White Collar Advice

Jen Shah surrenders to the federal prison camp in Bryan Texas today for 6 1/2 years or 78 months.

When Jen reached out to our team, she expressed a number of goals or aspirations for her looming prison sentence, including creating a record that documents how she is responding to problems that she alone created.

From our first call, we were encouraged by her willingness to learn and do the work. That work included asking her to consider how the stakeholders (case manager, warden, Judge, probation officer, and future business partners) perceived her.

Only then could Jen create a realistic plan. Part of Jen's initial "homework", was learning from the various subject-matter experts we have interviewed through Prison Professors Non-Profit, including:

Leaders of US probation,

The Federal Bureau of Prisons,

US District Court Judges,

and Prosecuting attorneys.

Each subject-matter expert we interviewed expressed the importance of a release plan. They want to see a record that shows positive ongoing efforts for change, showing a person's commitment to preparing for success upon release. Jen embraced the message and she invested the time to create a plan with clear goals and deliverables: the plan encourages people to track her progress and hold her accountable.

In this video, Jen and I discuss:

Her release plan and the process to create it with Michael Santos

Why it took one year for her to accept responsibility?

What are her plans in federal prison?

What are her plans after her release from federal prison?

What is her message to the doubters and skeptics? and more.

If you have questions about our work, please email [email protected] or text/call 818-424-2220.

You can also visit www.WhiteCollarAdvice.com and www.PrisonProfessors.com to learn more. Thank you,

Justin Paperny Co-Founder, White Collar Advice Author of Lessons From Prison and Ethics in Motion

Our weekly Prison Professors nonprofit free webinar featured Jon Gustin, who recently retired as Administrator of the Residential Reentry Management Branch, overseeing all halfway houses and home confinement programs across the country.

• Who determines placement in the halfway house?
• Can the warden approve a compassionate release?
• Is it possible to bypass the halfway house and go straight to home confinement?
• Who will access qualifications for placement in the halfway house?
• Discussion on how earned time credits applies to people in the halfway house.
• Does the first team meeting count as the first assessment towards earned time credits?
• The value of a release plan before, during and after federal prison.
• Why is the probation report so important? How to respond to staff in a respectful manner.
• and more!

Our team is thankful to Jon for the time and expertise he continues to offer to Prison Professors' nonprofit organization. His work is vital in helping us convey the value of advocacy.

1. We create plans and processes to help justice-impacted people at every stage of the journey,
2. We hire executives who retired from the Bureau of Prisons to get expert guidance,
3. We hire formerly incarcerated people who help us communicate the importance of personal preparations,
4. We create training programs that give us access to federal prisons,
5. We use that access to advocate for positive changes,
6. We create data showing the value that comes with the expanded use of incentives,
7. and We publish that data to persuade stakeholders on the need for more opportunities for people to earn higher levels of liberty at the soonest possible time.

Thank you, Justin Paperny

10 DRASTIC THINGS To Do If You Are Going To FEDERAL PRISON

1: Tell everyone! 2: Stop Taking Any Shortcuts: I had this thirst for magical shortcuts and easy-to-follow formulas. 3: Very little value from our past, but to learn from it. But that is it. 4: Embrace your tendencies 5: Get in front of people: cold walk, cold call, speak to large groups. 6: Reverse Engineer: Look 10 years out 7: Don't Beg: Some relationships just end 8: Welcome the ridicule, the embarrassment. 9: Embrace reality, do not take the bait 10: Put yourself in their shows and overdeliver

Thank you, Justin

Many people involved in government investigations regret the plea agreement they signed. In short, they do not feel the plea agreement is accurate.

How can we resolve this program?

I cannot guarantee that the problem can totally be resolved, but I know one way to improve it!

Before signing a plea agreement, make sure all stakeholders (defense lawyer, United States Attorney, Probation Officer, Judge) know all details of your life and the alleged offense.

How?

In our experience, it starts with introspection and self-examination. Only through introspection can you understand the details that led you to a government investigation. I didn't fully understand why I went to federal prison until I was in federal prison. Had I truly invested the time to introspect before signing my plea agreement, I think I would have had a better outcome. In fact, I got evidence of that when I spoke at The FBI Academy in March 2011 (perhaps I will share that story in another podcast or video).

Our team wants you to own your story, with all the good and bad, while you still have an opportunity to influence all stakeholders, including your white-collar defense attorney.

To help you develop your thoughts, I share three reasons I went to federal prison in this video.

After you watch this video, go write: 1: What pressures did you face in business?

2: How did you rationalize those choices?

3: What opportunities did you seize?

4: As of now, what part of the government's version do you agree AND do not agree with?

5: Ask your lawyer, "Can you describe to me what I did, as you see it?"

6: If you broke the law, why and what was the defining moment you knew you crossed the line? 7: What role did others have in your offense?

8: and hundreds more to ask and answer.

If you have questions, call or text 818-424-2220.

Thank you,

Justin Paperny

Several months into my federal prison sentence I had my first major "aha" moment.

