WHEN YOUR CASE REQUIRES MORE THAN ORDINARY PRISON CONSULTING
Specialized guidance for clients and their attorneys in sensitive, high-profile, and complex federal cases.
You may not have heard of me because I don’t try to be everything to everyone. I work with defendants, families, and defense attorneys facing sensitive, high-profile, and complex federal prison cases that require specialized experience and practical insight.
Attorneys understand the law. My role is to address the prison issues that arise before sentencing and continue long after it. That includes preparing clients with sensitive offenses to enter prison safely, identifying PSR language that could affect designation, understanding SOMP and sex offender treatment issues, and addressing protective custody concerns before they become real problems.
Not every federal prison case requires specialized consulting. But when the stakes are unusually high, ordinary prison consulting isn’t enough.
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How I Help
Prison Strategy for Sensitive and High-Profile Cases
Preparing for federal prison involves dozens of decisions that can affect a client’s safety and daily life. I help clients and defense attorneys evaluate protective custody options, review PSR language for potential prison implications, understand SOMP and sex offender treatment requirements, prepare for designation, and develop a plan for entering federal prison safely and with realistic expectations.
Family Guidance and Crisis Planning
Families often face the same uncertainty as the defendant. I help families understand what to expect before sentencing, during incarceration, and after release, including preparing for designation, responding to prison emergencies, and separating fact from rumor during one of the most stressful periods of their lives.
Reentry and Supervised-Release Strategy
Release from prison is the beginning of a new phase, not the end of the process. I help clients pursue early termination of supervised release, understand and comply with release conditions, address registration-related concerns, overcome housing and employment obstacles, and develop practical strategies for long-term success after federal custody.
Federal Post-Conviction Consulting
Federal post-conviction work often requires more than filing motions. I assist clients and attorneys with case organization, issue identification, legal research support, and strategic preparation for post-conviction litigation. My role is to help ensure that important issues are identified, organized, and presented as effectively as possible.
Latest blog posts
In-Depth Insights
Practical analysis on federal custody, sentencing, post-conviction trends, and supervised-release issues, written for defendants, families, and attorneys who want clear, accurate information.
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Weekly ZLG Inmate Newsletter
District Court Erred by Not Severing Codefendants Whose Defenses Required Blaming Each Other United States v. Green, No. 23-2476, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 21609 (3d Cir. Aug. 27, 2024) The court’s decision emphasized the critical importance of severing the trials of co-defendants to ensure a fair trial when their defenses are mutually antagonistic. In this…
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The Unseen Costs of Federal Supervised Release: Why Passage of the SAFER Supervision Act is Essential
When Daniel Brown was released from federal prison in 2020, 15 years into a 42-year sentence for drug and firearm possession, he was determined to make the most of his second chance. He has since become a project manager at a construction company, co-runs a real estate business with his wife, and is a father…
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Why Derek Chauvin is Being Transferred to Another Federal Prison.
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted for the murder of George Floyd, has been transferred from a federal prison in Arizona to a federal transfer center in Oklahoma City. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons has not disclosed the reason for this move, citing privacy, safety, and security concerns. The transfer comes after Chauvin…
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Federal Judge Rules CBP Can’t Search Travelers’ Phones Without a Warrant
A federal judge has held that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) cannot search travelers’ phones without a warrant, a decision that carries profound implications for privacy at U.S. borders. This ruling, delivered by Judge Nina R. Morrison, specifically applies to New York’s Eastern District, which includes John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), one of the busiest…
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Conviction Overturned Due to Defense Counsel’s ‘Wildly’ Erroneous Sentencing Prediction
Calling defense counsel’s sentencing prediction “wildly different” from the actual sentence imposed, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed the denial of postconviction relief. It remanded for the district court to have the government reoffer the favorable plea deal the defendant rejected because of counsel’s bad advice about sentencing. This case is…
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How Relevant Conduct Unfairly Impacts Sentencing: Charges Dismissed, But District Judge Refuses to Lower Sentences
Two doctors convicted in federal court of illegally prescribing painkillers achieved a significant victory at the U.S. Supreme Court. However, this triumph did not relieve their lengthy prison sentences. The U.S. Supreme Court partially overturned the convictions of Dr. John Patrick Couch and Dr. Xiulu Ruan. In Ruan v. United States, 144 S. Ct. 377…
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Conviction Overturned for University of Kansas Professor Who Lied About Collaborating with University in China
In a significant decision, a federal court of appeals, in United States v. Feng Tao, No. 23-3013, 2024 U.S. App. LEXIS 16956 (10th Cir. July 11, 2024), reversed the federal conviction of Feng “Franklin” Tao, a former tenured professor at the University of Kansas (KU). This decision marks a critical examination of the evidence required…
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Why Every Federal Child Pornography Case Will Now Be at the Top of the Sentencing Guidelines Range
In child pornography cases, sentencing is influenced by the number of “images” involved in the offense, as mandated by the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines under U.S.S.G. § 2G2.2(b)(7). This guideline establishes a graduated sentencing enhancement based on the number of images. While this is straightforward for still images, it becomes complicated with videos. Traditionally, the guideline…
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How the Supreme Court Overturning the Chevron Doctrine Helps Some Federal Inmates Get Out Earlier
The Supreme Court’s big decision in Loper Bright Enters. v. Raimondo, Nos. 22-451, 22-1219, 2024 U.S. LEXIS 2882 (June 28, 2024), will help some federal inmates get out of prison early. While this unintended result by the Court seems confusing to many people, those who have been doing postconviction work for any length of time,…