White Collar Week Newsletter June 2023
Jeffrey D. Grant
Private General Counsel/High-Stakes Attorney at GrantLaw, PLLC, White Collar Support Group, Featured in The New Yorker & on the Rich Roll Podcast
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to a client, colleague, friend or family member in need. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Click here to join our mailing list!
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White Collar Support Group 36rd Meeting Online on Zoom, Mon. June 5, 2023. 7 pm ET, 6 pm CT, 5 pm MT, 4 pm PT. 7+ Years of Support!
We meet every Monday.
We are a community of individuals, families and groups with white collar justice issues who have a desire to take responsibility for our actions and the wreckage we caused, make amends, and move forward in new way of life centered on hope, care, compassion, tolerance and empathy. Our experience shows us that many of us are suffering in silence with shame, remorse, and deep regret. Many of us have been stigmatized by our own families, friends and communities, and the business community. Our goal is to learn and evolve into a new spiritual way of life and to reach out in service to others.?
Over 700 Fellow Travelers have participated in our support group meetings from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming - and Canada, South America, Israel. Mexico, Europe, Scandinavia, and the Caribbean.?All have agreed this has been a valuable, important experience in which everyone feels less alone, and gratified in the opportunity to talk about things in a safe space only we could understand.
WCSG members have access to our private on-line community which features peer and mentoring support, our white collar job and career board, news and events relevant to our community, advocacy initiatives and partnerships with other nonprofits, and a wide array of other resources. We sponsor a monthly newsletter, a Tuesday Night Speaker Series (open to family and friends), social media channels, and our website hosts our widely-read blog with over ten years of important content. All freely offered on a volunteer basis by group members at no cost to our members and their families!
Thank you for referring justice-impacted people and families:?[email protected].?
For press/media inquiries:?[email protected].?
IMPORTANT!:?If you are currently on supervised release, probation or parole, it is important that you first discuss this with your P.O. To assist in this regard, information about our ministry is available on?prisonist.org.
Also, White Collar Week Podcast:?An Evening with Our White Collar Support Group. 16 support group members share their stories. Link?here.
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The World’s First Support Group Devoted to Those Navigating The White Collar Criminal Justice System
Greenwich CT & Nationwide
It's the isolation that destroys us. The solution is in community.
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White Collar Week Tuesday Speaker Series, On Zoom: David B. Smith, Esq., Federal Restitution & Forfeiture Collection Expert. Tues., June 20, 2023, 7 pm ET, 4 pm PT
We are honored to have David B. Smith, Esq. as the June speaker in our White Collar Support Group Tuesday Speaker Series.
Link to register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJctcOyqpj8vHdW39HWfPnWWSXpvL-caJI_S
Information about our White Collar Support Group: https://prisonist.org
David has over 40 years of white collar criminal experience. He has litigated scores of cases and argued more than one hundred federal criminal appeals as a federal prosecutor and defense attorney, including extensive experience with civil and criminal litigation in the Supreme Court of the United States. He has been repeatedly named in the list of preeminent lawyers in the field of white collar criminal defense by Best Lawyers in America (2012-2023) and Virginia Super Lawyers (2009-2023), and has received the President’s Commendation for outstanding service from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 1993, 1994, and 2004. He served for nine years on the Board of the NACDL and has been Chair of its Forfeiture Committee since 1990. He is also a Vice-Chair of its Amicus Committee.
For nearly a decade prior to entering private practice, David was a prosecutor in the Criminal Division of the United States Department of Justice and at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, where he was involved in complex white collar criminal investigations, trials, and appeals involving defense procurement fraud, congressional bribery, espionage, tax evasion, mail fraud, false claims and other crimes. In 1995-1996, he served as an Associate Independent Counsel in the investigation of Michael Espy, the former secretary of agriculture.
David is regarded as the foremost expert in the country on asset forfeiture and restitution law and practice. He is the author of the leading two-volume legal treatise on forfeiture, Prosecution and Defense of Forfeiture Cases (2023), published by Matthew Bender, and co-author of Civil RICO (2023), also published by Matthew Bender. He has testified before congressional committees several times with respect to forfeiture, restitution, and money laundering legislation. David has regularly counseled the Senate and House Judiciary Committees on forfeiture legislation, and was heavily involved in drafting the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000. He has also assisted the federal advisory committees in writing the procedural rules governing criminal and civil forfeiture proceedings. In 2000-2001, David was appointed by Senator Richard Shelby (R. Ala.), the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to serve as a Commissioner with the Judicial Review Commission on Foreign Asset Control.
