View source for White Collar Support Group

{{MetaDescription|Learn about White Collar Support Group's federal case, conviction, and prison experience on Prisonpedia.}}
The '''White Collar Support Group''' ('''WCSG''') is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that provides peer support, education, and advocacy for individuals navigating the white-collar criminal justice system and their families. 

Founded in 2012 by [[Jeff_Grant|Jeff Grant]] and Lynn Springer, it is described as the world's first support group devoted specifically to serving this population.<ref name="wcsg-wikipedia">{{cite web |title=White Collar Support Group |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Collar_Support_Group |publisher=Wikipedia |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref> The organization incorporated as a nonprofit in Connecticut in 2014 and received 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status in 2015.<ref name="wric-initiatives">{{cite web |title=White Collar Support Group Launches New Criminal Justice Reform Initiatives |url=https://www.wric.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/806669221/white-collar-support-group-launches-new-criminal-justice-reform-initiatives/ |publisher=WRIC |date=April 28, 2025 |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

The group operates under the philosophy that isolation compounds the damage of criminal justice involvement, summarized in its motto: "It's the isolation that destroys us. The solution is in community."<ref name="prisonist-home">{{cite web |title=White Collar Support Group - The Solution is in Community |url=https://prisonist.org/ |publisher=White Collar Support Group |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref> As of 2025, the organization has served over 1,400 individuals worldwide and held more than 450 weekly support group meetings.<ref name="wric-initiatives" />

==History and founding==

Jeff Grant, the organization's co-founder, was a practicing attorney in New York and Westchester County who operated a 20-person law firm and served as general counsel for major real estate firms before his conviction. In 2001, Grant made false statements on a Small Business Administration EIDL loan application and was subsequently convicted of loan fraud. He served approximately 14 months at [[FCI_Allenwood_(low-security)|USP Allenwood]].<ref name="grant-wikipedia">{{cite web |title=Jeff Grant (attorney) |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Grant_(attorney) |publisher=Wikipedia |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

Following his release, Grant attended Union Theological Seminary, earning a Master of Divinity degree with a focus in Social Ethics. He was ordained as a minister and, together with his wife Lynn Springer, founded Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. in Greenwich, Connecticut, as the world's first ministry devoted to serving those navigating the white-collar justice system.<ref name="grantlaw-about">{{cite web |title=About Jeff Grant |url=https://grantlaw.com/about/ |publisher=GrantLaw |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

The White Collar Support Group launched its first weekly online meeting in 2016. The organization describes itself as nonsectarian and inclusive, welcoming individuals of all faiths, agnostics, and atheists.<ref name="wric-initiatives" />

==Mission and philosophy==

The White Collar Support Group describes its community as "individuals, families and groups with white collar justice issues who have a desire to take responsibility for our actions and the wreckage we caused, make amends, and move forward in a new way of life centered on hope, care, kindness, compassion, tolerance and empathy."<ref name="conference-2024">{{cite web |title=First-Ever Conference for White Collar Justice Community to be Held on October 19, 2024 |url=https://www.wfxrtv.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/733127197/first-ever-conference-for-white-collar-justice-community-to-be-held-on-october-19-2024/ |publisher=WFXR |date=August 6, 2024 |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

The organization's core focuses include:

*'''Personal accountability''': Encouraging members to accept responsibility for their actions and their consequences
*'''Peer and spiritual support''': Addressing emotional, financial, and social challenges through community connection
*'''Advocacy and education''': Working to reform policies affecting justice-impacted individuals<ref name="wcsg-wikipedia" />

The group emphasizes that many of its members "are suffering in silence with shame, remorse, and deep regret" and have "been stigmatized by our own families and friends, and by our former business relationships."<ref name="eventbrite-wcsg">{{cite web |title=White Collar Support Group Events |url=https://www.eventbrite.com/o/white-collar-support-group-88530172383 |publisher=Eventbrite |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

==Programs and services==

All services are provided on a volunteer basis at no cost to members or their families.<ref name="medium-newsletter" />

===Monday Night Support Group meetings===

The organization's flagship program is its weekly support group meeting, held every Monday evening at 7:00 PM Eastern Time via Zoom videoconference.<ref name="prisonist-home" /> These confidential meetings provide a forum for members to discuss legal proceedings, incarceration, sentencing, and reintegration into society. The meetings follow a peer support model where participants share their experiences and offer guidance to others at various stages of the criminal justice process.<ref name="wcsg-wikipedia" />

As of early 2025, the group had held over 450 Monday night meetings since the program's inception in 2016.<ref name="grantlaw-about" /> The meetings are open to individuals facing charges, those currently incarcerated (via approved communication channels), those on supervised release or probation, and family members affected by a loved one's involvement in the white-collar justice system.

