Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchWhat Are the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and How Do They Work?
Key Takeaways
The federal sentencing guidelines create a point-based system using offense level and criminal history to produce a recommended rang…5 months, 1 week ago
Federal Sentencing Guidelines 101: How to Calculate Your Prison Range
The federal sentencing guidelines exist because before 1987, two people convicted of the same crime could receive wildly different sentences dependin…
5 months, 2 weeks ago
Federal Sentencing Calculator: Estimate Your Federal Prison Term
Tracii entered federal prison with a 51-month sentence. She left after 17 months of actual custody. No calculator predicted that. She built it — teac…
5 months, 2 weeks ago
One Day In Federal Prison
By 4:00 a.m., I was awake—coffee, journaling, then writing beside Michael Santos. Count at 5:00. Chow at 6:30. Two to three hours running. Standing c…
5 months, 3 weeks ago
The Final Days Before Federal Prison
When people ask me how to prepare for the final days before prison, I start at home. This is harder on your family than it is on you. No sleeping in.…
6 months, 1 week ago
"You Help Criminals."
After my daughter's basketball game, someone pulled me aside and said I work with "criminals." Years ago, I would've argued. Now I listen. Before pri…
6 months, 2 weeks ago
The White-Collar Crime Fear No One Talks About
A few weeks in, it hit me: this was my life for a while. Then I saw something worse. Men serving short sentences—two years for tax crimes—were terrif…
6 months, 2 weeks ago
Connections Won't Save You
I tell people this straight: shorter sentences don't start with credentials. They start with acceptance. Judges look for proof that you understand yo…
6 months, 2 weeks ago
Cheating's Price
I've seen this pattern over and over. When someone commits a crime and doesn't get caught right away, the fear doesn't fade—it grows. Every knock, ev…
6 months, 3 weeks ago
Senior Broker Stole Books of Business. I Joined the Game.
I remember standing in a brokerage HR room watching a senior broker brag about raising $15–$20 million in a day. The truth came out fast. Junior brok…
6 months, 3 weeks ago