Podcast
White Collar Advice
Hosted by Justin Paperny · EN
Whether you're a defense attorney, a criminal defendant, or someone eager to learn about sentencing, federal prison, and white-collar crime, our podcast is an excellent resource. It's never too soon or too late to begin preparing for a government investigation, and here's why:
Statistics demonstrate the potentially life-altering consequences of encountering the criminal justice system. Beyond the initial indignity of an arrest or the notification of a criminal investigation, those targeted by law enforcement face additional challenges:
How will this situation impact my career and earning capacity?
What changes will my life undergo if I receive a federal prison sentence?
How will my family members be affected by my term of confinement?
In the face of such complex challenges, consulting with a competent defense attorney is crucial (please note we are not lawyers and do not offer legal advice). A skilled attorney will guide the criminal justice process and help individuals navigate these difficulties.
At White Collar Advice, our dedicated team focuses on assisting those seeking to learn how to:
Avoid charges or get the shortest sentence possible.
Serve their sentence in a federal prison camp or a facility with the lowest possible security level.
Establish meaning and confidence while in federal prison.
Transition back into society and pursue a new career path.
Create a record that leads to increased liberty during supervised release.
Our podcast offers more than just generic information through a quick internet search. We prioritize delivering insightful and personalized content to our audience.
As the host, I bring a unique perspective to the table. As a successful stockbroker at Bear Stearns and UBS, I specialized in representing professional athletes and hedge funds. My journey through the criminal justice system, including a felony conviction for securities law violations, has given me valuable insights. For an in-depth account, grab a free copy of Lessons From Prison at WhiteCollarAdvice.com.
White Collar Advice has also become a trusted resource for numerous media outlets, including Dr. Phil, The New York Times, CNN, Fox News, The Washington Post, Fortune, The New York Post, BBC, ABC, and NBC.
If you have questions or inquiries, please contact us at Support@WhiteCollarAdvice.com or call 818-424-2220.
I appreciate your interest in our podcast. We look forward to sharing valuable knowledge and empowering you with the information you need to navigate the complexities of the criminal justice system.
Justin Paperny
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Mackenzie Shirilla Is Documenting Herself Into a Life Sentence
Jun 200:11:45Tap to summarize58 pages of conduct reports. Sex toys on a video visit. Stolen earrings from the kindwear room. Fake eyelashes. Mackenzie Shirilla has a 2037 parole hearing. Parole boards don't believe words. They look at records. She is off to a bad start. Justin Paperny
Transcribe →Federal Sentencing Guidelines: Why You Don't Have a Math Problem
Apr 2000:09:46Tap to summarizeMost defendants I speak with think they have a math problem. Loss amount, offense level, criminal history points. They obsess over the guideline range and do nothing to change it. Earlier today I spoke with a defendant back east who has spent weeks on the math and almost no time building the record that actually moves the outcome. This episode is about that mistake. Federal sentencing guidelines give a judge a starting point, not a final answer. I have been to more than 1,500 sentencing hearings since I came home from Taft Federal Prison Camp in 2008. I have heard judges mock defendants who claimed conduct they could not document. I have watched upper-guideline sentences handed down because a man wrote a letter saying he cared about his family but never once identified with the people he hurt. And I have watched defendants get below-guideline sentences because they sold the second car, moved to a smaller house, sat for a proffer, and kept every record. In this episode I walk through what judges actually say at sentencing, what the sentencing memorandum cannot do for you, and what thirty to ninety minutes a day between now and your hearing can build that no lawyer can manufacture after the fact. If you have been charged, are a target of an investigation, or are waiting for someone else to engineer your outcome, this episode is for you. The guidelines are only the guidelines. What you do today is the record.
Transcribe →The Executive Who Practiced His Apology for Weeks and Still Got 18 Extra Months
Apr 1000:07:26Tap to summarizeHe rehearsed his apology for weeks and still got 18 extra months. In this episode, I explain why vague remorse fails in federal court, what judges actually look for, and why the people who get better outcomes usually start building their case for leniency long before sentencing day.
Transcribe →How to Hire a Lawyer: What Good Lawyers Do Differently
Mar 400:08:14Tap to summarizeNo description available
Transcribe →What Are the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and How Do They Work?
