View source for Steve Oberfest

{| class="infobox" style="width:22em; font-size:88%; border:1px solid #aaa; background:#f9f9f9; padding:0.5em; margin:0 0 1em 1em; float:right;"
|-
! colspan="2" style="background:#ccc; font-size:120%; text-align:center;" | Steve Oberfest
|-
! style="text-align:right; vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;" | Occupation:
| Federal prison consultant
|-
! style="text-align:right; vertical-align:top;" | Charges:
| Racketeering, assault
|-
! style="text-align:right; vertical-align:top;" | Sentence:
| Served about one year in federal prison
|-
! style="text-align:right; vertical-align:top;" | Status:
| Released
|-
! style="text-align:right; vertical-align:top;" | Known for:
| Founder of The Prison Coach
|}

'''Steve Oberfest''' is an American [[Prison_Consultants|federal prison consultant]] and the founder of The Prison Coach, a consulting practice he established in 2002. Born and raised in Manhattan and a former professional fighter, Oberfest started the firm after serving about a year in federal prison, and he became an early public face of the prison-consulting field through national media coverage in 2009.<ref name="cbs" /><ref name="time" />

== Background ==

Oberfest is a New York native and former professional fighter who has also described himself as a practitioner of neuro-linguistic programming and a close-quarters-combat instructor.<ref name="cbs" /><ref name="prisoncoach" /> He pleaded guilty to racketeering and assault charges and, at age 27, served more than a year at a federal correctional institution in upstate New York.<ref name="cbs" /><ref name="time" />

== The Prison Coach ==

Oberfest founded The Prison Coach in 2002, charging on the order of $200 an hour and working with roughly two dozen white-collar clients a year.<ref name="cbs" /> CBS News described the practice as among the first prison-consulting firms of its kind.<ref name="cbs" /> Its services emphasized physical preparation, self-defense, prison etiquette, and the unwritten rules of incarceration.<ref name="cbs" /><ref name="time" />

In 2009, both CBS News and ''Time'' profiled Oberfest as public attention turned to high-profile defendants then facing prison, including Plaxico Burress and Bernard Madoff. In the CBS interview he characterized his role bluntly, saying he was "pretty much their last step into hell."<ref name="cbs" /><ref name="time" />

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

{{FAQSection/Start}}
{{FAQ|question=Who is Steve Oberfest?|answer=Steve Oberfest is a federal prison consultant and former professional fighter who founded The Prison Coach in 2002.}}
{{FAQ|question=What was Steve Oberfest convicted of?|answer=He pleaded guilty to racketeering and assault charges and, at age 27, served more than a year at a federal correctional institution in upstate New York.}}
{{FAQ|question=What is The Prison Coach?|answer=The Prison Coach is the consulting practice Oberfest founded in 2002 to advise clients on preparing for federal incarceration; CBS News described it as among the first of its kind.}}
{{FAQ|question=How much did The Prison Coach charge?|answer=CBS News reported in 2009 that Oberfest charged on the order of $200 an hour and worked with about two dozen white-collar clients a year.}}
{{FAQSection/End}}

== References ==

<references>
<ref name="cbs">{{cite news |last=Martinez |first=Edecio |title=Prison Coach: "Last Step Into Hell" For $200 An Hour |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/prison-coach-last-step-into-hell-for-200-an-hour/ |work=CBS News |date=2009-07-31 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="time">{{cite news |title=What to Expect When You're Going to Jail |url=https://time.com/archive/6915067/what-to-expect-when-youre-going-to-jail/ |work=Time |date=2009 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="prisoncoach">{{cite web |title=About Us |url=https://prisoncoach.wordpress.com/about-us-2/about-us/ |publisher=The Prison Coach |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Prison Consultants]]
[[Category:Racketeering]]
[[Category:Released]]

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