Complaint Review: Federal Prison Consultants - Wilmington Delaware

The following was received via USPS mail from Mr. C.M. Bateman:

July 1, 2011

I have been a client of Ed Bales on a continuous basis since July of 2008, and continue to be a satisfied client. I have been pleased with his competence, his work ethic, his candor, and his realistic assessment of what results can be expected.

To his detractors, the first step I would suggest is to make an honest comparison of the expectations that Mr. Bales expressed to them and those that they created in their own minds. Only the Congress of the United States can force BOP to do anything that BOP does not feel is in their best interest, and even they frequently require a Federal Court Ruling to do so. Thus, getting BOP to do something or to not do something becomes a matter of persuasion - a lenghty and often tenuous path.
To those who think the right strategy is to try to force BOP into something, I suggest they find a way to get their request into Federal Court. To those who expect miracles, I suggest they spend more time on their knees.

With Sincerity,

C.M. Bateman

Copies of the following comments from clients can be obtained by contacting me at [email protected] or info@federalprisonexperts.   The letters I will be posting are from clients who rebut the negative information posted.

Subj:  Thank You
Date:  12/14/2010 5:48 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
From:  [email protected]
To:      [email protected]

Dear Mr. Bales,

I just wanted to thank you and your staff for keeping me informed on Artie Dufur's case.  I have really enjoyed working with Joyce Maxie.  Because of her professionalism and speedy response to any of my
concerns, I feel assured that Artie's case is being handled with much care and consideration.  I appreciate
all that you have both done and are doing.  I would recommend your company to anyone.  Thank you
again.

Sincerely,
Lorraine Veillett
=
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Subject:      Federal Prison Consultants
Date:          12/0/2010  11:54 P.M. Eastern Standard Time
From:         [email protected]
To:              [email protected]


I hired Federal Prison Consultants almost two years ago.   I have found them to be very
knowledgeable and very helpful and very passionate in helping people who are being 
sentenced and have been in prison.   Their compassion also extends to the families of 
inmates.

They always return calls and emails and they work very hard to keep on top of the case
they were retained.  They are with you from the beginning of the sentence and stay with 
you until the time has come for release.

Federal Prison Consultants also are here to help with inmate matters that require
outside assistance and know what is needed and who to contact to get answers from
the Dept. of Federal Prisons.

I have found Mr. Bales to be honest with me and help me when my family member
needs his guidance.  It does help to have someone to talk to about the Prison system 
and the answers may not be what we want to hear but what you will hear is, why
something is or is not possible and how to go about the best possible way to have a
case heard by the right officials so that the inmates best interests are being presented.

Sincerely, Pam B.

*********************************************************

December 4th, 2010

To Whom It May Concern:

          I am writing this letter to recommend Mr. Ed Bales to anyone who might need 
his services.   After serving my sentence in the Federal system, I was transferred to a halfway 
house in Cleveland, Ohio.  The halfway house was a nightmare.   It was filthy and 
disgusting.  Their claims of being a "reentry program" were not true at all.  After
completing all my requirements to be eligible to go on home confinement, I was told they
would get to my paperwork when they had time.   Time after time I was lied to and  giving
false information.   Even though I had done everything they had required of me and had no 
incident reports in both Federal Prison and in the halfway house, they refused to complete
my paperwork to allow me to go home.   My husband and I then enlisted the help of Mr.
Bales.   After the first conversation with Mr. Bales, I finally felt relief that there was an
advocate for my situation.  He made the phone calls to the BOP and discovered that the
halfway house was holding up my paperwork.   He requested answers from the halfway
house but they were unwilling to answer him.   He then contacted the BOP and made them
aware of my situation.   He made many follow up calls, emails, and faxes and stayed on
top of the situation.   He kept my husband and I informed of the progress.   I was released 4
days later.  It was such a relief to finally be going home to my family.   I am confident that
had Mr. Bales not intervened, I would have not been released.   My only regret is that we 
had not contacted him sooner.   If you find yourself or a family member in need of his 
services, please take this recommendation into consideration.

