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Expand biography: fuller sourced detail, hand-built infobox (no empty rows), added FAQs and references

Orderly: Create article: Justin Paperny — federal prison consultant, White Collar Advice founder; BLP-sourced biography

2026-05-28T20:48:36Z

Create article: Justin Paperny — federal prison consultant, White Collar Advice founder; BLP-sourced biography

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{{Infobox Person
|name = Justin Matthew Paperny
|birth_place = Encino, California
|charges = Conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and securities fraud (18 U.S.C. § 371)
|conviction_date = February 2007 (guilty plea)
|sentence = 18 months in federal prison; $510,378 restitution
|sentencing_date = February 25, 2008
|judge = Hon. Stephen V. Wilson
|facility = Taft Federal Prison Camp, California
|status = Released (May 2009)
|occupation = Federal prison consultant; author
|known_for = Founder of White Collar Advice; co-founder of Prison Professors
}}

'''Justin Matthew Paperny''' is an American former stockbroker and [[Prison_Consultants|federal prison consultant]]. A former account vice president at UBS Financial Services, Paperny pleaded guilty in February 2007 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and securities fraud for his role assisting a hedge fund client that defrauded investors.<ref name="doj-07031" /><ref name="sec-lr20428" /> He was sentenced in February 2008 to 18 months in federal prison and served his term at Taft Federal Prison Camp in California before his release in May 2009.<ref name="doj-08019" /><ref name="cci" />

After his release, Paperny founded White Collar Advice, a Calabasas, California firm that advises defendants facing federal sentences on mitigation, prison preparation, and reentry. He later co-founded the Prison Professors brand with [[Michael_Santos|Michael Santos]]. His consulting work and personal story have been covered by ''The Washington Post'', CNN, CBS News, the ''ABA Journal'', and ''The New York Times Magazine''.<ref name="wapo" /><ref name="cnn" /><ref name="aba" /><ref name="nyt-hitt" />

== Early Life and Career ==

Paperny was born in Encino, California. He graduated from the University of Southern California in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and played on the USC Trojans baseball team.<ref name="cci" /> After college he entered the securities industry, working as a stockbroker at Bear Stearns and later at UBS Financial Services, where he held the title of account vice president.<ref name="sec-lr20428" /><ref name="cci" /> He was terminated by UBS in January 2005 in connection with the conduct that later led to his federal charge.<ref name="cci" />

== Criminal Case ==

Federal prosecutors in the Central District of California charged Paperny with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and securities fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 371.<ref name="doj-07031" /> The charge arose from his work as the UBS broker for the GLT Venture Fund, a hedge fund operated by Keith G. Gilabert through Capital Management Group of Valencia, California. According to the Department of Justice, Paperny helped the fund deceive investors by furthering false representations about access to initial public offerings and about the fund's returns, and by executing trades for a fund he knew was defrauding its investors.<ref name="doj-07031" /><ref name="investorlawyers" />

The Securities and Exchange Commission, in a parallel civil action, stated that the GLT Venture Fund raised approximately $14.1 million from 42 investors. Paperny received roughly $220,000 in commissions and related payments for his part in the scheme, which the government attributed to investor losses of at least $2.5 million across more than 40 investors.<ref name="sec-lr20428" /><ref name="investorlawyers" /> Gilabert, the fund's operator and Paperny's co-defendant, had pleaded guilty in the same investigation.<ref name="investorlawyers" />

== Plea and Sentencing ==

Paperny pleaded guilty in February 2007 before U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson and agreed to cooperate with the government's continuing investigation of Capital Management Group.<ref name="doj-07031" /> On February 25, 2008, Judge Wilson sentenced him to 18 months in federal prison and ordered $510,378 in restitution to victims.<ref name="doj-08019" /><ref name="vinnews" />

In the parallel SEC matter, Paperny consented to a permanent injunction barring further violations of the registration and antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws, without admitting or denying the agency's allegations.<ref name="sec-lr20428" />

== Incarceration ==

Paperny was designated to Taft Federal Prison Camp, a minimum-security federal facility in Taft, California, and surrendered to begin his sentence in April 2008.<ref name="cci" /><ref name="aba" /> He was released in May 2009.<ref name="cnn" /> He has said that his time in custody and the period leading up to it shaped the consulting work he would later build.<ref name="aba" />

== Consulting Career ==

Around 2008 to 2009, Paperny founded White Collar Advice, headquartered in Calabasas, California. The firm advises individuals charged with or convicted of white-collar offenses, focusing on sentencing mitigation, preparation for incarceration, and reentry after release.<ref name="aba" /><ref name="wapo" /><ref name="cci" /> He later co-founded the Prison Professors brand together with [[Michael_Santos|Michael Santos]], a former federal prisoner who served 26 years; the two also established the Prison Professors Charitable Corporation, a nonprofit.<ref name="nyt-hitt" />

Paperny's firm drew national attention in 2019 during coverage of the college admissions bribery scandal, when reporters noted that some parents charged in the case had sought guidance on what to expect from a federal sentence.<ref name="cbs" /><ref name="cnn" /><ref name="wapo" /> Media accounts have identified clients including parents charged in that case.<ref name="cbs" /><ref name="aba" />

The federal prison consulting field in which Paperny works has no licensing requirement and no formal oversight body. Reporting by ''The New York Times Magazine'' in 2022 and by ''ThinkAdvisor'' in 2020 described the industry as unregulated and recounted debate over the value and conduct of some practitioners.<ref name="nyt-hitt" /><ref name="thinkadvisor" />

