Despite what was then my naivete regarding the criminal justice system, a judge imposed a sentence of 45 years. The government acknowledged that, as only consenting adults were involved, my crime did not have a single victim. Yet a severe sentence was necessary to promote respect for our nation’s drug laws. Recent events suggest an irony at such hypocritical assertions.

Over the past few months, for example, we have seen that a federal jury convicted Senator Ted Stevens of unfairly enriching himself by exploiting his power as a federal lawmaker. Clearly, the Senator has more than a high school education. American voters entrusted him with the power to look after their interests, yet the Senator made every American taxpayer a victim when he abused that power and tarnished the reputation of our government. Despite his criminal convictions, Ted Stevens remains home to enjoy the holidays with his family.

Earlier this week, a second example, a federal prosecutor made international headlines when he ordered the arrest of Governor Rod Blagojevich from the State of Illinois. As most every American now knows, the government has tape recordings of the Governor’s profane and patently offensive efforts to sell a seat in the United States Senate to the highest bidder.

Governor Blagojevich has a law degree and extensive experience as the Chief Executive of a state, as well as a former legislator. Every citizen in America is a victim of the crime for which the Governor was charged. Yet as a 23-year-old uneducated offender, who sold cocaine to consenting adults, I was held to a higher standard than the people who make laws. Ironically, the Governor continues to retain his power as the head of Illinois.

Last night, I saw yet another example that shows the corruption of power in our country. Bernard Madoff, a former Chairman of the NASDAQ’s Board of Directors was charged with running a Ponzi scheme that swallowed a staggering $50 billion. Government agencies had received repeated warnings that suggested Madoff’s fraud, yet his powerful position persuaded those agencies to ignore his theft. As a consequence of Madoff’s financial crime spree that lasted for years and made real victims of hundreds of unsuspecting trusting investors, that powerful criminal remains free on bond, enjoying the spoils of his riches, while he employs legal machinations to delay his confinement.

I am about to pass through my 22nd consecutive Christmas holiday in prison because of the bad decisions I made during the recklessness of youth. I was locked in prison when my father passed away, and I am denied sufficient telephone privileges to speak with my aging mother, and my sisters. My wife struggles through life without my presence. Whereas I started serving my time in my early 20s, release is not scheduled until I am nearly age 50.

The rich and powerful, the leaders in society who should have known better, face sanctions that are an insult to justice and are offensive to the millions of ordinary citizens who struggle through harsh, unforgiving laws. We need prison reform that will bring fairness to all, including those without connections and power.

The post Ordinary Americans Face Harsh Justice, While Powerful Enjoy Christmas at Home appeared first on Prison News Blog.

When my judge imposed a 45-year prison term I was 23. At the time, I could not wrap my mind around the severity of the sentence. I had never been confined before, and contemplating the reality that I would serve several decades was surreal. Other prisoners with whom I shared space were serving sentences that were only a fraction of the length of mine. Some of those men had long histories of incarceration, violence, and were unrepentant. I was confined with one school teacher who was sentenced to five years for molesting several young boys. In comparison to those terms, I then felt as if my sentence was absurd, as if there was no way justice would permit my imprisonment for multiple decades. By then I did not have much hope of relief through the judicial system, so I chose to focus on the first ten years. During that first decade, I felt as if the best use of my time would be in educating myself and striving to create opportunities that would prepare me for release.

I studied through courses that would lead to university degrees. As I read more about social philosophy, I discovered the writings of Socrates, Rousseau, and others who helped me understand more about the social platforms on which societies are built. Rather than lamenting on the lengthy sentence I received, I decided to accept that I would serve a long time in prison. Once I accepted that I likely would serve more than 20 years of my life in prison, I could more easily contemplate ways that I could use my situation to make contributions to society. That shift in focus eliminated thoughts about whether justice was achieved in my case, and enabled me to find meaning through thoughts and actions. The shift empowered me.