Sincerely,


Bridget Varnes
[email protected]

******************************************************   

From:    Robert McCabe (51572056)
Date:     12/2/2010 9:05:39 AM
Subject: thanks  

Message:   

My name is robert m.  i was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for obstruction of
justice and it seemed like the world was coming to an end for me and I had so much to do and so
many questions that needed to be answered then i found ed bales and spoke directly to mr. 
bales and ended up getting a 90 day extension to my original report date which allowed me to
get all my affairs in order before reporting and had my placement only 2 hours from my home
as well as as assisting me in sentence reduction programs and is now working with me on the
half way house placement if you are unfortunate enough to be sentenced to a federal prison
I would not do it alone i see so many nightmares in here of people that did get professional
experienced help save you self allot of grief and use this service    robert m.

********************************************************

From:     DERRICK LANDER (O9799033)
Date:      12/2/2010 8:25:57 AM
Subject:  Derrick L. KY
Message:

Mr. Bales and his staff has always been RIGHT there when I needed information or any
consultation.  They were very prompt with the e-mails that I sent out.   And they have worked
closely with my family to make sure that I was always treated fairly in what ever the case
may have been.   As I write this email, Mr. Bales and his staff are currently working on some
important things that are going on with my halfway house.   I certainly put my stamp of
approval on Mr. Bales and the FBC.

Derrick L.  KY

********************************************************  

From:  MAURICE B WADE (04996035)
Date:   12/7/2010  9:25:44 AM
Subject:  RE: Re: RE: Re: Re: Thanksgiving

Message:  Good Day Ed:

I apologize for taking nearly a week to respond to your request.  The new chemo and meds
really knocked me for a loop.   I am just now able to sit up at this keyboard long enough to
finally answer your e-mail.  I've got an idea: I'm going to send you a blank e-mail
and request that you write my testimonial for me.  Mentally,  I'm just not able to put into
writing just how grateful and blessed I am to have come under your kind care-- please express
for me what I feel and sign my full name attesting to it.  Thank you so much Ed, and I
certainly hope I'm not too late to get onto your web page.  I'm from Houston, Texas.

Sincerely,  Maurice

************************************************************


From:     Mathew Wyrick (41227177)
Date:      12/4/2010  1:55:57 PM
Subject:  Federal Prison Consultants

Message:

I would like to take a moment and reflect on the accomplishments of Federal Prison
Consultants as it pertains to my case.  I live in the state of Missouri and when I was
sentenced to 63 months for 1 count of Wire Fraud I consulted with the personnel at
Federal Prison Consultants to help me through the process of my prison time.  They have been 
very beneficial to me in the aspect of helping me with my medical issues and hopefully
accomplishing even more with time.   I have had them file formal requests for me on my
behalf.  I would highly recommend this firm for future use when you get into the situation
of having to do Prison time in the BOP system.

Thank You,

Mathew W.
Missouri   

These allegations are simply that.... allegations and unfounded.  This is my third rebuttal post regarding this issue because I am not going to stand by and allow the slandering to continue without speaking my mind.  I did much research into Ed Bales and his company prior to hiring him and I have to admit that the negativity out there cause seem a bit of concern, but after balancing it all out, I elected to hire Mr. Bales and I am very  happy that I did and totally satisfied that I did.  He did exactly as he said he would and even went so far as to do more because he knew the situation was close to my heart and he did not charge me for the extra work that was not included in the original fee. 

I think we all need to make our own evaluations based on our needs and the chance that we will prevail.  Anytime we are dealing with corrections, there are many roadblocks in the path and it takes someone like Mr. Bales and his experienced experts to travel those paths via the right connections.  Sometimes the end result may not be the one you wanted but I guarantee you this man will find that out and fight it to the end.  Not ALL cases are won and Mr. Bales would be in violation of ethics if he could make any promises or guarantees as to the outcome. 

