LG from Atlanta‘s 

Background

LG grew up in Sheepshead Bay, New York, where his single mother worked as a bookkeeper. LG earned good grades while delivering newspapers, selling athletic apparel, and playing sports. After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminology, LG moved to Georgia to become a commodities trader. LG worked at multiple trading firms, got married, survived cancer, and had three children.

Having grown up without his father around, LG devoted himself to his children. He coached his sons’ football and baseball teams, served on the football association board, and never missed games or school plays. LG also joined the board of the Cancer Assistance Fund and planned charity events to raise money for cancer patients.

LG spent several years in the credit card processing industry until his business ended unsuccessfully. Then, he joined a former associate at a Panama-based foreign currency exchange firm. LG completed administrative tasks while becoming dependent on opioids. He later acknowledged his role in the company’s scheme to defraud investors. LG accepted responsibility for his criminal conduct and pleaded guilty in a United States federal courtroom.

Working with White Collar Advice

As his sentencing date approached, LG discovered the WCA website and team member videos. He recalled the experience in detail: “My lawyer told me nothing and did not prepare me for anything. I was totally in the dark and had no one to talk to. I didn’t know anybody who’d been through the federal system. Watching the WCA videos was like opening a new world of information. The clear message made perfect sense. I wish I’d accessed this information from the beginning.”

LG worked with Lawrence Hartman to prepare his personal narrative for the judge. “Before I found WCA, my lawyer said he would take care of writing a statement. He showed up at my Pre-Sentence Interview (PSI) with a boilerplate acceptance of responsibility that had nothing to do with me. I worried that the judge would never know my story,” LG said. “Larry was very easy going. He walked me through my life story and brought back stuff I hadn’t really thought about. Larry did a great job.”

The WCA team also helped LG’s family and friends prepare character reference letters: “My family was happy and relieved to get the help. WCA made it easy on them. I don’t know what they would have done without guidance and support.”

Outcome

LG arrived at his hearing expecting to receive a prison sentence of 63-70 months. He read aloud the statement he’d worked on with Larry. Before announcing his decision, the judge referenced the character reference letters. LG had also talked to WCA about his preferred prison designation. Having reviewed LG’s submission, the judge recommended LG for the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) and noted his prison preference.

LG was relieved to hear the judge hand down a sentence of 51 months. “I went into that hearing feeling confident and prepared thanks to Larry. The entire process got much better once I got into the right frame of mind. I don’t see why anyone would go through that without help from WCA.”

Analysis

LG continues to work with WCA as he prepares to surrender to prison. The WCA team is bringing him up to speed on how he can benefit from the First Step Act. LG is utilizing the WCA resources to take concrete steps to get ready. WCA content offers essential advice for navigating the early phases of a prison sentence. Plus, WCA team members share how they used their time in prison to improve their health and develop useful life skills.

“I paid my lawyer a tremendous amount of money and he turned out to be 100% useless. I figured he knew what to do, but he didn’t,” LG noted. “I would 100% recommend WCA to someone in this type of situation. I got a huge benefit and peace of mind knowing that I’d done everything I could to prepare.”

LG concluded: “I want to use my time in prison to turn my life around. I plan on taking advantage of every possible course and program. Coming out better is definitely the hope.”