White Collar Advice · Blog
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Showing 13–24 of 802 articles
My Son Asked If I Was Happy I Went to Prison
My young son said federal prison seemed kind of fun. Here is what I told him, and how I talk about Taft with my kids without glorifying it or lying about it.
Justin Paperny
Sep 18, 2026
I Owe Restitution and Just Got a Tax Refund. Can I Keep It?
The IRS sends you a check for just under $10,000. You still owe restitution. Here is what happened to the man who told himself they wanted him to have it.
Justin Paperny
Sep 17, 2026
Nine Months Home From Federal Prison, His Wife Said Life Was Easier Without Him
He complained before prison, inside prison, and nine months after he came home. Then his wife told him her life was easier while he was gone.
Justin Paperny
Sep 16, 2026
Going to Prison Does Not Qualify You to Give Advice
A journalist asked Justin Paperny why anyone should listen to him. His answer: prison alone proves nothing. Here is how to judge anyone who offers you help.
Justin Paperny
Sep 15, 2026
The SEC Didn't Reach Me. Federal Prison Did.
I settled with the SEC and didn't get it. Standing for count and 2 a.m. fire drills got it. What it took for the consequence to land on me, and what I think happens when it doesn't land at all.
Justin Paperny
Sep 15, 2026
Elizabeth Holmes Says What She'll Do. Where's the Beef?
Elizabeth Holmes says what she plans to do in a new documentary. Justin Paperny on why saying it on camera only helps if there's a dated record behind it.
Justin Paperny
Sep 14, 2026
Don't Waste 15 Months in Federal Prison Camp. Write 300 Words a Day.
Justin Paperny explains why writing 300 words a day, six days a week, in federal prison camp builds a documented record that outlasts the sentence itself.
Justin Paperny
Sep 12, 2026
He Turned Himself In to the FBI Before He Had a Lawyer. The Judge Gave Him 5 Years Instead of 12.
A stranger called Justin Paperny an hour after leaving the FBI office, with no lawyer. Two years later, a judge gave him 5 years instead of 12, and told him why.
Justin Paperny
Sep 11, 2026
I Just Want to Go Back to How It Was
A federal defendant admitted he set out to steal. His wife had no idea. Justin Paperny asked her one question that ended any hope of getting the old life back.
Justin Paperny
Sep 10, 2026
D4vd Promised $1,000 in Jail. Then His Lawyers Said No.
D4vd reportedly promised $1,000 to help another man make bail. His lawyers stopped it. The promise still mattered inside the jail.
Justin Paperny
Sep 8, 2026
I'm Embezzling and No One Has Caught Me Yet. Should I Stop?
A man told Justin Paperny he was embezzling money and no one was investigating him. Justin said stop. He didn't. He served more than six years in federal prison.
Justin Paperny
Sep 7, 2026
Two Wives, Two Federal Sentences
Two wives. One wanted her husband home. The other thought her husband might get two or three years.
Justin Paperny
Sep 6, 2026
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