“And I must thank David Smith, who has been there since the beginning. David helped me draft my first forfeiture reform bill – the Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 1993 – and helped draft Senators Leahy’s and Hatch’s reform bill, and helped draft the Senate-passed bill we are considering today. This bill is truly his accomplishment.” —House Judiciary Chairman Henry Hyde (R-IL)
To reach David B. Smith: https://davidbsmithpllc.com
White Collar Week Apr. ’23 Newsletter: https://conta.cc/42YI7GE
Sponsored by Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.: https://prisonist.org
Sponsored by GrantLaw, PLLC: https://GrantLaw.com
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Jeff Grant on the Nightmare Success Podcast with Brent Cassity, May 25, 2023
Evan Osnos, Staff Writer for the New Yorker Magazine described my guest Jeff Grant this way,
“Jeff Grant is the real deal; he’s candid and generous with his wisdom. I can’t imagine there is a lawyer in the country more qualified to consider the complex issues facing people prosecuted for white collar crimes and their families.”
Incredible quote and could not be more true. Jeff was a high flying successful New York real estate attorney. He became addicted to prescription opioids after a tear in in his Achilles tendon playing basketball. HIs life when into a dark spiral from dipping into his clients escrow accounts to creating loan fraud with a government SBA loan. He lost his law license and eventually received a 14 month sentence in Federal Prison. What he did with his life after getting out of prison is nothing short of remarkable and inspiring. He became an ordained minister earning a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary, majoring in Social Ethics. After graduating from divinity school , Jeff was called to serve at an inner city church in Bridgeport, CT as associate minister and Director of Prison Ministries. He then co-founded Progressive Prison Ministries, the world’s first ministry dedicated to people navigating the white collar criminal justice system.
On May 5, 2021, Jeff’s law license was reinstated by the Supreme Court of the State of New York. On August 10, 2022 he celebrated 20 years of continuous sobriety. He is now committed to using his legal expertise and life experience to benefit others. He is the founder of the first national White Collar Support group with over 700 members nationwide. Jeff is vulnerable and real with how he leads us through his journey of overcoming and being set free to find and serve his passion. A true nightmare success story!
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Legal Action Center 50 Years of Impact
Legal Action Center is turning 50 and celebrating half a century fighting discrimination, building health equity, and restoring opportunity for individuals and families impacted by the criminal legal system, addiction and/or HIV/AIDS. We hope you’ll join us as we build upon our many accomplishments over the past five decades and work to ensure another 50 years of impact building a healthier, more equitable, and just nation for all.
"I am honored to serve on the Board of Directors of the Legal Action Center." - Jeff
Watch the Video:
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White Collar Week News & Events
1.? White Collar Week Apr. ’23 Newsletter: https://conta.cc/42YI7GE
2.? WCSG Slack Chat Group:?If you are directly justice-impacted, you are invited to join our Slack chat group for 24/7 support. To request link to join:?[email protected].
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3.? Career Information Slack Channel:?We are dedicated to helping our members to find career opportunities and acquire soft-skills and other training to be successful. All new job listings are posted in real time in the Career Information channel of our WCSG Slack Chat Group. We encourage all members to post on Slack any information you might discover.?
4.? Early Release/ First Step Act/ CARES Act Slack Channel:?We have a WCSG Slack Chat Group channel dedicated to sharing early release information.
5.?Fellow Travelers in Prison: If you would like to send letters and/or books from a major bookseller (e.g. Amazon, Barnes & Noble) to Fellow Travelers currently in prison, we now have a Slack Channel with updated contact information.
