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Release Date: 01/13/2021

Why Most Character Letters Are Useless—And How Mine Helped Me Get 28 Months Instead of 60

ComplianceMitigation's podcast

Before sentencing, people kept telling me, “Get as many character letters as possible.” So, I almost made the mistake that most defendants make—sending the judge a stack of generic letters that meant nothing. made one thing clear in his interview: "I value a letter from a janitor who knows you over a senator who doesn’t." That was a wake-up call. It’s not about how many letters you get. It’s about who writes them and what they say. Most Character Letters Are a Waste of Paper Judges have seen it all. They know when a letter is real and when it’s just someone doing a...

The Best Decision I Made Before Sentencing

ComplianceMitigation's podcast

Before I was sentenced, I knew I had to take control. I appreciated the guidance from my lawyer, but after watching Michael Santos interview judges—especially Judge Bennett—I realized I needed to do more. "Most defendants wait too long to show why they deserve leniency." That’s what Judge Bennett said, and I wasn’t about to make that mistake. I scheduled a call from my home in Tennessee and started working with White Collar Advice. That decision shaped everything that came next. What I Did That Made a Difference 1️⃣ Corrected my PSR – My pre-sentence investigation report (PSR)...

The Most Overlooked Sentencing Strategy—And Why It Helped Me Get 28 Months Instead of 60

ComplianceMitigation's podcast

Walking into my sentencing hearing, I knew I had one final shot to speak directly to the judge. No lawyers, no prosecutors—just me. Judge Mark Bennett has sentenced over 4,000 people. He made one thing clear in his interview: "Your final statement can move a sentence down—but only if done right." That’s allocution. It’s the moment when a judge hears from the person they’re about to sentence. And yet, most defendants blow it. I wasn’t going to be one of them. What Most People Get Wrong Judge Bennett said one of his biggest frustrations is when defendants don’t prepare for...

Why Your Judge Only Knows One Version of You (Unless You Fix It)

ComplianceMitigation's podcast

When I first walked into my sentencing hearing, I already knew what the prosecutor’s version of my life looked like. It was a list of mistakes, numbers, and accusations. It had nothing to do with who I actually was. —who sentenced over 4,000 people—said something in an interview that stuck with me: “Too often, judges never hear the defendant’s side. The government’s version is all they get, and most defendants don’t challenge it.” That hit me because I saw it happen in my own case. My lawyer, like most, treated my pre-sentence investigation report (PSR) like a formality. But...