Prison Life Podcast - Crime, Punishment, and Family

Jack Donson is a federal prison consultant retired from the Bureau of Prisons.  He discusses the likely prison experience of two recent cases that garnered much media attention.  Jared Fogle, the former Subway spokesperson, was sentenced to nearly 16 years in federal prison for his sex crimes.  And Jonathan Pollard who spied against the U.S. for Israel and was just released after serving 30 years of a life sentence.  Jack tells the likely story of Jared Fogle going in, and the other of Pollard coming out of prison after spending decades locked up.

Anita Raghavan discusses the sensational collapse of the Galleon Group hedge fund from criminal charges of insider trading.   Her book, The Billionaire’s Apprentice, focuses on Galleon’s founder, Raj Rajaratnam, who was one of the most prominent and successful investors on Wall Street until he was arrested in 2009 for insider trading crimes, and his apprentice and companion in crime, Rajat Gupta, the former head of McKinsey and Company.  Anita is the London Bureau Chief for Forbes and contributor to New York Times Dealbook.

Walt Pavlo offers his insights on white collar crime, federal prison, families facing the prison experience, and prison reform.  He shares his own personal story of the crimes that landed him in federal prison, the FBI break that led to his becoming an influential voice and a vital resource for the incarcerated.  He is the author of the book Stolen Without A Gun, contributor to Forbes.com, and has presented to business schools, accounting firms, and law enforcement agencies on the topic of ethics and white collar crime.  His story and work have been covered by Forbes, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Today Show, and NPR Radio. 

Carolyn Esparza, author of the book, The Unvarnished Truth about the Prison Family Journey, discusses her over 30 years working to support families of the incarcerated.  She tells the story of how so many families are traumatized and stigmatized when a family member is sentenced to prison, points out the risks and also the blessings that can come from imprisonment, and provides resources of where the prison family can find guidance and support.

Scott London seemed to have had it all.   A senior partner at a Big 4 accounting firm, he had success, prestige, and a big salary.  His career and his personal life came undone when he began helping a friend in troubled times by passing confidential financial information for the purpose of illegal stock trading.  Scott London discusses his work at KPMG, his friendship, the fallout from his fraud, his prison experiences, and his future plans.

Marc Simon, attorney, filmmaker, and director discusses his making of the documentary Unraveled.   The film explores the downfall of prominent New York attorney Marc Dreier who orchestrated one of the largest securities and money fraud schemes in American history.   Marc Dreier admitted his guilt in the massive fraud and was filmed during his final 60 days under presentencing house arrest giving a glimpse inside the mind of a white-collar thief.   Called the “Houdini of Impersonation and false documents,” Marc Dreier is now serving a 20-year prison sentence.  The extraordinary film revealed how inadequately prepared first-time criminals and their families are for the time of imprisonment, inspiring Andrew Snyder to begin his practice of guiding clients and their families through the complicated and sensitive issues presented by criminal prosecution and incarceration.