The 23-year-old man who's been dubbed "The Praying Robber", prince mongo's brother Video

The 23-year-old man who's been dubbed "The Praying Robber" is set to talk to Oprah Winfrey Friday. Gregory Smith talked with Channel 13, saying he's sorry for what he did and is a different man.

"Me and her was in that situation for a reason and I'm just trying to figure out what that reason is," Smith said.

While he sits behind bars, Gregory Smith has nothing but time to try and figure out why and how a woman he'd never met was able to bring him to his knees in prayer.

"She prayed over me," Smith said, speaking about the actions of clerk Angie Montez.

Minutes after Smith walked into an Advance Cash America loan office Monday afternoon with a gun, with the intention to rob the store.

"I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders at that point," he said.

Smith says he was desperate to keep his family from being evicted from their home.

"This is something I never would have resorted to under any other circumstances," he said.

Smith says he'd been unemployed for more than a year, unable to find work.

"A lot of Americans, I mean, they might not do it, but I can guarantee a lot of people might have had the thought go through their heads too. It's just I was dumb enough to react on it and actually try to do it," he said.

But police say it wasn't Smith's first try. A 911 call was made last Thursday from a loan office on 38th Street.

"He was acting like he was trying to get a loan and he pulled a gun and told me to go to the back," the caller said.

Police say Smith has admitted to robbing the loan office. It was his 23rd birthday.

"I didn't just hurt myself. I hurt my family," said Smith. "If you talk to anybody who knows me, they'll tell you that's not me at all."

But Smith's criminal record says something else. According to court documents he was already on probation for auto theft and receiving stolen property in Bartholomew County last September. He's also got a history of driving with a suspended license.

"I'm just asking for forgiveness at this point," Smith said. When asked if he thought he deserved forgiveness, he said, "At this point I don't know."

But Smith says he's ready to face the consequences for his actions. The 23-year-old father says this is no jail house conversion, but the real thing.

"I've just gotta figure out a way to do what I need to do to get myself back on track," he said.

Smith says this moment on his knees with Angie Montez was the first step.

Oprah Winfrey's producers say she'll interview Smith Friday during her live show. Meantime, Smith faces charges for stealing $20 and the clerk's cell phone.