Feb 2600:06:07Tap to summarizeKey Takeaways The federal sentencing guidelines create a point-based system using offense level and criminal history to produce a recommended range in months. Every enhancement — loss amount, victims, position of trust, obstruction — adds points and directly extends the likely sentence. The guidelines are advisory after Booker, but judges calculate them in every case and explain any deviation. Most sentences remain within or near the range. The Presentence Investigation Report is the document that carries your guideline calculation forward through the entire prison system. The PSR interview is one of the most important moments in the process. Understanding your likely range early gives you time to influence it. Our federal sentence calculator provides that number before your attorney, the probation officer, or the judge does. Justin Paperny
Transcribe →Federal Sentencing Guidelines 101: How to Calculate Your Prison Range
Feb 2400:09:20Tap to summarizeThe federal sentencing guidelines exist because before 1987, two people convicted of the same crime could receive wildly different sentences depending on which judge they drew. Congress decided that was unacceptable. The Sentencing Reform Act fixed it — at least on paper. Here's what most defendants don't know: the guidelines are advisory. United States v. Booker made that clear in 2005. Judges must calculate them. They don't have to follow them. This episode explains how the grid works — your offense level on one axis, criminal history category on the other — and what moves each number. Three levels off for a genuine guilty plea. Role adjustments that can add or subtract years. Cooperation motions that can go below a mandatory minimum. These aren't technicalities. They're levers. We also share something Judge Stephen Bough told Michael directly: the guidelines are generic. The 3553(a) factors are where the judge finally looks at you as a human being — your history, your circumstances, what you need to become a contributing member of society. That's your opening. The defendant who shows up with nothing gets sentenced by the grid. The defendant who shows up with a documented human story gives the judge something to work with. The math is the starting point. The record you build is what changes it. Best, Justin Paperny
Transcribe →Federal Sentencing Calculator: Estimate Your Federal Prison Term
Feb 2400:08:52Tap to summarizeTracii entered federal prison with a 51-month sentence. She left after 17 months of actual custody. No calculator predicted that. She built it — teaching classes, documenting everything, submitting a release plan on day one, and updating it throughout her sentence. This episode breaks down what our federal sentencing calculator actually does: you enter your imposed sentence, and it applies every available federal credit — Good Conduct Time, First Step Act earned credits, RDAP if applicable, pre-sentence custody days — and returns a projected release range. Not one number. A range. Because the final result depends on what you do. We cover each credit type, why RDAP isn't always available even when you qualify, and how halfway house placement works. We also talk about the variable no calculator can model: your record. Tracii received an 11-month sentence reduction. The judge cited her documented work by name in the order. Her case manager had seen it firsthand. Her camp administrator vouched for her. None of that was luck. The calculator gives you the math. Your preparation determines how far above that baseline you finish. Run the numbers at calculator.whitecollaradvice.com. Then schedule a call with our team. Best, Justin
Transcribe →One Day In Federal Prison
Feb 1100:02:58Tap to summarizeBy 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 count at 10:30. Pots and pans detail until 1:30. Library or quiet room until lights out. I had $290 a month in commissary and 300 phone minutes. Structure wasn't optional—it kept me focused. Minimum-security camps aren't violent; they're boring. Boredom ruins people. I avoided the TV room and built assets—a blog, drafts, notes that later became Lessons from Prison. The goal wasn't comfort. It was preparation for coming home. Slow, steady effort wins. Join our weekly webinar every Tuesday at 11AM Pacific / 2PM Eastern. Justin Paperny
Transcribe →The Final Days Before Federal Prison
Jan 2600:00:46Tap to summarizeWhen 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. No complaining. You set the tone by functioning and leading. Once the household is steady, I focus on what comes next. Minimum-security prison isn't what TV shows. The real risk is boredom. That's where bad decisions start. We build routines early so clients arrive prepared for the obstacles ahead—even on days they don't feel like preparing. Leadership doesn't pause because prison is coming. Join our weekly webinar every Tuesday at 11AM Pacific / 2PM Eastern.
Transcribe →"You Help Criminals."
Jan 2200:01:43Tap to summarizeAfter 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 prison, I would've said the same thing. A DOJ press release tells one side. That's it. I asked him how he saw me—as a father, a husband. Then I asked how he would've seen me 20 years ago reading my indictment. The answer was obvious. People aren't frozen at their worst moment. I've watched men rebuild after creating their own crisis. I'm proud to call them friends. Judges—formal or informal—should look at the record being built today, not headlines from the past. Join our weekly webinar every Tuesday at 11AM Pacific / 2PM Eastern.
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