Can You Verify What an Inmate Tells You About Their Case?

When something does not add up between what an inmate is telling you and what you have read in the public record, trust the public record.

On the sentence calculation, federal inmates must serve 85 percent of their imposed sentence. There is no parole in the federal system. On a ten year sentence that works out to approximately eight and a half years before release, followed by three years of supervised release. The claim of being out in three years on a ten year federal sentence does not align with how the federal system works unless there are extraordinary circumstances.

The two legitimate paths to meaningful sentence reduction in the federal system are substantial assistance to law enforcement, which can reduce a sentence significantly but requires cooperation that results in the prosecution and incarceration of other individuals, and RDAP completion, which removes up to twelve months from the sentence for eligible inmates who complete the nine month drug treatment program. Neither of those gets someone out in three years on a ten year sentence.

On the assets, federal forfeiture is one of the most aggressive tools available to prosecutors and when a forfeiture order is granted by a judge it is legally binding and comprehensive. Property in the defendant's name, property held by nominees they control, financial accounts, real estate, vehicles, and vessels are all subject to seizure. If you read in the newspaper that the government seized his assets, that reporting reflects a legal proceeding that resulted in a court order. The assets are gone.

An inmate claiming to still have a yacht and a home after a federal forfeiture order is either describing assets the government has not yet located or is not being truthful. Either scenario is worth taking seriously, given that anyone who assists in concealing assets subject to a forfeiture order can face their own legal exposure.

The supervised release period that follows the sentence also matters here. Moving to Italy upon release requires permission from the supervising probation officer and approval is not automatic for someone with a federal conviction and three years of supervised release ahead of them.