Apollo Robbins’ claim of being a real-life pickpocket isn’t just part of his stage persona. Before hitting on what would become a world-famous act, Robbins did indeed live a life of crime, as he explained in a TED Q&A in 2013.

Raised in Missouri along with two older brothers, Robbins first became interested in theft after discovering his siblings had a proclivity for petty theft. “My 14-year-old brother was living in the attic, and one day I went up there and saw all these IDs and wallets and everything laying out,” recalled Robbins. “He was like, ‘Shhh! Be quiet!’ Like it was some kind of secret. I didn’t understand what that meant until years later when I asked, ‘What were you guys doing?’ They never used the word pickpocketing, surprisingly.” Later, Robbins’ brothers would teach him the tricks of the trade. A compulsive runaway, Robbins would then use these skills to keep himself fed as he left home for weeks at a time.

However, Robbins soon turned away from crime and toward magic as an art form after a magic shop owner showed him a magic trick and recommended he read a book about coin magic. The teenage Robbins studied extensively. By the time he was 22, Robbins was ready to relocate to Vegas and pursue magic full time. He soon earned himself a regular show at Caesar’s Palace, per The New Yorker.