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““I left the court feeling victorious, relieved, and very happy. The judge said more than three times during sentencing that after reading my letter and listening to my speech he could see who I really was.” — Clovis, Trustpilot review, June 29, 2023”
Federal wire fraud sentencing: What will you tell the judge?
Clovis Placido taught himself English with a dictionary while driving for Uber. Years later, he had to read a statement to Judge Mark L. Wolf in a Massachusetts courtroom without losing his place.
He was 33, with no criminal record. He had spoken English with customers and run two businesses. He had never stood up in court and described his own crime.
Out loud, line by line
Over several sessions, Clovis read his allocution aloud to us. Every line that sounded like someone else got rewritten in his own words.
Michael Santos once asked Judge Stephen Bough about defendants who dread public speaking. His answer: "Being nervous and writing it out and reading it can be just as powerful."
Read your own statement aloud with a pen in your hand. Mark every place you stumble, and every phrase you would never say at your kitchen table. Those are the lines to rewrite.
The WhatsApp group
Clovis grew up in Mato Grosso, Brazil, and moved to the United States in 2016. He drove for Uber, ran a flooring business in New York, and started a cleaning company in Florida. He married Lauren. They planned to buy a farm in New Hampshire.
When the pandemic dried up Uber rides, rent got hard to cover. A WhatsApp group of Brazilians pointed him to a scheme: open DoorDash accounts under false names and Social Security numbers and collect the referral bonuses. Clovis joined. He also sold location data pulled from DoorDash's public website for $1,000. The operation was tied to Priscilla Barbosa, though Clovis says they never met.
He quit in January 2021. Federal agents arrested him four months later. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud.
Draft after draft
His narrative covered Mato Grosso, the move, the businesses, and the DoorDash accounts. In our interviews he also talked about how differently Brazil and the U.S. treat identification documents and official rules. He explained in writing how he got in and why he got out before the arrest.
Coworkers, family, and neighbors wrote letters. They described him helping neighbors, caring for animals, and how early he left for work. Some wrote about his marriage to Lauren.
Forty-five days
Prosecutors asked for 57 months. Clovis stood and read the statement he had practiced.
In a June 2023 review, he wrote:
"I left the court feeling victorious, relieved, and very happy. The judge said more than three times during sentencing that after reading my letter and listening to my speech he could see who I really was."
Judge Wolf sentenced him to 20 months and gave him 45 days to surrender. The New Hampshire farm would wait. Clovis has since served his sentence and come home.
Book a $500 diagnostic call and bring your draft statement. We will read it aloud with you.
Thank you,
Justin Paperny
Written by
Justin Paperny
Founder White Collar Advice