Earning Freedom with Michael Santos

Ever wonder about the anxiety of surrendering to prison? In today’s Earning Freedom podcast I speak with David Foley. David was convicted of a white-collar crime for decisions related to his business. Unfortunately, those decisions resulted in prosecutors charging David with federal crimes. After prolonged litigation, David began preparing for prison. He hired Justin Paperny, of Federal Prison Consulting, to prepare him for the challenges ahead. David spoke with me today on the Earning Freedom podcast to talk about how the process has been going.

David said that he wished he had hired a prison consultant much earlier in the process. There was too much that he didn’t know. It wasn’t until he began searching through the Internet that he learned about the work that Justin and I did to prepare offenders for prison. We work with them to prepare for the lowest possible sentence and to help them serve their sentence in the best possible environment.

Like other white-collar offenders who have faced charges for business-related crimes, David didn’t know anything about how a criminal charge would influence his life. A defense attorney helped him navigate the judicial process. Yet white-collar offenders need more. They need to learn about:

·      The presentence investigation to understand how the PSI will influence their time in federal prison.

·      Some need to learn about the Residential Drug Awareness Program (RDAP) and understand how it can lead to a lower sentence.

·      Others need to know about sentence-mitigation strategies, or steps they can take to position themselves for law-abiding lives upon release.

Preparing for life in federal prison requires a commitment of time, energy, and resources. Through my author page at on Amazon I offer a wide selection of inexpensive literature that can help any individual who wants to learn how to prepare for a successful journey through federal prison. Through the Earning Freedom podcast, I offer free material. For those who want personal consulting or sentence-mitigation work, I am available on retainer. Others can learn through our MasterMind program.

David Foley describes how valuable he found working with a Prison Consultant. If you’re facing charges that could expose you to prison time, you should ask yourself whether you want to prepare.

Michael Patrick several prison terms in a white-collar prison in Canada. He shared his story on the Earning Freedom podcast. Until he learned his lesson, Michael said that he routinely engaged in both credit card fraud and identity theft. He said that he wasn’t a sophisticated criminal, but he had a lifestyle that required a big expense account. Since he couldn’t afford to pay those expenses on his own, Michael engaged in white-collar crimes. Over the course of 20 years, he served many separate prison terms in Canada.

Michael described the prisons of Canada, at least the ones where he served time. Since he served sentences for white-collar crimes, authorities always held him in minimum-security prisons. They differed from federal prisons in the United States. In Canada, Michael said the prisons didn’t hold more than 250 people. The people served their time in cottages. They wore their own clothing, rather than prison uniforms. The men could cook their own food. They also could enjoy weekends with family visits. The family would stay with the prisoner inside one of the cottages. During count time, the officers would make a phone call and let the prisoner know that he should show himself at the window. Once the guard saw the offender’s face, the officer would move on to the next cottage.

Canadian prisons, it would appear, have a far more “humanistic” approach than federal or state prisons in the United States. In the US, we design our prisons to punish. As a consequence of the way administrators manage our nation’s prisons, offenders should prepare themselves for the challenges ahead.

If you’re facing prison time, you may want to download a free ebook I offer that will prepare you for the journey ahead. Those who adhere to strategies that I teach will go in with their eyes wide open. The books and lesson plans I offer do a lot. Those who want more personal guidance should contact me for personal prison consulting.

If you want to learn more about Michael, contact him at [email protected]

086 Felony Friday

John Odermatt is a community leader. He works together with Marc Clair in spreading news about how we can improve our nation’s democracy. They produce the top rated “Lions of Liberty” podcast. In addition, John hosts Felony Friday, a show that he dedicates to helping more Americans understand the injustices associated with mass incarceration.

John wasn’t always interested in spreading news about the consequences of imprisonment. He spoke on Earning Freedom about the start of his career, when he worked in the Human Resources department for a steel fabricator. While sifting through applications for employment, he describes how he filtered applications indicating the candidate had been convicted of a felony. John’s supervisor instructed him not to disqualify people simply because of the felony conviction. That admonishment led John to look at people with felonies with a different lens.

Later, he saw the consequences that followed for a family friend was convicted of distributing marijuana. Although he was selling only small amounts, an informant made repeated purchases in order to charge the individual with a felony. John witnessed all of the ancillary consequences that followed. The individual served a year in prison and he also served time in a halfway house. He struggled to find employment and build stability. Despite their not being a victim in the case, John’s friend struggled through a series of ongoing challenges becomes of the felony.