6.? Family Support Group: Sponsored by Evolution Reentry, Hosted by Bill Livolsi, Online on Zoom, Thursdays, 7 pm ET:?https://prisonist.org/family-support-group-sponsored-by-evolution-reentry-online-on-zoom-thursdays-7-pm-et-starting-feb-3-2022/
7.? Spiritual Urgent Care, Online on Zoom, Thursdays, 9:30 am ET, 6:30 am PT:?Please join us for a 1/2 hour midweek check in. Open to friends and family members too: https://zoom.us/j/397962564
8. Podcast: Jeff Grant on the Nightmare Success Podcast with Brent Cassity, May 25, 2023: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nightmare-success-in-and-out-guest-jeff-grant/id1588287560?i=1000614452639
9. YouTube Video: White Collar Week Tuesday Speaker Series - Elizabeth Kelley, Criminal Defense Attorney for People with Mental Health Disabilities, Jan. 10, 2023: https://www.grantlaw.com/white-collar-week-tuesday-speaker-series-elizabeth-kelley-criminal-defense-attorney-for-people-with-mental-health-disabilities-on-zoom-tues-jan-10-2023-7-pm-et-4-pm-pt/
10.?YouTube Video: We Presented at the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Fall Conference, Fri., Nov. 18, 2022, Washington, DC: https://prisonist.org/panel-prosecuted-lawyers-perspectives-on-white-collar-nonviolent-prosecution-and-reentry-aba-criminal-justice-conference-washington-dc-nov-18-2022/
11.YouTube Video: White Collar Week Tuesday Speaker Series: Jim Campbell, Author of "Madoff Talks" The book that Inspired the Netflix Documentary "Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street": Feb. 21, 2023, 7 pm ET, 4 pm PT. To register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvfu2hqjMjHNMjfclZp-uhL4P9y-l_tNaE
12.YouTube Video: White Collar Week Tuesday Speaker Series: Scott Semple, Former Connecticut Commissioner of Correction:
13.White Collar Week Tuesday Speaker Series: Christopher Poulos, Executive Director, Center for Justice and Human Dignity: Apr. 18, 2023, 7 pm ET, 4 pm PT. To register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUvfu6tqDwjGN2CYtITEnsmxxQUMkblRpX7
14.Justice Impacted Podcast: Fellow Traveler Richard McDonald interviewed our Monday night speaker Kristine Bunch, Feb. 10, 2023: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/0de7999c-c3a2-4f0a-9986-425b3713b5f9
15.The Subtle Radical Reforms of Attorney General Merrick Garland, by Fellow Traveler Fred Aaron: March 13, 2023: https://prisonist.org/interrogating-justice-the-subtle-radical-reforms-of-attorney-general-merrick-garland-by-fellow-traveler-fred-aaron/
16.?Entrepreneur: I Went to Prison for SBA Loan Fraud – 7 Things to Know When Taking Disaster Relief Money: by Fellow Traveler Jeff Grant: https://www.grantlaw.com/hurricane-ian-fraud-alert-entrepreneur-article-redux-i-went-to-prison-for-sba-loan-fraud-7-things-to-know-when-taking-covid-19-relief-money-by-jeff-grant-j-d-m-div/
17.?Entrepreneur: 9 Things to Know when Hiring a White Collar Criminal Defense Attorney, by Fellow Traveler Jeff Grant: https://www.grantlaw.com/entrepreneur-9-things-to-know-when-hiring-a-white-collar-criminal-defense-lawyer-by-jeff-grant-esq/
18.?Donations:?Thank you for your generosity in supporting Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. and our White Collar Support Group. Please make your check payable to "Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.," a?501(c)(3)?nonprofit,?and send to our mailing address: 516 S. Dixie Hwy., Box 222, West Palm Beach, Florida 33401. Or, please make your online donation here: https://bit.ly/donate35T9kMZ. All?donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
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We have no dues or fees but we do have expenses!
Please make your check payable to "Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.," a?501(c)(3)?nonprofit,?and send to our mailing address: 516 S. Dixie Hwy, Box 222, West Palm Beach, FL 33401. All?donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.?Thank you for your support!?
Or, please make your online donation here:
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Newsletter Sponsored By
GrantLaw, PLLC, Jeffrey D. Grant, Esq.?
Private General Counsel/White Collar Attorney
43 West 43rd Street, Suite 108
New York, New York 10036-7424
(212) 859-3512
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More Information
Rev. Jeff Grant, J.D., M.Div. (he,?him, his)?
Co-founder, Progressive Prison?Ministries, Inc.
Greenwich CT &?Nationwide
Mailing: 516 S. Dixie Hwy, Box 222, West Palm Beach, FL 33401
Website: prisonist.org
Email: [email protected]
Office: 212-859-3512
Donations (501c3):?https://bit.ly/donate35T9kMZ
not a prison coach, not a prison?consultant
Media Relations:?[email protected]
Speaking Engagements:?https://www.espeakers.com/marketplace/profile/39107
Newsletter Contains Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ? Copyright 2023, Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc., All rights reserved.
Navigating through challenges with grace and a desire to improve is commendable ??. Maya Angelou once said - We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated. Your journey towards hope and new beginnings is inspiring. Keep sharing, learning, and evolving ?? #NewBeginnings #Hope #Compassion