Why convicted rich hire consultants in jail

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Legend

Police officers stand at the entrance to the Alderson Federal Prison Camp, where Martha Stewart surrendered herself on October 8, 2004.

Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, will travel himself on Monday – and we risk seeing other convicts sentenced to prison terms in the near future, while cases like the admissions scandal in colleges take place in the judicial system. When the rich leave their luxury homes for a stay in the big house, they sometimes turn to specialized consultants to cushion the shock of life in prison.

Martha Stewart, Bernie Madoff, NFL players Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress, reality TV stars Teresa Giudice and Abby Lee Miller. These are just some of the celebrities for whom prison counselors would have guided them through the justice system.

These counselors can help you through the process, from impeachment to sentencing, by reviewing cases, asking for benefits, taking phone calls at midnight from families in distress.

All of this outfit has price tags ranging from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand to over $ 100,000 (£ 75,000).

So what exactly do these coaches do when they do their best for the clients who can afford it?

"Once in detention, you lose control of your life," Larry Levine, a prison consultant, told the BBC.

"When someone hire me, I can help them take advantage of the programs, let them know what their rights are and what they can do to regain control of their lives."

Mr. Levine has been in the business for years, but he has also served a decade in all kinds of federal prisons across the country.

"I'm not going to tell them what should happen, I'll tell them what's really going on and why."

Mr Levine told the BBC that he had been hired by people involved in the case of college admissions fraud. Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were among wealthy parents accused of conspiring to cheat their children 's exams or corrupting coaches to provide false sports scholarships to American universities. elite.

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Among the past clients of Mr. Levine, there is a judge accused of stealing money and a government official was caught billing his agency to cover his pockets. He estimates that currently, 75% of his clients are white-collar criminals and 25% have drug-related charges.

But one thing is the same: "When people come to see me, they're screwed in. I control the damage.

"I am like a cross between a psychologist, a marriage counselor, a life coach and a priest."

The US criminal justice system is notoriously opaque, regardless of its social status.

Many consultants, such as Mr. Levine, advise clients from all walks of life to demystify the myriad of steps from the courtroom to the prison cell.

Learning terminology, sequence of events, what to expect from different types of correctional institutions, how to participate in grief reduction programs.

Often this is related to what a person can even be accused of – when it is best to accept a plea agreement or bring him to justice.

Some of the consultants contacted by the BBC expressed a mistrust of lawyers – a perception that lawyers often forget things, do not explain options without jargon or push plea agreements instead of beat to drop the charges.

But when it comes to richer clients, who usually have sufficient legal firepower, many are looking for a more tailored trial experience.

The consultant Justin Paperny, of White Collar Advice, said that the two families he was working with in the case of an admission scam were looking for advice on how to get the best possible sentence .

"Judges want to hear the accused, so we help them explain in their own words why they deserve the shortest possible sentence," Paperny told me.

"We work with them to write their story, create videos about the sentence that talk about the responsibility that they accept, embrace the reality, identify the victims."

Legend

Actress Lori Loughlin (center) and her husband Mossimo Giannulli (center) leave the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse in the United States in Boston in April

Once the trial is completed and the sentence passed, it is essential to place in a good prison and a large part of the programs proposed by all these consultants.

The Cohen and Loughlin of the world are usually in minimum security camps that often do not even have a complete fence and are dormitories rather than blocks of cells.

They may have to party with dozens of fellow inmates, but life in federal prison camps is much different from that portrayed in shows such as Orange is the New Black.

That said, placement in the camp is not always assured.

"Because of the average overcrowding of 44%, people in a camp go to low, medium or high security prisons," said Michael Frantz, director of Jail Time Consulting.

"They can put them anywhere, at 2,000, 2,500 miles from their family. [security prison]there is a bit of violence but not much.

"When you reach a medium or high level – that's where rapes, knife attacks, beatings, games and violence happen."

Mr. Frantz – who spent 36 months in a federal prison – helps clients ask for secure places with the greatest freedom possible, while taking into account their personal preferences.

"It's a crazy exercise, you do not want to go to a camp in which he can not exercise," Frantz said.

"If he wants to be alone and read, it's a consideration – if he wants some food, then we are looking for this type of camps – and they exist."

Michael Cohen, for example, is serving his sentence at Otisville Camp, a facility located in the Northeastern New York countryside, renowned for its kosher meals and Jewish services.

Reality TV Star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Billy McFarland, the man at the Fyre Festival, are among the 113 inmates of Trump's former trusted man.

Legend

Michael Cohen begins serving a three-year jail sentence for fraud, tax evasion, illegal contributions to election campaigns and lying before Congress this week

The advice to the rich convicts once in detention is the same: keep your head down and get used to not being wrong.

According to the consultants, white-collar clients are the most afraid of abuse and unable to stay in touch with their families.

Although the facilities they serve are generally safe, racial and political tensions are present and codes of conduct must be respected.

"Show the ultimate respect," Levine advises leading customers. "Do not queue for the phone.

"Do not touch the food platter of someone – I've seen people become [beaten up] for that because it is a bad label. "

Mr Frantz warns that in the case of Michael Cohen, he should beware of Trump supporters with whom he could go and try to "stay under the radar".

"Trump lovers will not give this guy a break at all," Frantz said.

"Things happen in the middle of the night – urine is poured on you, detainees hold you up and you stain the excrement, and that kind of thing happens all the time."

And it is not only the detainees – falling on the backs of prison guards can have serious consequences.

Mr. Frantz served his sentence in a minimum security camp, but when the guards thought that he had misbehaved, he was still sent to a "special housing unit" where he lived in a concrete cell with another inmate unable to leave for 91 days.

So, what exactly does a consultant do to help you get a short sentence and a comfortable installation and guide you to succeed in pre-trial detention and after?

Mr. Paperny says his services range from $ 9 (to buy his book) to $ 100,000 for writing books for clients, building their brand or managing their business from prison.

"This is part of the planning of activities in addition to any work in prison," Paperny said.

Legend

Justin Paperny

Mr. Frantz also offers similar programs, including reputation repair, sentence reduction, and a basic course on prison survival.

This course is the cheapest option at $ 495 (£ 376). The purchase of the company's exclusive package, which includes all the programs on offer, as well as direct access to Mr. Frantz himself, 24 hours a day, represents an attractive price of $ 35,000.

"They do not want to take risks and they have money," he says of clients who choose this option.

"They spent nearly $ 1.5 million for their lawyer, while what is another $ 35,000?"

Asked about the ethics of their work, consultants contacted by the BBC said that they were doing their best to help all customers, not just those who can afford to pay for the full range of services, and that they all do volunteer work. .

Mr. Levine says that he will listen to anyone's case for free to start. Mr. Frantz tells me that he tries to keep most of the courses under $ 2,000 and offers interest free payment plans. Mr. Paperny explained that his company also ran a free training program for prisoners in California, funded by the federal prison bureau.

But their costs are still much higher than the average American inmate could ever afford.

"Yes, tariffs can become what some people may consider expensive," admits Paperny. "But frankly, it's an investment."

Hiring a consultant to learn survival tactics in prison is a waste, he adds. But for the rich, with businesses to manage and brands to maintain?

"Our customers consider it absolutely an investment rather than a cost."

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