Justice, I came to realize, represented the will of our citizens through the laws and procedures that elected representatives passed. Lawmakers decided that lengthy sentences were appropriate for nonviolent drug offenders, and the citizens apparently supported those views. My decisions exposed me to the sanctions. Likewise, the decisions I made while serving time would determine my usefulness as a citizen. I chose to prepare myself to live as a model that my bolster my power to persuade taxpaying citizens that the criminal justice system is in need of reform. If I succeed in these efforts, then I will have made a meaningful contribution to society. I will have helped our criminal justice system evolve into a more enlightened model that is more in line with my interpretation of justice.

I will continue working to reform our system, as these efforts offer an opportunity for me to make a meaningful contribution.

The post Was My 45-Year Prison Sentence Just? appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Many young people who engage in drug trafficking come from communities without much hope. Although difficult backgrounds may not excuse such decisions, they make the choices easier to understand. People who do not perceive choices they can make to advance their lives in legitimate ways sometimes choose crime as an alternative. Yet in my case, I had viable options that could have led to success. My parents reared my sisters and me in affluence. They were business owners who expected that I follow their example of hard work. Yet I lacked the character as a younger man to make good decisions. It was much easier for me to pursue the high life that came with trafficking in cocaine.

Rather than choosing the more responsible path to maturity, I chose excitement. I was not a drug abuser myself, and my social circle did not expose me to the devastation that drugs bring at the user level. My influences were shows like Miami Vice and movies like Scarface. While in my early 20s, I wrongfully pursued the quick path to perceived riches. Those decisions brought consequences that I failed to appreciate until long after I was caught by the DEA.

Upon my arrest, I continued to make bad decisions. I had never been imprisoned before and I was not ready to accept responsibility for my crimes. That resulted in my making bad decisions like pursuing a trial rather than a plea agreement that could have resulted in a lower sanction. I did not understand the criminal justice system or the options that were available to me. Because of that ignorance, I made choices that resulted in much stiffer penalties.

Since I have been in prison I have worked hard and consistently to reconcile with society for the bad decisions I made. I also strive to help others who are about to encounter the criminal justice system or prison. By reading my writings, I hope to help those individuals make better decisions.

The post Why I Regret that I Sold Cocaine and Fought the Criminal Charges appeared first on Prison News Blog.

My criminal defense attorney had told me that there was a huge difference between a criminal indictment and a conviction. I believed him. Many, many others provided testimony against me. They had been caught in the act of trafficking and had agreed to cooperate against me in exchange for leniency at sentencing. I was foolish enough, or delusional enough to discount the strength of the government’s case against me.

Now that I have more than 21 years of imprisonment behind me, I understand that many individuals who are charged with criminal offenses live with similar delusions. When an individual proceeds through the criminal justice system for the first time, he frequently lives in denial. As a young man who knew he was trafficking in prison, I should not have lived like an ostrich. When I was apprehended by law enforcement, I should have worked harder to understand the system that was about to sink me. Rather than putting my fate completely in the hands of my attorney, a man who had a financial interest in prolonging my legal proceedings, I should have learned about the experiences others have endured as they struggled through the criminal justice system. Instead, I proceeded blindly. Every decision I made was wrong, and as a consequence, I was sanctioned with a severely punitive sentence.

Many professional businessmen will soon find themselves targeted for criminal prosecution for white collar crime. The financial crisis on Wall Street is resulting in numerous criminal investigations that will yield thousands of years in prison. Those who are susceptible to criminal charges ought to learn more about this system before they made bad decisions that dig them in deeper. They ought to understand their options, and one resource they might consult is the Topical Report series I have written that profiles the lives of other white-collar crime prisoners.

Those who do come to prison ought to work hard while they serve time to ensure that they emerge successfully. The prison system itself does not offer much to reduce recidivism, as seven out of ten people who serve time return to confinement after release. To change that appalling statistic, administrators ought to offer incentives that would encourage prisoners to earn freedom and become productive citizens. Instead, the current focus is on punishment and warehousing individuals. My experience suggests that it is up to each prisoner to commit to strategies that will enable him and empower him.