Those experiences opened John’s eyes to the injustices that followed our nation’s commitment to mass incarceration. Through his Felony Friday podcast, John helps others know what is going on. Recently, he profiled the case of Ronald Hammond, a Baltiomore man who was sentenced to serve 20 years in jail because he distributed 5.4 grams of marijuana. He also brings awareness to complications people face if they want to exercise their right to carry a firearm.

Leaders like John Odermatt and Marc Clair serve our nation. Through their influential podcasts, they help listeners grasp why mass incarceration influences the lives of every American, threatening liberty for all.

To contact John, visit him at @JohnOdermatt

Subscribe to the following podcasts:

Lions of Liberty

Lions of Liberty.com/Felonyfriday

085 Sex Offender

When an individual is convicted of a sex offense, he will face an ongoing series of problems. In today’s Earning Freedom podcast, Steve tells his story. He contacted me after his release from federal prison. With 12 years of Supervised Release hanging over his head, Steve said that he continues to face many challenges in establishing his life.

Steve said that authorities targeted him after he downloaded three songs from an online service. Those songs, he said, were transmitted with images that authorities determined to be child pornography. Steve said that he erased the images within a few minutes of seeing them. Yet as a consequence of his downloading the images, authorities were on to Steve. They stormed his house, seized his computer, and eventually charged him with three counts of being in possession of child pornography. Each count carried a five-year term.

After he was convicted, authorities locked Steve in a detention center. He described being targeted by other prisoners and staff for abuse. Other prisoners pressured him to produce legal paperwork that would show the nature of his charge. He lied and said that he was in prison for fraud. A shot caller from the prison ordered Steve to write a letter to the clerk of the court, requesting a docket sheet. The docket sheet would reveal the nature of Steve’s charges. The shot caller required Steve to provide that “paperwork” in exchange for his being able to live in the general population.

Steve panicked and pleaded for assistance from staff. The staff member required Steve to roll himself up and check himself in to protective custody. Then Steve transferred to a prison in Texas that was reserved for people who had been convicted of sex offenses. With the onslaught of people being convicted of sex offenses, the BOP has had to reserve specific prisons for individuals who were convicted of sex offenses. But prisoners who were convicted of sex offenses don’t always get transferred to sex-offender friendly institutions.

Since Steve’s case involved the downloading of images, rather than human interactions, he said that he was not required to register on the public registry. Still, he said that the nature of his conviction makes his life difficult. He lied in order to qualify for employment, and his probation officer requires that Steve participate in sex-offender treatment programs. He feels isolated and alone, without a plan for building stability.

Steve provided the following email address for those who want to contact him: [email protected].

Women in Prison

Our nation confines more people per capita than any other nation on the planet. What adjustment strategies work best for women who must endure years—or decades—in prison?

In today’s episode of the Earning Freedom podcast, I spoke with Dana Cheatum. Dana tells her story of growing up with numerous challenges. While still in her teens, she began abusing drugs. Her drug abuse led her into a vortex of crime. When she was 18, authorities arrested Dana for second-degree murder. After Dana’s conviction, a judge sentenced her to a term that could’ve kept her in prison for life.

Like many people in prison, Dana entered the system without a plan to emerge successfully. Instead, she focused on time inside. That meant she stopped thinking about the world beyond prison boundaries and focused her attention instead on the culture of confinement. Such a strategy resulted in her associating with other hardcore prisoners. She fought a great deal, she sold drugs, she received hundreds of disciplinary infractions and she lost years of her life to administrative segregation.

While she passed through her first 16 years of imprisonment, Dana’s mother and her grandmother passed away. She received inspiration from a friend and made a decision to transform her life. For the first time, Dana began to reject the criminal lifestyle and those who belonged to it. Instead, she began working to educate herself. That change led to hear earning a college degree. She also earned credentials as a substance-abuse counselor, empowering herself by empowering others. Once Dana’s dream became bigger than her current reality, she found the strength to begin preparing for success. After 26 years of confinement, the parole board granted her release.

She now lives in Fresno and works fulltime as a substance abuse counselor. She dreams of providing programs to help other formerly incarcerated individuals so that they can transition into society successfully.

