“Carlos Watson: Visionary Entrepreneur Railroaded By Injustice”
Carlos Watson of OZY Media was recently interviewed by Brent Cassitydays before Carlos’s upcoming sentencing in the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Brent and Carlos are members of our White Collar Support Group that meets on Zoom on Monday evenings.
On this episode of Nightmare Success with Brent Cassity, we uncover the shocking story of Carlos Watson, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur behind OZY Media. After rejecting acquisition offers from BuzzFeed’s Ben Smith, Watson faced a media smear campaign, a controversial trial, and a conviction overseen by a judge with undisclosed financial ties to his adversaries. Join us as Watson shares his fight for justice and resilience against systemic bias, as chronicled in the documentary Whose Son Is Next? and Duke Professor David Robinson’s analysis of his case. Don’t miss this powerful story of perseverance and the quest for fairness.
We highly recommend Brent Cassity’s podcast, Nightmare Success, in which he interviews justice-impacted people from all walks of life. He is a White Collar Support Group member with a mission to be of service to our community. Please check it out on Spotify at or on your favorite podcast platform.
Sponsored by Progressive Prison Ministries/White Collar Support Group™. Start Here™. https://prisonist.org
“Starting Over: Out of Isolation and Into Community”
For those of you who missed our White Collar Conference 2024 on Sat., Oct. 19th, the videos are now up on YouTube. It was the first-ever conference by and for people prosecuted for white collar crimes and their families, friends, colleagues, clients and anyone in need.
I just watched the whole conference and it absolutely blew me away! Again!
The theme of the conference was “Starting Over: Out of Isolation and Into Community”. It is divided into four videos (the opening keynote/fireside chat and then three incredible panels) plus a mini-video on Reputation Management.
Below is the link to the first video, with opening remarks by Craig Stanland and a welcome by Jeff Grant, that sets the tone for a morning of impactful conversations. Following the opening, Brent Cassity, host of the Nightmare Success podcast, dives into a powerful keynote fireside chat with David Israel, Founder and CEO of GOOD PLANeT Foods. Together, they explore resilience, entrepreneurship, and life after incarceration, offering invaluable insights into overcoming adversity and finding purpose.
I hope you will join in and watch the entire White Collar Conference 2024 for all of the heartfelt stories, thoughtful advice, and life-changing takeaways. And please leave your thoughts and comments, they are most welcome and appreciated.
We highly recommend Brent Cassity’s podcast, Nightmare Success, in which he interviews justice-impacted people from all walks of life. He is a White Collar Support Group member with a mission to be of service to our community. Please check it out on Spotify at or on your favorite podcast platform.
Sponsored by Progressive Prison Ministries/White Collar Support Group™. Start Here™. https://prisonist.org
Lawyer Reveals Why He Went to Federal Prison, Life Inside & How He Got His Law License Back
Jeff Grant, a former lawyer who served time in federal prison, shares his unique journey from a successful legal career to incarceration and back.
In this episode, Jeff opens up about the circumstances that led to his conviction, what life was like inside federal prison, and the challenges he faced while fighting to restore his law license. Jeff’s story sheds light on the realities of the legal system, the impact of incarceration, and the power of second chances.
We highly recommend Brent Cassity’s podcast, Nightmare Success, in which he interviews justice-impacted people from all walks of life. He is a White Collar Support Group member with a mission to be of service to our community. Please check it out on Spotify at or on your favorite podcast platform.
Sponsored by Progressive Prison Ministries/White Collar Support Group™. Start Here™. https://prisonist.org
It’s hard to imagine former executives, investment fraudsters, and insider traders gathering for weekly support meetings.
When I first heard about a support group for white-collar criminals, I was skeptical. It sounded like an SNL sketch: former hedge fund managers, insider traders, and embezzlers sitting in a circle, sharing their woes. However, Jeff Grant, the founder of the White Collar Support Group, doesn’t see it that way. After serving time for his crimes, Grant emerged with a mission—to help others like him rebuild their lives, one meeting at a time. “I was lost,” he admits.
After his release from prison, Grant realized there was no blueprint for people like him to re-enter society. That’s why he founded the White Collar Support Group, a space for those prosecuted for financial crimes to navigate life after prison.
We highly recommend Brent Cassity’s podcast, Nightmare Success, in which he interviews justice-impacted people from all walks of life. He is a White Collar Support Group member with a mission to be of service to our community. Please check it out on Spotify at or on your favorite podcast platform.
