March 16, 2025
Newsletter #2
I read online, so it must be true, that smart people prefer to read rather than watch videos. Let’s test it.
Considering we produce so many videos, our weekly newsletter will require good old-fashioned reading!
To that end, let’s start with a message from earlier this week. Someone asked me about a blog I wrote detailing my 200th day in federal prison.
“This is interesting, why exactly did you write this?” he asked.
“I wrote it so you would write to me, 15 years later.
I was in prison, trying to contribute and provide a glimpse into life in a prison camp. Michael suggested I write daily, which was hard—so hard I had to have him help, which he did. He encouraged me to think of my stakeholders—you. An educated guy who never imagined he would see The United States of America vs (insert your name).
Who are your stakeholders, and how are you influencing them as you prepare for sentencing—and possibly prison?”
200 Days In Federal Prison
(Originally written on November 12, 2008, from Taft Federal Prison)
It’s Wednesday, November 12th, and I’ve been in federal prison for 200 days. Reaching this “milestone” is significant to me. Prisoners circle specific dates on their calendar to mark meaningful events. 200 days was my first milestone, and I laughed—or perhaps it was a cry—when I circled today’s date. When I looked at a calendar back in April 2008, I thought this day would never arrive, and it’s still hard for me to believe I’ve made it this far.
It’s easy to lose track of time in prison. Is 200 days a long time? It’s barely one box of Q-tips and not even a full baseball season. It must be a matter of perspective. Upon my arrival, 200 days seemed like an eternity—a made-up date in the future that would not arrive. But arrive it did, and in hindsight, the time has passed more quickly than I ever could have imagined.
My prison experience has moved at a steady pace because I continue to stay focused on the big picture. This picture centers around recapturing a life that once had real meaning and purpose. Prior to self-surrendering, I gave no indication that I was ready to embrace my future. I was wracked with anxiety for several years, and the two months between my sentencing and reporting to Taft were the toughest I’d ever known. In a span of two months, I turned over my home to a new family, gave up my little cocker spaniel, suspended my productive real estate career, and lost my freedom. Needless to say, recalibrating my life was the last item on my list.
Everything changed when I reported to prison. I quickly settled in and felt as if the worst was behind me. I’d hit rock bottom and was finally ready, after many years, to ascend. It was time to live again, and I would not use my surroundings as an excuse. I’d done that for too long. I accepted that federal prison was where I would turn my life around, and I was eager to begin.
Prison has afforded me the opportunity to cleanse my mind and body. I had been miserable for a long time and needed a time out. Some take a time out by going to Hawaii for a week or two. My destination was Taft Correctional Institution. At Taft, I have all day to focus on my future, my health, and my well-being. I am determined to depart from prison a better man than when I arrived. The break from the hustle of everyday life and the business world isn’t so terrible. The stress of having to earn a significant income to support my lavish lifestyle has been suspended. I know that the pressures of daily life will return the second I leave prison. I can already sense that. I feel that I will be better prepared for the ups and downs of life, in part because of how well I responded to my first 200 days in jail. I hope that the remaining 188 days are as productive.
Justin Paperny
