Free Prison Advice Blog
Things Fall Apart
April 17, 2014 My book, Things Fall Apart, will be published in the next few weeks. For a few reasons, I do not have an acknowledgement page. But, if I did have one, I would have thanked Justin Paperny for helping me to hold my head up high when I never thought I...
Money: The High Cost of Justice
Money: The High Cost of Justice I decided to set aside for the moment all the extremely serious issues you will face as a white collar criminal defendant - loss of freedom and reputation, trauma to self and family, humiliation, incarceration - to focus on another...
Should I Take A Plea Deal?
April 12, 2014 Should I take a plea deal? This morning I had the shortest prospecting call of my life. A criminal defendant called to ask my opinion on whether he should take a plea deal. Please note, he asked me that after 15 seconds on the phone. Moreover, prior to...
Federal Prison Camps: A Brief Primer
Justin's recent post on the best prison camp in America motivated me to weigh in on the same topic. Of course, the big caveat with my post is that I haven't actually been to prison yet. But I sure have done an awful lot of research. We'll soon see if that research...
Planning For The Worst
April 1, 2014 In the movies, a felon's big day comes in a fancy courtroom before a jury who solemnly pronounces - against the backdrop of a grandiose musical score - the defendant's guilt or innocence. The reality for most of us is far different. Most defendants will...
Best Prison Camp In America?
March 20, 2014 What is the best prison camp in America? Wow, I have been asked that question thousands of times. Admittedly, I only served time at one camp so my answer stems from my stay at Taft Federal Prison Camp. Still, during my stay at Taft Camp I spoke with...
Are All Realtors Created Equal?
Are All Realtors Created Equal? March 9, 2014 BY SAM POMPEO Short answer is of course Yes, we are all created equal. But that is where the equality ends. What distinguishes one realtor from the next is a complex weave of knowledge, integrity, ethics, moral compass and...
Leigh Sprague, Columbia University School of Law, Class of 99
I am a successful Ivy-league educated lawyer and, now, as a result of some stupid decisions, a white-collar criminal. Because of my background in law, I came into the process thinking that I knew the ropes and didn’t need the advice of a prison consultant. On a...
USC Marshall School of Business
February 7, 2014 I spent today speaking to nearly 200 students at the USC Marshall School of Business. Upon my release from Taft Camp I stayed very busy speaking to scores of classes both in the undergraduate and business school at USC. Running the Michael G. Santos...
Managing Helplessness from Federal Prison
February 5, 2014 One month down! In the weeks since my last post a few things have changed for me. I joined an exercise group that works out five days a week, sometimes even twice a day. There are about fifteen other guys in the group, which is led by the two other...
