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.”