Justin Paperny

Justin Paperny
Born	Encino, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	University of Southern California (BA, Psychology, 1997)
Occupation(s)	Prison consultant, author, nonprofit founder, speaker
Known for	Co-founding White Collar Advice Prison Professors Charitable Corporation FBI Academy lecturer Criminal justice reform advocacy
Works	Lessons from Prison (2009) Ethics in Motion (2010)
Criminal charge(s)	Conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and securities fraud (2007)
Criminal penalty	18 months federal prison
Criminal status	Released (May 2009)

Justin Paperny is a former stockbroker who served 18 months in federal prison for securities fraud. ^[1]

Paperny now operates White Collar Advice, a consulting firm. ^{[2] [3]}

Early life and education

Paperny attended the University of Southern California (USC), where he played for the USC Trojans baseball team and graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. ^[4]

Paperny began his career in finance in 1997. He worked for firms including Merrill Lynch, Bear Stearns, and UBS Financial Services. ^[1]

Criminal conviction

GLT Venture Fund scheme

In February 2007, Paperny pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and securities fraud related to the GLT Venture Fund scheme operated by hedge fund manager Keith G. Gilabert. As part of his plea agreement, Paperny admitted to misleading investors about the fund's performance and receiving kickbacks. He agreed to cooperate with federal investigators. ^[1]

Sentencing and imprisonment

On February 25, 2008, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson sentenced Paperny to 18 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $510,378 in restitution to victims. ^[5]

SEC settlement

In a related civil case, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that Paperny earned $220,500 in commissions from the fraudulent scheme. He settled the charges without admitting or denying the SEC's allegations. ^[6]

Prison consulting career

Paperny co-founded White Collar Advice, a prison consulting firm. ^[2] Paperny has provided expert consultation and media commentary on numerous high-profile federal cases. ^{[2] [7] [8] [9]}

Published works

• Lessons from Prison (Etika LLC, 2009; reissued CreateSpace, 2016) – Memoir detailing his criminal case and prison experience ^[10]
• Ethics in Motion (APS Publishing, 2010) – Analysis of ethical decision-making in business, used as required reading at USC Marshall School of Business ^[11]
• Living Deliberately (with Michael G. Santos, 2019) – Guide for entrepreneurs and business owners on digital media strategies ^[12]
• Prepare: What Defendants Need to Know About Lawyers, Mitigation, Sentencing, Prison, and the First Step Act (with Michael G. Santos, 2019) – Comprehensive guide to federal sentencing and prison preparation ^[13]

Reference

1. "Account manager at major brokerage firm pleads guilty in securities fraud case" (Press release). United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California. February 26, 2007. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
2. Holley, Peter (March 20, 2019). "Parents charged in the college admissions scandal are turning to this convicted felon for advice on life in prison". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
3. "PPCC - Prison Professors". Prison Professors. May 31, 2024. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
4. Reed, Tucker (April 4, 2010). "USC alum returns to speak about white-collar crime". Daily Trojan. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
5. "Former hedge fund manager sentenced to five years in federal prison in securities fraud case" (Press release). United States Attorney's Office, Central District of California. February 25, 2008. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
6. "Ex-broker settles GLT lawsuit". Los Angeles Times. January 15, 2008. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
7. "Harvey Weinstein's Prison Consultant Probably Gave Him This Advice". Vanity Fair. March 4, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
8. "Prison consultants: Helping Harvey Weinstein and other criminals manage their jail experience". CNN. March 11, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
9. "Ghislaine Maxwell joins Jen Shah at 'Club Fed.' The 'Real Housewives' star's prison consultant calls it a major upgrade". Business Insider. September 1, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
10. Paperny, Justin M. (2016). Lessons from Prison. Self-published. ISBN   978-1522833321.
11. Paperny, Justin M. (2010). Ethics in Motion. APS Publishing. ISBN   978-0983134022.
12. Paperny, Justin; Santos, Michael (2019). Living Deliberately. Independently published. ISBN   978-1077266063.
13. Paperny, Justin; Santos, Michael G. (2019). Prepare: What Defendants Need to Know About Lawyers, Mitigation, Sentencing, Prison, and the First Step Act. Independently published. ISBN   978-1082190452.

Further reading

• Why rich convicts hire prison consultants (BBC)
• Prison coaches say college scam defendants could face paparazzi, toilet-scrubbing duty (Boston Herald)
• Justin Paperny spent time behind bars. He’s got tough-love advice for suspects in the college admissions scandal. (CNN)
• The Sunday Read: ‘Want to Do Less Time? A Prison Consultant Might Be Able to Help.’ (NYTimes)
• A Former Convict Explains What Felicity Huffman Could Face in Prison: 'It Can Be Humiliating' (People)
• The ‘prison consultants’ who win soft sentences for the rich and famous (The Telegraph)
• Going stir-crazy in lockdown? A former prisoner has some advice (Today)