Sponsored by Progressive Prison Ministries/White Collar Support Group™. Start Here™. https://prisonist.org
After battling opioid addiction and serving 14 months in federal prison for a white-collar crime, Jeff Grant rebuilt his life from the ground up. With a Master of Divinity in Social Ethics from Union Theological Seminary, he went on to serve as a minister and co-founded Progressive Prison Ministries, the world’s first ministry supporting the white-collar justice community.
With over 30 years of experience in crisis management, recovery, and leadership, Jeff helps individuals and families navigate white-collar prosecutions and rebuild meaningful lives. Known as “The Minister to Hedge Funders,” Jeff shares his journey of redemption, offering guidance to those seeking second chances and new purpose.
We highly recommend Brent Cassity’s podcast, Nightmare Success, in which he interviews justice-impacted people from all walks of life. He is a White Collar Support Group member with a mission to be of service to our community. Please check it out on Spotify at or on your favorite podcast platform.
Sponsored by Progressive Prison Ministries/White Collar Support Group™. Start Here™. https://prisonist.org
Jeff Grant’s Remarkable Recovery from Addiction and His Return from Federal Prison, to the Life of the Law
NEW YORK, NY, USA, February 23, 2024. After overcoming a personal battle with addiction to prescription opioids and serving nearly fourteen months in a Federal prison for a white-collar crime, Jeff Grant has emerged with a new purpose. He has founded GrantLaw, PLLC, a law firm in New York City that offers private general counsel services to clients facing or who have previously faced white-collar prosecutions and regulatory proceedings, as well as their companies and families.
Grant’s journey to founding GrantLaw, PLLC has been a long and challenging one. After struggling with addiction and serving time in prison, he has emerged with a new perspective and a desire to help others facing similar challenges. After earning a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in NYC, he co-founded Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. and the White Collar Support Group (Greenwich, CT), the world’s first support group devoted to people navigating the white collar criminal justice system. He was reinstated to the New York Bar in 2021. With his unique background and experience, Grant is able to provide a level of understanding and empathy that is often lacking in traditional law firms.
Grant recently was interviewed on the JustPod, the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Podcast hosted by lawyers Justin Danilewitz and Geonard Butler. “It takes about 3 hours to drive from Greenwich, Connecticut to the Federal Correctional Institution, Allenwood Low in Pennsylvania. Jeffrey D. Grant knows this because he took that drive on an Easter Sunday in 2006. A lawyer whose life has taken a wrong turn on the road to addiction, Jeff Grant left the upscale life he had cultivated in Connecticut to enter what would be his new home for the duration of his 18-month Federal criminal sentence,” stated Danilewitz. He added, ” Jeff was released from custody in 2007 and was able to recover from addiction, obtain a divinity degree, co-found the world’s first White Collar Support Group and found GrantLaw, PLLC, a law firm providing general counsel services to people navigation the white collar criminal justice system and their families and businesses…”
GrantLaw, PLLC is not your typical law firm. It offers a holistic approach to legal services, taking into account the personal and emotional toll that white-collar prosecutions and regulatory proceedings can have on individuals and their families. The firm also offers support and guidance for companies facing these types of legal challenges, recognizing the impact they can have on the entire organization.
According to New Yorker Staff Reporter Evan Osnos, “Jeff Grant is the real deal… I can’t imagine there is a lawyer in this country more qualified to consider the complex issues facing people prosecuted for white collar crimes and their families.”
Grant’s ultimate goal with GrantLaw, PLLC is to help individuals and companies navigate the complex legal landscape of white-collar crime and regulatory proceedings with compassion and understanding. He hopes to use his personal experience to not only provide legal counsel, but also to inspire and support others who may be going through similar struggles.
Grant is member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Social Impact Entertainment Society. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Legal Action Center (NYC), is Co-Chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section Reentry & Collateral Consequences Committee, and is a member of the American Bar Association Advisory Committee on Legal Assistance Programs.
For more information on GrantLaw, PLLC and the services they offer, please visit their website at www.grantlaw.com. Grant is also available for interviews and speaking engagements to share his story and discuss the unique approach of his law firm.
“Join us in this week’s episode as we discuss what he has learned along the way about relationships, work ethic, service, God, addiction, prison, and sobriety. This is a deep dive into how to love, tell your truth, and live a meaningful spiritual life in service to others.”
“Over 20 million people are suffering right now from substance abuse, often in silence. This secrecy around addiction creates shame which then increases the addiction, which then increases the shame.