CEO of New Relic Offers Hope and Guidance to Formerly Incarcerated

Some may find it strange that the CEO of a publicly traded company would speak with a man who served 26 years in federal prison. But Lew Cirne, founder and Chief Executive Officer of New Relic, took time out of a busy Friday to meet with me in his office. He shared perspectives on leadership, citing the Book of Matthew, verse 25. As a corporate leader, Lew wanted to improve society in every way, including offering guidance to those in struggle.

 While listening to Lew, I learned a great deal. Strategies for building world-class technology companies were similar to strategies necessary for emerging from prison successfully. I present stories like Lew’s on the Earning Freedom podcast because I want to inspire people in prison or those who’ve been released from prison.

On some episodes of the Earning Freedom podcast, I describe steps I took to maintain a high level of energy and discipline while climbing through decades in prison. On other episodes, I interview formerly incarcerated individuals who emerged successfully. And on others, I interview leaders like Lew. Taken together, the daily episodes on Earning Freedom show that we can triumph over the challenges that follow imprisonment. Business leaders like Lew teach us a great deal. They did not reach their high levels of success without overcoming challenges along the way.

Lew credits his start in technology to a gift. When he was 12, his parents gave him a computer. While other boys used their computers to play games, Lew taught himself to write computer codes. The harder he worked, the better he became at coding and he began to write his own computer games. His ingenuity and persistence resulted in others taking notice of him. Officials at Dartmouth recognized his brilliance. Lew earned his degree in computer science from the Ivy League university, becoming the first university graduate in his family.

Lew started his career at Apple, where he worked on operating systems for a few years. Wanting more, he persuaded people to believe in him. They offered capital for Lew to launch his first venture, Wily Technology, a company that he sold a few years later for more than $300 million. Then Lew started New Relic, a company that now employs 700 people. One of his greatest accomplishments, Lew said, was inviting his parents to the New York Stock Exchange on the day of the company’s IPO. The stock market now values his company at more than $1.5 billion.

 Lew has enjoyed enormous success in his life and career. In listening to his story, we see that each success followed a pattern. It began with him looking at a challenge, a problem, or pain point. He figured out ways to solve the problem. Then he put a plan in place and took incremental action steps. He built teams around him, then he established accountability systems to measure progress every step of the way. That methodical approach to problem solving led Lew to find opportunities in the marketplace. The more Lew and his teams delivered, the more opportunities opened for them to contribute.

We all can learn from leaders like Lew Cirne. His strategy of visualize, plan, execute doesn’t only lead to building world-class technology companies. It also leads to building a better life—even for those who must overcome challenges with the criminal justice system. For strategies to overcome challenges, emulate those who lead.

Jimmy Wu grew up in prison. When he was 16 he stole a car. Prosecutors chose to charge Jimmy as an adult—a “direct file” —exposing him to many years in prison. While locked inside of a juvenile prison, a mentor inspired Jimmy. He developed a love of learning, writing, expressing ideas in ways that would show he was more than the criminal charges for which he served time. That mentoring transformed Jimmy’s life.

On Jimmy’s 18th birthday, authorities transferred him from the juvenile system to a high-security state prison. Being slight of build and young, Jimmy felt vulnerable. In accordance with prison customs, Jimmy segregated himself by race. Although he lived in accordance with prison customs, he also worked to educate himself, developing his craft as a communicator. 

After longer than 12 years, authorities released Jimmy. He began working a series of dead-end jobs. Frustrated because he felt as if he was wasting his life, Jimmy quit. He began speaking, writing, sharing his story wherever he could. By getting in front of audiences, Jimmy contributed to the dialogue of the need to reform America’s prison system. By delivering a powerful speech at a major university, Jimmy received an extraordinary offer. Julio Marcial, a funding director from The California Wellness foundation, and Scott Budnick, of the Anti Recidivism Coalition, recognized that Jimmy’s powerful testimony could contribute to efforts they were making to improve outcomes of California’s criminal justice system. With their support, Jimmy received an offer to begin working as a case manager for Inside-Out writers.

