Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Means “Backwards on Purpose”

What is the purpose of prison?  Most people think the very fact of being removed from society, loved ones, and life in general, is the punishment.  But that’s only the beginning.  Once you get inside the walls of the BOP, the real punishment begins. Intentionally or not, those in charge of BOP facilities make the…

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GOIN’ RETRO: Retroactive Application of ZPO and Status Point Amendments

The Zero Point Offender and Status Point modifications to the Sentencing Guidelines go into effect on November 1.  They are RETROACTIVE.  But not everyone knows whether they may benefit from the changes or how to go about getting that benefit.  Therefore, helping us get Set for Sentencing, Mark Allenbaugh, and Keith Hilzendeger to tell us…

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Straight to Sentencing: Pre-Trial Detention Through the Lens of SBF & DJT

When a judge incarcerates a client awaiting trial, each of whom has not been convicted and is therefore presumed innocent, the practical result is that they go straight to sentencing without passing go, without collecting 200 dollars.  Pre-trial detention should be reserved for the worst, or most potentially violent alleged offenders.  But it’s not.  And the…

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The Power of Empathy

I believe that NOTHING IN THE LAW MAKES SENSE EXCEPT IN LIGHT OF EMPATHY.  This is especially true when it comes to sentencing.  A lawyer’s ability to understand and connect with a client is essential to their practice.  But it’s not an easy concept to understand, it’s not always easy to put into practice, and…

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The Cold Hard Truth About White Collar Crime: With Kelly Richmond Pope

This week, helping us get Set For Sentencing is Dr. Kelly Richmond Pope.  She’s a fraud expert, a filmmaker, and an accounting professor at DePaul University in Chicago.  Her latest book, “Fool Me Once: Scams Stories and secrets from the Trillion Dollar Fraud Industry,” is burning up the charts nationally.  Why do people commit fraud? …

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Life in the Shadow of Death, With Cyndy Short

Cyndy Short has been representing those accused of the worst crimes imaginable for most of her career – and she has NEVER had a client sentenced to death on her watch.  She understands that sometimes what makes a lawyer great isn’t their legal abilities, but their human abilities.  In other words, it’s time for lawyers to…

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Diversion Perversion: Hunter Biden’s Super Sweet Plea Deal

Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in!  Not that Mark Allenbaugh isn’t a great guy to spend an hour with doing law-related chitty chat, but after a barrage of Allenbaugh episodes from Elmer to Donald to Walt, I thought I was gonna get to move on to a couple of other…

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