It's very important to me that everyone understand this and I will explain why.  I served time in a state prison and ever since I've been out, I have been doing my utmost best to help those I left behind.... to make their lives better and just give them hope and support.  Sometimes, that's all it takes when we know we can't do anything else.  However, when an issue arose that I had no means in which to correct, I turned to Mr. Bales and his company.  I can honestly give testimony to the fact that Mr. Bales, his staff psychologist, and other staff members worked diligently on the case.  I have no complaints whatsoever.

As for Mr. Bales making a change in his profile name on Facebook.  Let me ask you this:  If you were faced with these false allegations against your person and company, wouldn't YOU try to minimize the damage as much as possible?  If I were Ed Bales, I would file a lawsuit against this individual for intentionally trying to sabotage my career! 

Thank you,
D Stephens

 I would like to retract the statements regarding Federal prison consultants. Since then I've come to learn that Ed Bales did what ever he could do to help my son.

Ann Brooklyn,New York

U.S.A.

Kevin your not an employee at FPC funny your picture is on the website as senior stratagist you also have an extension on the phone with the company so who's not be truthful?? I WONDER!!!

Kevin your not an employee at FPC funny your picture is on the website as senior stratagist you also have an extension on the phone with the company so who's not be truthful?? I WONDER!!!

Kevin your not an employee at FPC funny your picture is on the website as senior stratagist you also have an extension on the phone with the company so who's not be truthful?? I WONDER!!!

Kevin your not an employee at FPC funny your picture is on the website as senior stratagist you also have an extension on the phone with the company so who's not be truthful?? I WONDER!!!

Yes Kevin met with us at a Denny's and Kevin also agreed that Ed charged us way to much, That it wasn't worth that much money, Am I saying anything that's not true??? I don't think so. If I didn't call you I would never get a phone call from the company. Funny how the others that are coming forward are saying the same thing... Still doesn't justify what was done to the people that trusted you guys... End of story..

My name is Kevin M. Tamez and, to my disappointment, my name was used in the initial April 2009 complaint concerning Federal Prison Consultants. I debated even responding to the myriad allegations that have been bantered back and forth in this matter, but I felt compelled to clarify my "non-involvement" in the instant matter after it was recommended I do so. For the record, I am an independent self-employed litigation support consultant. I am not now, nor have I ever been, an employee of Federal Prison Consultants. I was, on occasion, sub-contracted by Mr. Bales to assist on various matters for his firm. Obviously, in that extremely limited capacity, I would have no knowledge of how Mr. Bales set fees, negotiated contracts, or set forth what services his company would provide prospective clients of Federal Prison Consultants. With respect to the inferences concerning the firm's "address," as I explained to "Jackie" during our meeting, for professional and security reasons, I receive mail at a neutral corporate mailing address, but I am always available via email and my personal Blackberry - as was confirmed when she called unexpectedly, yet I met her ten (10) minutes later. I would like to respond further, but I have always been a strong advocate of Shakespeare's position when he said, "..me thinks thou dost protest too much."

First of all like David said, show us one person other then your friends that have ONE good thing to say about this company... Everyone checkout prisontalk.com and you will see exactly what this company is about!!!! I will NO longer waist my time with ignorant people like u JIMMYBONES OR ED OR KEVIN OR JOE BLOW FROM IDAHO you sound real mature still doesn't change the facts that they scammed WOMEN. best yet U need MEDS I know the truth HURTS!!! But DEAL WITH IT!!!