===Tuesday Night Speaker Series===

The Tuesday Night Speaker Series features presentations by subject matter experts on topics relevant to the white-collar justice community. These sessions, which are open to family and friends as well as group members, bring in speakers from legal, academic, business, and advocacy backgrounds.<ref name="medium-newsletter">{{cite web |title=White Collar Support Group Newsletter April 2025 |url=https://jeffgrantesq.medium.com/white-collar-support-group-newsletter-april-2025-cdad2a9e3bba |publisher=Medium |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

Notable speakers have included:

*'''Erin Frey''', Assistant Professor at Yale School of Management, discussing her research on how workers recover after making major mistakes and how they are given second chances<ref name="eventbrite-frey">{{cite web |title=White Collar Support Group Tuesday Speaker Series: Erin Frey |url=https://www.eventbrite.com/e/white-collar-support-grouptm-tuesday-speaker-series-erin-frey-registration-1236722292669 |publisher=Eventbrite |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>
*'''Amy K. Nelson''', founder of The Riveter, venture-backed entrepreneur, and criminal justice reform advocate<ref name="prisonist-nelson">{{cite web |title=Amy K. Nelson: Founder, Lawyer, Mother, and Criminal Justice Reform Advocate – November 2024 |url=https://prisonist.org/speaker-series/amy-k-nelson-founder-lawyer-mother-and-criminal-justice-reform-advocate/ |publisher=White Collar Support Group |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>
*'''Doug Passon''', sentencing and mitigation expert<ref name="prisonist-home" />
*Panels from the '''Women's White Collar Defense Association''' on topics such as restitution and forfeiture<ref name="prisonist-home" />
*'''Drew Chapin''', tech entrepreneur and Steering Committee member, on online reputation management<ref name="prisonist-home" />

===White Collar Conference===
The [[White_Collar_Conference|White Collar Conference]] was established in 2024 as the first conference for the white collar justice-impacted community, for the white collar justice-impacted community.

====2024 White Collar Conference====

In October 2024, the White Collar Support Group hosted its first annual White Collar Conference, an online event with the theme "Starting Over: Out of Isolation and Into Community." The conference attracted over 150 attendees, moderators, and panelists.<ref name="medium-newsletter" />

Featured speakers and participants included:<ref name="grant-wikipedia" />

*'''David Israel''', CEO of GOOD PLANeT, who shared his personal experience with incarceration
*'''[[Brent_Cassity|Brent Cassity]]''', host of the Nightmare Success podcast
*'''Bill Baroni''', defendant in the [[Fort Lee lane closure scandal|Bridgegate scandal]]
*'''Elizabeth Kelley''', criminal defense attorney
*'''Erika Cheung''', [[Elizabeth_Holmes|Theranos]] whistleblower
*'''Seth Williams''', former District Attorney of Philadelphia
*'''Drew Chapin''', tech entrepreneur

====2025 White Collar Conference====

The second annual White Collar Conference took place October 11, 2025, featuring speakers including:<ref name="ccr-toobin" />

*'''Jeffrey Toobin''', CNN commentator and author of ''The Pardon''
*'''Joe Bankman''', Stanford Law School professor and father of [[Sam_Bankman-Fried|Sam Bankman-Fried]], interviewed by Brent Cassity about the effects of high-profile prosecution on families
*A panel on pardons and expungement featuring Professors Mark Osler, Douglas Berman, and Todd Haugh
*A panel on restoration through community

The lead sponsor of the 2025 conference was the law firm Paul Weiss.<ref name="ccr-toobin" />

====2026 White Collar Conference====

In November 2025, it was announced the 2026 White Collar Conference would take place on October 10, 2026.

No speakers or panels have been announced.

==Advocacy initiatives==

===Federal Expungement Initiative===

The White Collar Support Group leads a campaign to establish a federal [[Expungement|expungement]] process for criminal records. Unlike many state-level systems that provide pathways for expungement or record-sealing, the federal system currently offers no standardized expungement process; the only mechanism for clearing a federal conviction is a [[Presidential_Clemency_and_Pardons|presidential pardon]], which remains rare and discretionary.<ref name="federal-expungement-org">{{cite web |title=Federal Expungement Initiative |url=https://federalexpungement.org/ |publisher=Federal Expungement Initiative |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

In June 2025, the White Collar Support Group formally launched the Federal Expungement Initiative in partnership with several prominent legal scholars:<ref name="federal-expungement-launch">{{cite web |title=White Collar Support Group and Noted Law Professors Launch Federal Expungement Initiative |url=https://noaa.einnews.com/pr_news/824001398/white-collar-support-group-and-noted-law-professors-launch-federal-expungement-initiative |publisher=EIN Presswire |date=June 23, 2025 |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

*'''Mark Osler''', Professor at University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minnesota)|St. Thomas University Law School
*'''Rachel Barkow''', Professor at New York University School of Law
*'''Douglas Berman''', Professor at Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and editor of the Sentencing Law and Policy Blog

The initiative advocates for Congress to create a comprehensive expungement process modeled on successful state-level programs and building on prior legislative efforts such as Senator [[Rand Paul]]'s REDEEM Act of 2017 (Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act). The proposed framework would allow expungement by petition for eligible offenses, including juvenile offenses and non-violent crimes, after meeting specified conditions related to rehabilitation, time served, and personal growth.<ref name="ccr-toobin">{{cite web |title=White Collar Conference Set for October 11 Featuring Jeffrey Toobin and Joe Bankman |url=https://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/news/200/white-collar-conference-set-for-october-11-featuring-jeffrey-toobin-and-joe-bankman/ |publisher=Corporate Crime Reporter |date=September 24, 2025 |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

