Meet It Takes a Thief's hosts — and former thieves — Jon Douglas Rainey (left) and Matt Johnston.

"Teenage angst and boredom" is what led Matt to commit a series of burglaries starting at the age of 16. From then until the age of 20, he robbed dozens of homes, both alone and with crews. He managed to evade law enforcement for most of his criminal career, spending only a few nights in jail. But he also faced charges of breaking and entering, theft, and assault, and was sentenced to pay "quite a lot of money" in restitution.

It was shame and the embarrassment that everyone in his small community knew of his crimes that turned Matt around once he became an adult. He started working as a youth athletic coach and substitute teacher, as well as a tutor for special-needs children. Several years later, he decided to pursue his dream of making films and moved to Los Angeles. It was during this time that, while surfing the Internet doing research for a project, he came across the site of It Takes a Thief's production company. One self-made video and successful screen test later, Matt was host and resident "home-security expert" of the show.

Want to know more about Matt, his past criminal career, and his advice for concerned homeowners? Check out our Q&A with him and fellow co-host Jon.

IN A SNAPSHOT

Birthdate: Dec. 6, 1976
Hails From: West Texas, but grew up in Oklahoma
Current Residence: Los Angeles, Calif.
Marital Status: Single
Hobbies: Stand-up comedy, writing, film making, reading, watching live music
On Hosting It Takes a Thief: "I think everybody has a little dark spot in their past that they don't like to talk about. Mine's been made into a national TV show."
Random Fact: Matt volunteers at the Brooklyn Animal Rescue Center.

Jon wasn't even old enough to have a driver's license when he stole his first car. The resulting "rush" from that theft led to other crimes and charges, including breaking and entering, receiving stolen property, criminal mischief, theft, conspiracy and trespassing. His more than 30 robberies of houses, businesses and car dealerships landed him in jails from Hawaii to New Jersey. Jon also had to perform hundreds of hours of community service and pay thousands of dollars in restitution.

Once he understood that his criminal behavior stemmed from his need to test limits, however, Jon found another outlet for his adventure-seeking personality: the military. That career, coupled with the birth of his daughter, Brianna, eventually set him on the straight and narrow. After receiving an honorable discharge from the U.S. Coast Guard, Jon started his own private-detective company, investigating domestic cases such as cheating spouses. He also dabbled in acting, appearing in Sex and the City and All My Children. It was while checking Web sites for acting work one day that he came across the call for It Takes a Thief; the rest is history.

Want to know more about Jon, his past criminal career and his advice for concerned homeowners? Check out our Q&A with him and fellow co-host Matt.

IN A SNAPSHOT

Birthdate: Jan. 27, 1970
Hails From: New Jersey
Current Residence: New York, N.Y.
Marital Status: Divorced, one daughter
Hobbies: Writing, acting, extreme sports
On Hosting It Takes a Thief: "It channels my energy in a creative way. It's also ironic: I can be good and bad at the same time.
Random Fact: Jon stole multiple Corvettes from the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City.