Jackie, You wrote a report about this company and so did Ann which was why I commented on Ann's (aka Jackie 2) report. It is plainly obvious that you have buyer's remorse. You decided what the outcome would be when you had no place to do so. It's almost comical that you responded to a report filled out by another person, but you commented under your name which exactly is why I called this report out for being...a FAKE! Your report(S) are nothing more than an attempt to defame and slander someone. Otherwise why would there be two from the same area, Brooklyn, within hours? Why didn't Ann respond? As I read your nonsense report Ann, errrr Jackie or what other alias you go by, I am compelled to think your goal is to put someone out of business by any means possible b/c you are just mad and ready to lay down a power trip. You can always buy one of those stress relief squish balls, they work great! ***recommendations for you in the future Jackie aka Ann aka fake poster*** 1. TAKE YOUR MEDS NEXT TIME YOU GET ON THE COMPUTER. 2. CHOOSE 1 PERSONALITY AND FOCUS ON THAT ONE SO WAY THE REST OF THE WORLD CAN MAKE SENSE OF YOUR BABBLE. 3. TRY CROSSWORD PUZZLES OR IF THAT IS TOO CUMBERSOME MAYBE EVEN A COLORING BOOK (DON'T FORGET TO STAY IN THE LINES!) TO EXERCISE THOSE DEMONS. 4. STOP COMPLAINING! I BET YOU HAVE TRIED THIS YOUR WHOLE LIFE AS BY WHAT I HAVE READ YOU LACK THE INTELLIGENCE TO COME UP WITH THIS PLAN OVER NIGHT. TRY BEING POSITIVE FOR ONCE. NEGATIVE PEOPLE = NEGATIVE RESULTS. Regards, Jim, Alex, Bob, Josh, Ralph, Joe, Stan, Mark, Vince, Steve...or whatever fake identity comes first! Brooklyn, NY....Bejing, China...Miami, FL...London, England...and wherever else I feel like claiming as home. ++get it now?++

Please follow this link on the internet to read the complete Second Chance Act of 2007: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/SecondChanceAnalysis.pdf Here is the section on the bottom of page 7 that pretains to federal inmates: Chapter 3 - Correctional Reforms to Existing Law Sec. 251. Clarification of Authority to Place Prisoner In Community Corrections This section clarifies existing procedures, and relaxes the maximum period for which an offender can be released into a community correctional facility, prior to release to the community, by affording the Director of the Bureau of Prisons the discretion to place an offender in a halfway house for up to 12 months prior to the release date for the offender. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Again, this information is taken directly from the Act itself and from one of the US Department of Justice web sites. It establishes clearly that the remarks made are incorrect by the person who filed this complaint and the further titled remarks made by her are slanderous and vindictive. Just because the Act states that a federal inmate can get UP TO 12 months of half-way house aka re-enntry center or community corrections placement, does not mean they are going to get 12 months of placement. They can receive anywhere from 1 month to 12 months. All of this is explained to every client and that the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) makes the decision. Our job as consultants is to advocate for the client as to why they should receive higher levels based on their particular circumstances, taking into consideration the criteria and eligibility established by the BOP. We also assist appeal the decision based on the circumstances of the individual client. I hope this helps claifiy matters here. Ed Bales Managing Director Federal Prison Consultants, LLC

I wish I could comment on the email posted. It is in regard to a client that has three different stories as to who hired us and why we must not report to the person who signed the contract. They will be posted in a civil suit to show the credibility of the client. Ask yourself, why would we be given 3 seperate versions of why we should not follow our contract by a family that does not talk to each other and they keep changing their story email after email, after email. Ask yourself also why they would would make such statements about the Second Chance Act when you can read the BOP posting or even Google the Second Chance Act on the internet or I tell you don't believe me for this matter, call or email the BOP and please post your findings on here. If the Second Chance Act does not change the BOP's authority to give UP TO 12 months of half-way house aka re-entry center placement to federal inmates that are in custody now, then I will refund the money to this client. Could anyone ask for a better rebuttle or response? Here is the BOP's Central Office information: Central Office serves as the headquarters for the Bureau of Prisons which is overseen and managed by Director Harley G. Lappin. It consists of eight Divisions that provide oversight of major BOP program areas and operations, as well as the National Institute of Corrections. The Central Office campus is located in Washington, DC, providing ready access to the U.S. Capitol, Federal courts, and the Department of Justice's headquarters building. Physical Location: 320 First St., NW, Washington, DC 20534 Office hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern time Monday through Friday For general information, call 202-307-3198. So, I challenge anyone to prove me wrong here and DO NOT judge me until you investigate this complaint for the nonsense that is posted, as well as the other partner in crime, pardon the pun who posts she had no way of contacting me or sending the contract back. The email posted proves that is a bogus statement and I guarantee you the balance of her complaint is the same. She had my address, which ironically she posts in her complaint at the top, my email, my cell phone, my toll-free number and most importantly the fax number to send the paperwork back to which she did not do. Ed Bales Managing Director Federal Prison Consultants, LLC -------------------------------------------------------- Well does this sound like a fake to you!!!! To: Cc: Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 2:26:21 AM Subject: Re: MaXXX Angela: I have not heard back from you or your daughter-in-law. I did get a call from the Burlington County BBB and I am outraged at all of this craziness. Your daughter-in-law is not our client, it may be her and your son's money as you admit here in the prior email, but you retained us with your check. If this craziness is not ended, I am going to have my attorney get involved for whatever action can be taken , including notifying the BOP, US Probation Department and the Sentencing Judge on the fact that your son and daughter-in-law have funds that have been hidden for whatever reason and I will let them do an investigation with our full cooperation. We have gone out of our way to do so many things for your son, including helping him and you while he was in the segregation. We have been doing our services in accordance with our contract with you and services are not even completed yet. I expect to hear back with 48 hours of I will be meeting with my attorney and suspending any further action until this matter is resolved. Ed Bales