The organization also maintains a state-by-state guide to pardon and expungement procedures across all 50 states as a resource for members.<ref name="prisonist-state-guide">{{cite web |title=State Pardon & Expungement Guidance |url=https://prisonist.org/state-pardon-expungement-guidance-by-state/ |publisher=White Collar Support Group |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

===Right to Banking Initiative===

The White Collar Support Group advocates for ensuring that justice-impacted individuals have access to basic [[Access_to_Banking_After_Incarceration|banking services]]. The organization argues that banks and financial institutions currently have unchecked discretion to deny services without explanation, effectively excluding individuals with criminal records from the financial tools necessary to work, save, and support their families.<ref name="wric-initiatives" />

Drew Chapin, a member of the organization's Steering Committee, has compared exclusion from the banking system to the pre-Affordable Care Act denial of health insurance to individuals with preexisting conditions, describing it as systemically inequitable and destabilizing for those seeking to rebuild their lives.<ref name="davis-vanguard">{{cite web |title=White Collar Support Group Advocates for Criminal Justice Reform and Collaboration |url=https://davisvanguard.org/2025/05/white-collar-support-group-reform/ |publisher=Davis Vanguard |date=May 6, 2025 |access-date=November 24, 2024}}</ref>

==Research partnerships==

The White Collar Support Group participates in the Professional and Personal Restoration Study conducted by Dr. Erin Frey, Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Management. The study explores how individuals who have experienced justice-related setbacks rebuild their lives personally and professionally, with the goal of identifying factors that accelerate or hinder restoration and informing better practices, policies, and support structures.<ref name="wric-initiatives" />

Grant has stated that the organization has committed the participation of its 1,400 members to support the research effort, describing it as having "the potential to create meaningful, human-centered change" by "centering the voices of people who have actually been through the justice system."<ref name="davis-vanguard" />

==Membership and notable participants==

The organization's membership includes lawyers, executives, and other professionals who have been charged with or convicted of white-collar crimes. Notable members have included:<ref name="grant-wikipedia" />

*'''Richard Bronson''', former partner at [[Jordan_Belfort|Stratton Oakmont]], the firm depicted in Martin Scorsese's film ''The Wolf of Wall Street''
*'''Gordon Caplan''', defendant in the [[2019 college admissions bribery scandal|Varsity Blues scandal]]

The organization emphasizes that it serves individuals at all stages of the criminal justice process, from those facing investigation or charges through those who have completed their sentences and are rebuilding their lives.

==Media coverage and publications==

Jeff Grant and the White Collar Support Group have been featured in numerous media outlets including ''The New Yorker'', ''Entrepreneur'', Bloomberg Law, ''Forbes'', ''Vanity Fair'', ''New York Magazine'', ''Reuters'', the ''Philadelphia Inquirer'', and CNBC.<ref name="grantlaw-about" />

Grant contributed a chapter to ''Suicide and Its Impact on the Criminal Justice System'' (2021), published by the American Bar Association. He was also featured or quoted extensively in ''Wildland: The Making of America's Fury'' (2021) by Evan Osnos and ''Trusted White Collar Offenders: Global Case Studies of Crime Convenience'' (2021), published by Springer International.<ref name="grant-wikipedia" />

==Organizational leadership==

Jeff Grant serves as Executive Director of the organization and continues to practice law at GrantLaw, PLLC in New York, where he provides counsel to individuals and families facing white-collar criminal justice issues. Grant is the first person in the United States formerly incarcerated for a white-collar crime to be appointed Executive Director of a major criminal justice nonprofit, having previously served as CEO of Family ReEntry, a 100-person criminal justice organization with offices in eight Connecticut cities.<ref name="grantlaw-about" />

Grant has served on numerous criminal justice-related boards, including the [[Legal Action Center]], the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Parole, Probation & Reentry Committee (as Co-Chair), and the American Bar Association Lawyers Assistance Programs Advisory Commission.<ref name="grantlaw-about" />

The organization operates a Steering Committee that includes members such as Brent Cassity and Drew Chapin.<ref name="wric-initiatives" />

==See also==
*[[Jeff_Grant|Jeff Grant]]
*[[Expungement]]
*[[Access_to_Banking_After_Incarceration|Access to Banking After Incarceration]]
*[[Category:White_Collar_Crime|White-collar crime]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[https://prisonist.org/ Official website]
*[https://federalexpungement.org/ Federal Expungement Initiative]

[[Category:Support groups]]
[[Category:White-collar crime]]
{{#seo:
|title_mode=append
|title_separator= - Prisonpedia
|description=About White Collar Support Group. Learn about peer support for individuals facing or recovering from federal charges.
|keywords=support group, white collar crime, peer support, recovery
|type=article
|site_name=Prisonpedia
|locale=en_US
}}