Up until that moment I had spent my days in federal prison doing nothing else besides exercising. I wasn't giving any real thought to the life I was hoping to leave once I left federal prison. I mistakenly presumed everything would work out, and opportunities would open.

Then, I began to study my environment, and I recognized how many of my fellow prisoners were wrought with anxiety as their release dates approached. I knew I would endure that same anxiety and pain if I didn't begin to prepare properly.

This "aha" moment originated because I was foolishly showing off my athletic accomplishments in front of my now business partner, Michael Santos.

From there, Michael began to ask some questions, including "how much will people pay you to run fast or do pull-ups?"

Then he said, "on a scale of one to 10, with one being the lowest and 10 being the highest, how effectively are you truly preparing for the obstacles that await you on the other side."

That was my aha moment, and I pivoted. I do not want you to delay your sentencing or prison preparations.

Embrace your "aha" moment and take action!

Best,

Justin

A journalist was shocked when I told him, "Today was a good day for Todd and Julie Chrisley.

"Please explain," he said.

I explain my reasoning in this podcast.

Justin Paperny

"As part of our BOP leadership webinar series, we spoke with Jon Gustin, a former leader of the BOP halfway houses and reentry program.

During this interview I ask Jon the following questions (amongst others):

"Why is the release plan so important"

"Why should a defendant have a pre sentence plan?"

"How long does one stay in a halfway house? Can you have a phone and car ?"

"What if your post-release plans include RETIREMENT? No job needed, so also zero chance of recidivism. Is that frowned upon? Is that even allowed?"

"Can family members all ahead to a halfway house to check availability?"

"Just to clarify - do you HAVE to go to a halfway house FIRST before home confinement? Or have there been instances where you can go straight to home confinement and SKIP the halfway house?"

"When are you assigned your Probation Officer?"

"Are you still under the purview of the BOP on home confinement? Are there administrative remedies on home confinement? is Medicare reinstated on home confinement?"

"Have you heard any news or updates on why the release dates on BOP website are not changing. 1/10/2023 was supposed to be the last date for them to given every one their FSA credits and it's still not applied. Please let me know if you have any new updates regarding this."

"If I am released to home confinement pursuant to CARES, will I be under the authority of the BOP or Probation while at home?"

"Would I serve the entire remainder of my sentence on HC or can I further reduce with ETC?"

"If I'm released on CARES, will I go to halfway house or directly home?"

I"f discretionary, what can I do to improve my chances of avoiding RRC?"

If RRC required and my business is run out of a home office, what do the logistics of that scenario look like?

"If I am allowed to run my business, must I be a W2 employee of the business?"

"Does time in the SHU also affect "good time" and "earned credits"?

Earlier this week the team at Nicki Swift asked me the following questions:

"Todd Chrisley is set to serve 12 years in FPC Pensacola, a minimum-security prison located in Pensacola, Florida, and his wife Julie will be serving her seven-year sentence at medium security facility FCI Marianna SCP, which has a minimum security satellite campus. Based on your knowledge, which Chrisley might have a harder time adjusting to their respective facility?

– Todd, Julie, and the rest of the Chrisley family have been vocal about keeping their family together through their incarceration. How can families remain close in their situation?

– Switching gears a little, another celebrity who has been in headlines recently for their legal woes is "Real Housewives" star Jen Shah. It's been reported that Jen may be serving time at the same facility as Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes. Can you describe what meeting and socializing are like between inmates at a minimum security prison?

– In both the Chrisleys' and Jen's case, their reality TV careers have taken a hit as their sentences draw near. How, if at all, can incarcerated celebrities keep their stardom alive while serving prison time?"

I hope you find value in this podcast.

Thank you, Justin Paperny

White Collar Advice is proud to sponsor Prison Professors Non-Profit Organization. Part of Prison Professors' mission is to help all justice-impacted people work their way through government investigations and prison. To help accomplish that goal the nonprofit shares insights and knowledge from subject-matter experts.

To that end, Prison Professor's non-profit was fortunate to have Jon Gustin join our live webinar last Thursday, January 5th. Jon worked for the Bureau of Prison for 24 years. He spent the last 20 years of his career leading and overseeing community-based re-entry programs.

Below are a handful of the topics Jon and I covered together:

• Who determines placement in the halfway house?
• Who will access qualifications for placement in the halfway house?
• Transitioning from prison to the halfway house.
• The value of a release plan in the halfway house.
• How should a person respond if they run into trouble in the halfway house?
• Discussion on how earned time credits applies to people in the halfway house.
• What factors determine whether a person goes to the halfway house or home confinement?
• and more!

We hope you find value in this webinar.

Simply visit www.WhiteCollarAdvice.com to register for our free weekly webinars.

Thank you,

Justin

Regardless of what good Sam Bankman-Fried has done in the past, others will judge him for the criminal misconduct alleged in the complaint. In this podcast, I offer suggestions how Bankman-Friend should do as he prepares for trial or a guilty plea.

Justin Paperny