I'm a Lawyer Defending my Client

If you are a lawyer trying to do the best for your client, Busted should always be in your briefcase.

Busted by The Feds has been accused of being an 'anti-lawyer' book, but the author pleads not guilty to that charge. In fact many good lawyers write often and tell us how much the book helps them to provide a strong and well informed defense for their clients. Many lawyers use the book constantly as a reference. They also give each of their clients and their families a copy of the book to read. This helps them to understand what they will be facing and it informs the client about the system — as we all know, a well-informed client is better able to assist in the preparation of his own defense.

If you are a responsible and conscientious attorney, then Busted is written in your language. It is not a theory book about the law, it is a practical legal manual, exhaustively researched and written for the accused, from the point of view of an advocate for the defense.



If you are a good advocate who works hard and wants the best outcome for his client, then you will buy this book and it will always be in your briefcase. Within a year you will want a new copy because the first one will be dog-eared and worn out from constant use.

The knowledge in this book is in great part first hand and hard won. The author has spent over 20 years working with pre-trial inmates fighting their cases in Louisiana, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Ohio, and Colorado, in addition to more than two thousand sentenced inmates from all over the country. He knows the federal justice system and how to help protect the rights of the accused.

He also works with many good lawyers assisting in the preparation of appeals, motions and writs based on his knowledge of the guidelines and his extensive experience with the justice system. They recognize his expertise in this field.

Most attorneys who buy Busted tell us the parts they use the most are the charts and tables summarizing the guidelines for all federal offenses. Anyone who has seen the US Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manual will know how huge and complex these are in written form. We don't know of any other book that presents all this information as comprehensively and clearly as it is in Busted.

The author and his team have spent hundreds of hours analyzing the 600 pages of these guidelines, including every federal offense and all the latest amendments. This information has been condensed into more than 15 tables like the one above.

If you are serious about giving your clients the best defense possible, then you need this book. Busted was written to help you do just that.

How can I use the Booker/Fanfan decision to help get a reduced sentence for my client?

Busted By The Feds Twelfth Edition has an expanded chapter devoted exclusively to the Booker case. It discusses in detail how a downward variance from the guidelines is possible.

How do I calculate the likely sentencing range that my client will be facing?

This information is covered in Part III of Busted By The Feds. Every currently existing Federal charge has been categorized and listed in a series of charts. The charts combine all factors affecting the guideline penalty range for the crime — upwards and downwards. This is perhaps the most useful section of the book for lawyers. Hundreds of hours of research covering 600 pages of sentencing guidelines are summarized here.

What is the possibility of obtaining a downward departure from the guidelines for my client?

In Part I of Busted there is a whole chapter devoted to this topic. The background and limitations are explained and nine possible grounds for downward departures are discussed. In addition, another 40 possibilities for a downward variance under Booker are discussed.

My client only played a minor role in the offense. Will this help with a plea bargain?

If the defendant was a minor participant in the criminal activity, there is a reduction in the FSG range. This topic is fully covered under the chapter Aggravating and Mitigating Factors, and also under Negotiable Items in the section on Plea Bargain Strategies. Both are in Part I of the book.

My client was born outside the US and is worried about being deported.

In part II of Busted there is a wealth of information under Immigration and Deportation containing important advice you must give your client. More information is found in Treaty Transfers, including a full list of countries with which the US has treaties for the transfer of prisoners.

Where will my client be sent to serve his time?

Part II of Busted By The Feds is devoted to everything you and your client need to know about prisons and there is a chapter entitled What Prison Will You Go To?

It begins by pointing out "The Bureau of Prisons designates its inmates to specific prisons according to each inmate's score on a custody classification chart." The book goes on from there with a full discussion of the processes involved and even gives you the worksheet that you (or your client) can photocopy and fill out to determine what your client's custody score will be.

Tables in this chapter list federal prisons grouped according to their security classifications. There are also listings of regional offices of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and mailing addresses for inmates in federal prisons.

When will my client be released to a halfway house or to home?

The book discusses all the factors relating to this including the crucial importance of your client's PSI report; good conduct time; halfway houses; community based correctional facilities; completing drug treatment programs; supervised release and how it varies from the old parole system; and the special rules which make it possible for some minor drug offenders to get an extra year off of their prison time.

There is even a listing of Community Correction Manager offices with their addresses.