their resumes for interviews. She believes in letting people know they have a second chance.
She is Also a Reality TV Star and Executive Producer
Tonesa Welch is also an entertainer and an executive producer. She has utilized her background as Terry Flenory’s former partner and built up a status as the first lady of the BMF. Using that status, she has now appeared on several shows that focus on the lives of the brothers and their partners.
One of them is Notorious Queens airing on AMC since 2021. This follows women who have dated infamous men in the hip hop community and being under intense media coverage.
Welch is also appearing on the 2021 BET true crime docu-series – American Gangster: Trap Queens. The series looks the rise and fall of infamous female criminals, referred to as queenpins, in the US. It also carries interviews about them.
Tonesa Welch and Terry Flenory Were Never Married
Despite the longevity of their relationship and how they stuck by each other through thick and thin, Tonesa Welch and Terry Flenory were never married and did not have any kids together. They broke up after their arrest and incarceration. They never got back together even after they left prison. Welch was released in 2012 while Terry Flenory was released in 2020. The couple’s romance is basically over.
There are some who believe that they got married but Flenory’s family has made it emphatically clear that this was not the case. Meanwhile, Tonesa Welch has been romantically linked to popular producer Jermaine Dupri in 2015 but she squashed those rumours. She has also recently shared that she is not chasing love but rather money.
Tonesa Welch Has Three Sons from Her First Marriage
Tonesa Welch currently lives in Woodland, California, from where she is building her entertainment empire. She was previously married to a man named Harold Mills and they divorced in the late 90s. The marriage produced Welch’s three sons, including Marlon and Corey Mills.
Corey Mills is a screenwriter and helped his mom set up her charity foundation. Marlon was involved in drug smuggling with the BMF and was sentenced to nine years in jail in 2008. He would be out of jail by now.
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