The Barbarian | Chapter 7
“Dr. Sachs, may I speak directly?” I asked as we sat drinking coffee at the Coffee Bean in Calabasas. “Please,” he said—kind, […]
14 Sentencing Mistakes That Add Years to Your Sentence
When I walked into my first federal sentencing hearing in 2009, I thought I was watching a one-off. Instead, I watched a […]
How I Used “Dirty Prison Consultants” as My Excuse to Do Nothing | Chapter 6
Chapter Summary If you’re searching “federal prison consultant,” you’ve probably heard the same warning I used to repeat: dirty prison consultants scam […]
The 33 Strategies of War Meets Federal Sentencing: Lessons That Can Save You Years in Prison
Summary This article examines how human behavior under pressure—described in Robert Greene’s The 33 Strategies of War—mirrors the four biggest mistakes defendants […]
Federal Defendant Lessons: Part I Summary of Justin Paperny’s After the Fall
Summary: This Part I Summary of After the Fall covers the first five chapters and the essential federal sentencing lessons every defendant […]
Easier to Say Than Live: The Real Cost of Freedom After Federal Prison | Chapter 5
If you’re new here, After the Fall is the book I’ve been writing for sixteen years—one story at a time.Each chapter connects […]
Dodger’s Win!
Usually, I write in the evenings. But this week was Dodger baseball — priorities. For that reason, Chapter 5 of After the […]
Discipline and Control in Federal Prison: The Fly Wins | Chapter 4
After a fall, discipline and control look identical, until one breaks you again. Oct 26, 2025 “Dad, sit down. Stop working. You’re […]
No Discounts on Dignity | Chapter 3
The Transparency Offense “Remove it or we’ll delete you.” That was J Date support, the Jewish online dating site. My offense this […]
Walking Cliche | Chapter 2
May 25, 2009 “Throw it away. This suit is not fixable.” That’s what the woman at the cleaners told me when I […]
Silence Isn’t a Strategy, It’s a Sentence | Chapter 1
October 2008, Cheesecake, Root Beer, and a Terrible Idea “Bud, are you serious? You’re telling me you want to stay in prison […]
After the Fall
I’m so thankful you are here, reading this, giving me your most important asset: your time. I’ll do my best to prove […]