Justin Paperny
| Justin Paperny | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born: | 1975 Encino, California |
| Occupation: | Federal prison consultant; author |
| Firm: | White Collar Advice |
| Known for: | Founder of White Collar Advice; co-founder of Prison Professors |
| Education: | University of Southern California (B.A., 1997) |
| Conviction: | Conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and securities fraud (2007) |
| Sentence: | 18 months; $510,378 restitution |
| Facility: | Taft Federal Prison Camp |
| Status: | Released (2009) |
Justin Matthew Paperny (born 1975) is an American former stockbroker and founder of White Collar Advice, a federal-prison-consulting firm. After a brokerage career that ended in his prosecution for securities-related fraud, Paperny served a federal prison sentence and then built a second career advising people who face federal charges. He co-founded the education brand Prison Professors with Michael Santos.[1][2]
Paperny's prosecution arose from his work as the UBS broker for a hedge fund that defrauded its investors. He pleaded guilty in 2007 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and securities fraud, was sentenced in 2008 to 18 months in federal prison, and was released in 2009.[3][4] His consulting work and personal story have been the subject of national coverage, including a 2022 New York Times Magazine feature, and his firm drew wide attention in 2019 during the college admissions prosecution known as Operation Varsity Blues.[5][6][7]
Prisonpedia Rating: Neutral
Prisonpedia weighs each federal prison consultant's independent client reviews, verifiable professional background and credentials, media and public presence, and any documented complaints or disciplinary history. As of our most recent review, Justin Paperny holds a Neutral rating.
⚠ Suspected review manipulation. White Collar Advice carries a Trustpilot rating of 4.8 out of 5 from approximately 208 reviews, a review volume that is a 5-40x outlier against every other consultant in this comparison set. That near-perfect Trustpilot score sits alongside a real, recurring critical minority on Reddit, concentrated specifically in r/Felons, r/Prison, and similar communities that are the firm's actual prospective-client base, alleging false promises and describing the firm as "grifters," in threads spanning 2022 to 2026. Prisonpedia does not treat the Trustpilot volume and near-perfect score as, by itself, evidence of reliable service; the pattern (outlier review volume + a specific, recurring, unresolved complaint theme from the target-client community) is consistent with suspected review manipulation. This is a disclosed concern, not an established fact, and it is not a "Recommended" tier.
For how Prisonpedia evaluates consultants and what each tier means, see Rating Federal Prison Consultants.
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Early Life and Career
Paperny was raised in Encino, California, and graduated from the University of Southern California in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in psychology, where he also played on the USC Trojans baseball team.[2] He entered the securities industry after college, working as a stockbroker at firms that included Bear Stearns and UBS Financial Services, where he became an account vice president.[2][8] UBS terminated his employment in January 2005 in connection with the conduct that later led to his federal charge.[8]
Criminal Case
Paperny served as the UBS broker for the GLT Venture Fund, a hedge fund operated by Keith G. Gilabert through Capital Management Group of Valencia, California.[3][4] Federal prosecutors in the Central District of California charged that Paperny helped the fund deceive its investors by furthering false representations about the fund's access to initial public offerings and about its returns, and by continuing to execute trades and route investors to the fund after he knew it was defrauding them.[3][9]
The Securities and Exchange Commission brought a parallel civil action arising from the same scheme. Paperny settled the SEC matter for the roughly $220,500 in commissions he had received, without admitting or denying the agency's allegations, and consented to an injunction against further securities-law violations.[4][9] Gilabert, the fund's operator and Paperny's co-defendant, pleaded guilty in 2006 and was later sentenced to 60 months in federal prison.[4]
Plea and Sentencing
Paperny pleaded guilty in February 2007 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and securities fraud, and agreed to cooperate with the government's continuing investigation of Capital Management Group.[3] 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.[3][4]
Incarceration
Paperny was designated to Taft Federal Prison Camp, a minimum-security federal facility in Kern County, California, and surrendered in 2008 to begin his sentence.[8][1] He was released in May 2009.[4] He has described the period surrounding his prosecution and incarceration as the foundation for the consulting work he built afterward.[1]
Consulting Career
In 2008, Paperny founded White Collar Advice, a consulting firm based in Calabasas, California.[8][1] The firm advises individuals charged with or convicted of white-collar offenses on sentencing mitigation, preparation for incarceration, and reentry, working with defendants and, in many cases, their attorneys.[1][6] Paperny later co-founded the Prison Professors brand with Michael Santos, a former federal prisoner who served 26 years, and the two also established a nonprofit arm.[5]
The firm drew national attention in March 2019, when reporting on Operation Varsity Blues, the federal college admissions bribery prosecution, noted that parents facing charges had sought guidance on what a federal sentence would involve. The Washington Post, CNN, and CBS News all covered the role of prison consultants in that period, with Paperny among the most frequently quoted.[6][7][10] In June 2022, The New York Times Magazine published a long feature by Jack Hitt examining Paperny's work and the consulting field more broadly.[5]
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 and ThinkAdvisor has described the industry as unregulated and recounted debate over the conduct and value of some practitioners.[5][2]
Books
Paperny has authored or co-authored several books drawn from his prison experience and consulting work. His first, Lessons From Prison, appeared in 2009, followed by Ethics in Motion in 2010.[8][2] He later co-wrote Living Deliberately and Prepare, both published in 2019, with Michael Santos.[5] The titles are independently published.[2]
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is Justin Paperny?
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.
Q: What was Justin Paperny convicted of?
He pleaded guilty in February 2007 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and securities fraud for his role as the UBS broker for the GLT Venture Fund, a hedge fund that defrauded investors.
Q: What sentence did Justin Paperny receive?
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.
Q: Where did Justin Paperny serve his prison sentence?
He served his sentence at Taft Federal Prison Camp, a minimum-security federal facility in Kern County, California, and was released in May 2009.
Q: What is White Collar Advice?
White Collar Advice is the Calabasas, California consulting firm Paperny founded in 2008 that advises people facing federal sentences on mitigation, prison preparation, and reentry.
Q: What is Prison Professors?
Prison Professors is an education brand Paperny co-founded with Michael Santos, along with an affiliated nonprofit.
Q: What books has Justin Paperny written?
He wrote Lessons From Prison (2009) and Ethics in Motion (2010), and co-wrote Living Deliberately and Prepare (both 2019) with Michael Santos.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "This ex-felon's firm helps wealthy white-collar criminals prepare for prison".Chew, Cassie.ABA Journal.2019-06-01.Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "The Ex-UBS Broker Who Helps White-Collar Felons Prepare for Prison".Wollman Rusoff, Jane.ThinkAdvisor.2020-09-24.Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Former Stockbroker Sentenced in Hedge Fund Fraud (USAO C.D. Cal. Release 08-019)". U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Hedge Fund Broker Sentenced in GLT Venture Fund Fraud".FINalternatives.Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Want to Do Less Time? A Prison Consultant Might Be Able to Help".Hitt, Jack.The New York Times Magazine.2022-06-07.Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Meet the convicted felon helping people charged in the college admissions scandal prepare for prison".Holley, Peter.The Washington Post.2019-03-20.Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Consultant offers advice to college admissions scandal suspects".Moghe, Sonia.CNN.2019-03-22.Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 "Varsity Blues Admissions Scandal Focuses Spotlight on Justin Paperny". Corporate Compliance Insights. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Former Brokerage Account Vice President Charged in Hedge Fund Scheme". InvestorLawyers.com. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
- ↑ "Parents charged in college admissions scandal turn to consultant to understand prison life".CBS News.2019-03.Retrieved 2026-05-28.