Jimmy lives as the change that he wants to see in the world. He tells his inspiring story on the Earning Freedom podcast today, showing that anyone can move beyond past bad decisions or current circumstances. He didn’t luck into transformation. Instead, he worked hard, investing the time and energy to develop new skill sets. By plying his craft as a gifted communicator, Jimmy opened new opportunities. Now, through his inspiring work at Inside-Out Writers, Jimmy inspires other young people to transform their lives so that they, too, can lead lives of meaning and relevance.

Contact: Insideoutwriters.org

Email: Jimmy @insideoutwriters.org

081: Profit Pathways Founder 

Adam Farmer is an entrepreneur. He wasn’t always. Like many African-American men who grew up in the inner city, gangs and street criminals influenced his thoughts. He gravitated to the streets, and in time, dabbled in theft. To shape his thoughts, Adam’s father would drive him around Chicago’s rougher neighborhoods and expose him to the consequences of criminal decisions.

Adam graduated from high school and went on to attend a four-year university. While in college, Adam joined a group of friends in a mail-fraud scheme. Authorities did not prosecute him, but when Adam saw others going to prison for their role in the scheme, he straightened up his life. 

After college, Adam started his role as an entrepreneur. He’d come too close to the criminal justice system and he understood that he had been blessed in being spared the wrath of a prosecution. He started a limousine company. After building his company into a fleet of cars, Adam launched a venture of building a portfolio of rental properties. Then, he transitioned into online marketing, teaching people how to enhance their prospects for successful, fulfilling lives. His course, which are incredibly relevant, teach four principals:

As a prison consultant, I work with people when they’re at their lowest point. By interviewing leaders like Adam, I offer guidance that others can use to overcome the challenges of their life—even those challenges include time inside of a federal prison. He shows that regardless of what bad decisions an individual has made in the past, it’s never too late and it’s never too late to begin living as a servant leader.

Reach out to Adam through the following points of contact:

[email protected]

Socialleadershipacademy.com

Profitpw.com

@Adamfarmertv

Craig Taubman: A Model of Community Leadership

In today’s podcast, Craig Taubman provides an inspirational message of leadership. He serves his community in extraordinary ways. Craig is a professional musician who produced many hits for Disney movies and television. Yet when a rabbi invited Craig to work toward the building of a better society, Craig agreed. Using his own funds, Craig purchased a synagogue to form the Pico Union project. The Pico Union project has consumed his life for nearly three years. His remuneration is the service that he provides to believers of all faiths.

Craig brings several different faith groups together into the Pico Union project, serving thousands. Everyone is obliged to give back, and Craig shows by example. Even people in prison can enrich their lives by living as givers—they can give their time, they can give their heart, they can give their mind. Be present, Craig advises. Enrich the lives of others and you simultaneously enrich your own life.

Listeners may reach Craig Taubman through his website at www.Craignco.com or through: www.picounionproject.org.

If you’ve been charged with a federal crime, you should hire a prison consultant. Don’t take my word for it. Listen to the abundance of information from the free podcasts that I make available on PrisonProfessor.com and at MichaelSantos.com. By listening to information from others who’ve made it through the prison system, you’ll learn why a prison consultant can help you.

Prison Consultant speaks with Ryan Ryskamp:

In today’s episode on the Earning Freedom network, I have a second conversation with Ryan Ryskamp. Listeners who tuned in to my conversation with Ryan yesterday know that he served 37 months in a West Virginia federal prison camp. While in custody, Ryan found a lot of mentoring from white collar offenders who helped him devise business strategies that he could launch upon release.

Although Ryan was a college graduate and he did not have a substance abuse problem, he was successful in negotiating a 12-month time cut because of his participation in the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP). Everyone should learn about the RDAP program to see whether they qualify for the 12-month time reduction. He appreciated the cognitive development aspects of RDAP. At PrisonProfessor.com, I offer guides that will help more offenders understand RDAP.

Ryan also spoke about his journey through the halfway house and home confinement. He served the final six months of his sentence under those conditions. While inside, he did not have access to a cellphone and he said that if authorities would’ve caught him with a cellphone they would’ve returned him to federal prison. My experiences differed, as I wrote in PrisonProfessor. Each jurisidiction differs, which is more reason for people to work with a prison consultant.

If you’ve been charged with a federal crime, learn as much as you possibly can to prepare for a successful journey. Hire a prison consultant if you have the resources. If not, visit PrisonProfessor.com or listen to the Earning Freedom podcasts daily.