I am a Married Felon

I am a felon, an entrepreneur, small business owner, happily married and I face incarceration. I pled guilty to one count of wire fraud, and I will be sentenced by a judge soon. I hope my experience will help people find a measure of sanity as they grind a path through the criminal justice system. This blog is an outreach to all married people, and I will describe how I’m using the criminal justice system to save my marriage.

The waiting is terrible. The experience has been all consuming, and I’ve learned the criminal justice system is pernicious beyond the enforcement of law. The perniciousness has begun to erode the foundation of my relationships. I can barely keep up with the legal maneuvering, but I can confront the deleterious threat the criminal justice system is having on my life.

I write about my experiences in a personal journal, but the private world I’ve created in these pages will not broaden my prospect of enduring the criminal justice system. The question is, “Am I brave enough to share my journal with other people?”

I chose to cooperate immediately when I learned the government was criminally investigating my business activities. I wanted to put this experience behind me as quickly as possible. I calculated the cost of defending myself was more expensive than negotiating a plea agreement, and it came with a low probability of success. This strategic choice allows me to focus on what really matters, saving my marriage. The question is how?

My biggest concern is that nobody will care what I think since I became a felon. I used to think this way, but I closed the pages of my private diary and found a keyboard anyway. I am certain there are other people who have gone through this before me, and I want their advice about surviving the criminal justice system. Sharing my journey is the fastest way to learn these secrets.