Federal Halfway House Rules Nobody Tells You Before You Get There
He called me from the halfway house furious. Not frustrated. Furious. His job application got denied. He was on lockdown longer than […]
What Judges Do With Your Federal Sentencing Mitigation Letter
Your federal sentencing mitigation letter is required reading for the judge. That is not the question. The question is what he does […]
What Is a Minimum Security Prison? A Former Federal Prisoner Explains What Actually Happens There
Eighteen years ago tomorrow I learned a minimum security prison is the lowest custody level in the federal Bureau of Prisons system. […]
What Happens at a Federal Sentencing Hearing: A Step-by-Step Guide
A federal sentencing hearing is the proceeding where a judge decides how long you will spend in federal prison (if at all), […]
What Do Prison Consultants Do? And Why You Probably Don’t Need One
A journalist called me recently. He is writing a piece about sentencing mitigation and wanted to understand what I do. He found […]
Federal Prison Mindset: The Promise That Works
I was texting with my mom this morning, confirming a visit to Los Angeles, when she reminded me: next week marks 18 […]
PPP Loan Fraud Sentencing: What Actually Happens and How to Prepare
Several months ago a man called me who had already done a lot of things right. He broke the law, pled guilty, […]
What Your Federal Sentencing Memorandum Cannot Do — And What Only You Can
Federal sentencing guidelines give you a starting point, not a final answer. The loss amount, offense level, and criminal history points frame […]
What Not to Say Your First Day in Federal Prison
When Judge Wilson sentenced me to 18 months, my first thought was that 18 months was a lifetime. I remember standing there […]
Federal Plea vs. Trial: What Defendants Get Wrong
Before You Plead Guilty, Read This: My Conversation with Defense Lawyer Stephen Lee If you are facing federal charges and deciding between […]
RDAP Program: How to Get Up to 1 Year Off Your Federal Sentence
Article 11 of 31 | Series: Federal Sentencing & the Sentence Calculator Of all the sentence reduction tools available to federal prisoners, […]
How to Show Remorse at Sentencing
The man had a polished letter, a pressed suit, and a speech he practiced in the mirror. Then he stood in federal […]