This vicious cycle can only be broken if we first break the stigma of addiction and the silence and shame that perpetuates it. This week’s guest on the Cracking Open podcast is Jeff Grant, and he’s here to do just that.
After a basketball injury, Jeff was prescribed opioids for the pain and thus began his slippery slope into substance dependency. His growing addiction led Jeff down a path filled with secrecy and lies that ultimately caused the loss of his law firm, a suicide attempt, a felony fraud conviction, and a federal prison sentence.
This cracking open moment radically awakened Jeff’s life and soul. After being released from prison, Jeff earned his Master of Divinity, served at an inner-city church in Bridgeport, Connecticut as Associate Minister and Director of Prison Ministries, and then co-founded Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. – the world’s first ministry dedicated to serving people navigating the white-collar criminal justice system.
Jeff’s law license has since been reinstated, and he once again founded a private law practice in New York City where he is committed to using his legal expertise and life experience to benefit others. He also recently celebrated his 21st year of sobriety.
Join us in this week’s episode as we discuss what he has learned along the way about relationships, work ethic, service, God, addiction, prison, and sobriety. This is a deep dive into how to love, tell your truth, and live a meaningful spiritual life in service to others.”
Please join us for the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Fall Institute on Friday, November 3, 2023 at the Madison Hotel, 1177 15th Street, Washington, DC. Last year, 15 Fellow Travelers attended this conference together and then we all went out to Carmine’s Italian Restaurant for an evening of camaraderie, stories, laughter – and great food! Let’s do it again!
I am honored to serve as Co-Chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section Reentry & Collateral Consequences Committee. – Jeff
Please check out my interview on Beyond The Balance Sheet with hosts, Diana Clark & Arden O’Connor of the O’Connor Professional Group – Behavioral Health Navigation. The podcast discusses the important mix of legal and psychological training advisors need to serve their clients best.
“Jeff Grant possesses an intriguing narrative that he candidly recounts. His journey began with opioid addiction and culminated in him borrowing funds from clients’ accounts, leading to his incarceration. Jeff underwent a transformative experience, earning his Master of Divinity degree and successfully reinstating his law license. He now serves as the visionary behind Progressive Prison Ministries and GrantLaw, which is dedicated to aiding individuals convicted of white-collar offenses by providing them with moral support and defense. This episode will be one of your favorites.”
IN THIS EPISODE: [01:27] Jeff shares his background story from being a successful lawyer to drug addiction and hopelessness ending in attempted suicide [04:21] Would white-collar crime still have been manifested if it were not for drug addiction? Jeff discusses the motivations of people within the Progressive Prison Ministries [08:16] Arden asks if financial institutions unintentionally reward people with values that lead them down a white-collar path [11:45] Jeff discusses life before and after crime and how families cope with life after white-collar crime [18:24] Jeff discusses what his family experienced and why he started the GrantLaw Firm [26:27] Jeff gives his advice to anyone who finds themselves involved in a white-collar crime scenario
KEY TAKEAWAYS: White-collar crime brings down a lot more than just you. It brings down your family, friends, and sometimes an entire community. Insider trading is a crime of opportunity and a lifetime sentence even after serving time. Many marriages do not survive white-collar crime, but there is hope, and listeners can contact Jeff’s firm for advice.
BIOGRAPHY After an addiction to prescription opioids and serving almost fourteen months in a Federal prison (2006 – 07) for a white-collar crime (SBA loan fraud) he committed in 2001, Jeff started his reentry – earning a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, majoring in Social Ethics. After graduating from divinity school, Jeff was called to serve at an inner city church in Bridgeport, CT as Associate Minister and Director of Prison Ministries. He then co-founded Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. (Greenwich, CT), the world’s first ministry dedicated to serving people navigating the white-collar criminal justice system.
On May 5, 2021, Jeff’s law license was reinstated by the Supreme Court of the State of New York. On August 10, 2023, he celebrated 21 years of continuous sobriety.
Jeff has founded the law firm of GrantLaw, PLLC, is once again in private practice in New York City and is committed to using his legal expertise and life experience to benefit others.
GrantLaw, PLLC, is a new type of law firm providing private general counsel services to clients who have previously faced or who could be facing white-collar prosecutions and regulatory proceedings and their companies and families. In this role, Jeff and his team assist clients in making critical and timely business and family decisions and in executing them so that they have the best chance to come out the other side with lives of purpose, meaning and success.
“Jeff Grant is the real deal… I can’t imagine there is a lawyer in this country more qualified to consider the complex issues facing people prosecuted for white collar crimes and their families.” – Evan Osnos, The New Yorker.