== Books ==

Paperny has authored or co-authored several self-published books drawn from his prison experience and consulting work, including ''Lessons From Prison'' (2009) and ''Ethics in Motion'' (2010). He later co-wrote ''Living Deliberately'' (2019) and ''Prepare'' (2019) with Michael Santos.<ref name="cci" /><ref name="thinkadvisor" /> ''Ethics in Motion'' received an independent review in the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School's online book section.<ref name="pepperdine" />

== Frequently Asked Questions ==

{{FAQSection/Start}}
{{FAQ|question=Who is Justin Paperny?|answer=Justin Paperny is a former UBS stockbroker who served a federal prison sentence for securities-related fraud and later founded White Collar Advice, a firm that advises defendants facing federal sentences on mitigation, prison preparation, and reentry.}}
{{FAQ|question=What was Justin Paperny convicted of?|answer=He pleaded guilty in February 2007 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, and securities fraud, under 18 U.S.C. § 371, for assisting a hedge fund client that defrauded investors.}}
{{FAQ|question=What sentence did Justin Paperny receive?|answer=On February 25, 2008, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson sentenced him to 18 months in federal prison and ordered $510,378 in restitution.}}
{{FAQ|question=Where did Justin Paperny serve his prison sentence?|answer=He served his sentence at Taft Federal Prison Camp, a minimum-security federal facility in Taft, California, and was released in May 2009.}}
{{FAQ|question=What is White Collar Advice?|answer=White Collar Advice is the Calabasas, California consulting firm Paperny founded around 2008 to 2009 that advises people facing federal sentences on mitigation, prison preparation, and reentry.}}
{{FAQ|question=What is Prison Professors?|answer=Prison Professors is a brand Paperny co-founded with Michael Santos; the two also established the Prison Professors Charitable Corporation, a nonprofit.}}
{{FAQSection/End}}

== References ==

<references>
<ref name="doj-07031">{{cite web |title=Former UBS Broker Pleads Guilty in Hedge Fund Fraud Scheme |url=https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/cac/Pressroom/pr2007/031.html |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California |date=2007-02-26 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="doj-08019">{{cite web |title=Former Stockbroker Sentenced in Hedge Fund Fraud |url=https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/cac/Pressroom/pr2008/019.html |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California |date=2008-02-25 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="sec-lr20428">{{cite web |title=Litigation Release No. 20428: SEC v. Keith G. Gilabert, et al. |url=https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-20428 |publisher=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission |date=2008-03-07 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="investorlawyers">{{cite web |title=Former Brokerage Account Vice President Charged in Hedge Fund Scheme |url=https://www.investorlawyers.com/blog/former-brokerage-account-vice/ |publisher=InvestorLawyers.com |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="vinnews">{{cite news |title=Los Angeles, CA: 2 Sentenced to Prison |url=https://vinnews.com/14403/2008/02/25/los-angeles-ca-2-sentenced-to-prison/ |work=VIN News |date=2008-02-25 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="wapo">{{cite news |last=Holley |first=Peter |title=Meet the convicted felon helping people charged in the college admissions scandal prepare for prison |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/03/20/meet-convicted-felon-helping-people-charged-college-admissions-scandal-prepare-prison/ |work=The Washington Post |date=2019-03-20 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="cnn">{{cite news |last=Moghe |first=Sonia |title=Consultant offers advice to college admissions scandal suspects |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/22/us/consultant-advice-college-admissions-suspects/index.html |work=CNN |date=2019-03-22 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="cbs">{{cite news |title=Parents charged in college admissions scandal turn to consultant to understand prison life |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/college-admission-scandal-wealthy-parents-turn-to-consultant-to-understand-prison-life/ |work=CBS News |date=2019-03 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="aba">{{cite news |last=Chew |first=Cassie |title=This ex-felon's firm helps wealthy white-collar criminals prepare for prison |url=https://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/white-collar-post-conviction-paperny |work=ABA Journal |date=2019-06-01 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="thinkadvisor">{{cite news |last=Wollman Rusoff |first=Jane |title=The Ex-UBS Broker Who Helps White-Collar Felons Prepare for Prison |url=https://www.thinkadvisor.com/2020/09/24/an-ex-ubs-broker-did-prison-time-now-he-helps-others-prepare-for-theirs/ |work=ThinkAdvisor |date=2020-09-24 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="nyt-hitt">{{cite news |last=Hitt |first=Jack |title=Want to Do Less Time? A Prison Consultant Might Be Able to Help |work=The New York Times Magazine |date=2022-06-07 |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="cci">{{cite web |title=Varsity Blues Admissions Scandal Focuses Spotlight on Justin Paperny |url=https://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/varsity-blues-admissions-scandal-focuses-spotlight-on-justin-paperny/ |publisher=Corporate Compliance Insights |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
<ref name="pepperdine">{{cite web |title=Ethics in Motion by Justin M. Paperny |url=https://gbr.pepperdine.edu/book-corner/ethics-in-motion-by-justin-m-paperny/ |publisher=Pepperdine Graziadio Business Review |access-date=2026-05-28}}</ref>
</references>

[[Category:Prison Consultants]]
[[Category:Securities Fraud]]
[[Category:Released]]

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|title_mode=replace
|description=Justin Paperny is a former UBS stockbroker who served a federal prison sentence for securities fraud and founded the consulting firm White Collar Advice.
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Justin Paperny - Revision history

Orderly: Expand biography: fuller sourced detail, hand-built infobox (no empty rows), added FAQs and references

Orderly: Create article: Justin Paperny — federal prison consultant, White Collar Advice founder; BLP-sourced biography