The post Delusions Prior to a Criminal Trial appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Through his story, Jeff described how acting responsibly resulted in his receiving a prison term of three years rather than the nine years initially threatened by the government. Jeff also discussed his $2 million restitution order and programs available that could have advanced his release date further.

Those who are in the process of responding to a federal indictment may find some value in reading of Jeff’s experiences. His story provides an example of how important it is for defendants to communicate effectively with their defense attorneys.

I’ve interviewed and written about hundreds of people, like Jeff, who are serving time for white collar crimes. In an earlier post on this Blog, I discussed the probability of criminal indictments for wire fraud, mail fraud, securities fraud, and mortgage fraud against those in the banking and financial industry as a result of the crisis in America’s financial markets. My prediction was accurate; a news headline published today that reads “Criminal Probes Likely in Financial Crisis” proved me right.

Those who will face, or who are already facing criminal indictment for white collar crime are well advised to gain a better understanding of their options as they confront the criminal justice system. Jeff’s article-and many others-are included in the Prisoner Profiles topical report series published on MichaelSantos.net, and information describing the criminal justice system and prison life is available in the Confronting Criminal Charges, Understanding Prison, and Thriving Through Confinement topical reports series also published on MichaelSantos.net.

The more an individual knows about what is to come, the better prepared they are to make effective decisions and responses.

The post Criminal Probes and Indictments for White Collar Crimes appeared first on Prison News Blog.

Both of these defendants have deep financial resources. They certainly have top-drawer legal talent. Yet the more litigious their approach, the stiffer the sentences they will draw. I have learned form numerous high-profile defendants who had ample access to financial resources. Without exception, each of them expressed regret that they did not structure a plea agreement earlier in the criminal justice process. As a consequence of hardball legal tactics, they served longer sentences.

Although it is always difficult to accept responsibility and the prison term that follows a guilty plea, sometimes that is the prudent choice. Defendants face a set back with a prison sanction. Yet as I have learned through the stories I’ve written (read the Profiles topical report series), the sanctions are lower for those who plead guilty earliest in the process.

Time in prison certainly presents a challenge, though individuals who embrace it as an opportunity for introspection can find some value in the experience. In my article Master Discipline, Expect Nothing, I offer advice for serving time in prison successfully. All of the articles I write stem from what I have learned as a long-term prisoner. I hope they prove helpful for those who deliberate over whether to plead guilty or proceed through trial and the stiffer sanctions that follow.

The post Minimizing Prison Terms for Broadcom Executives appeared first on Prison News Blog.

I’ve been incarcerated for more than 21 years, and I’ve seen this pattern before. When I began my term, in 1987, prosecutors needed to show that they were the frontline soldiers fighting Reagan’s war on drugs. Prison populations soared.

Today, the world is riled up about white collar crime, about options scandals, about fraudulent investment vehicles that improperly failed to disclose risks, about fraud of every type and magnitude. Calming the markets will require new legislation, as we’ve seen this past week with government bailouts on an unprecedented scale. A second prong of the government’s effort to restore investor confidence, however, will come in the form of federal criminal charges against professionals who never dreamed that they would suffer through the indignities of a criminal indictment or prosecution.

When prosecutors charge businessmen with white collar crimes, those professionals frequently exacerbate their problems. Rather than accepting responsiblity early and minimizing their exposure to sanctions, many cling to excuses and denials. They lie to family members, their business associates, their defense attorneys, and the government. The more lies they tell, the more costly their losses. Those who become exposed to the criminal justice system for the first time frequently fail to appreciate the magnitude of their problems.

Emerging successfully from a collison with the criminal justice system requires knowledge and advance preparation. At MichaelSantos.net, partners of mine publish information that could assist those accused of white collar crime, or anyone who may be facing criminal indictment, make better decisions. The Topical Reports and Articles posted there describe solid strategies for navigating the criminal justice system successfully.

Understanding the American system of prosecutors, criminal courts, and federal prisons is crucial in order to work effectively with defense attorneys and prepare for the possibility of serving time in a federal prison camp.

The post White Collar Prosecutions on Wall Street appeared first on Prison News Blog.