The client hired us for several issues and we were sucessful with an emergency issue and that is why she began referring other potential clients to us. While I can not comment at this point on the case and those issues, I can comment about her completely incorrect statements on the Secend Chance Act of 2007. Below is a posting that was posted in a BOP facility on 4/22/08 and sent to me by a client. It is essentially correct, except that the BOP was just remanded to re-examine their handling of the act and to re-look at giving the Regional Director the authority above 6 months of half-way house (RRC) placement to 12 months, which is under review. Ironically, the case of USA vs. Strong was forwarded to me in email by the other client, a friend of this one. The statements do not make sense and these people knew about the SCA, as well as the Strong case. I have the emails to prove it and they are under review with our attorney who will be taking action for slander and other civil charges. Here is the text in exact format as posted by the BOP: Second Chance Act of 2007 & Pre-Release RRC Placements Note: Talking points for staff use with inmates & for posting notices to inmates The Second Chance Act of 2007 (the Act), signed into law on April 9, 2008, changes the Bureau of Prison's (BOP) statutory authorities for making pre-release residential re-entry center (RRC) placement decisions. The changes are described below: The maximum time allowed for pre-release RRC placement is increased to 12 months (from 6), and there is no longer a limit based on the percentage of term to be served. The maximum time allowable for pre-release home confinement remains 6 months, or 10 percent of the term of imprisonment for that inmate, whichever is shorter. BOP staff will approach every inmate's assessment with the understanding that the inmate is now eligible for a maximum 12-month pre-release RRC placement. Staff will review inmates for pre-release RRC placements 17 19 months before their projected release dates. Inmates previously reviewed for pre-release RRC placement, but not yet transferred to an RRC, will be reconsidered using new standards allowing a maximum 12-month placement. Written approval must be obtained from the Regional Director if staff determine that a period in excess of six months may be needed on an individual case. Pre-release RRC placement decisions must be made on an individual basis in every inmate's case according to new criteria identified in the Act, in addition to criteria in 18 U.S.C. 3621(b), which include resources of the facility being considered, the nature and circumstances of the offense, and the history and characteristics of the inmate. Sentencing court orders, recommendations, or requests directing an inmate's placement in an RRC lack binding effect, so the BOP is not required to follow such directives. The BOP will be issuing new federal regulations regarding pre-release RRC placements. This process takes several months to complete. BCP staff will be notified as soon as the new regulations take effect. ------------------------------------------------------------------- As you can see after reading the psoting, the client is incorrect in her assertions, as well as her slanderous statements. The Second Chance Act of 2007 is not only for federal inmates, but it does authorize UP TO 12 months of half-way house placement. No promises were ever or ever given to any client. Our job is to advocate as best we can for our client. Unfortunately I can not explain more here as it is under legal review, but I will add more later. It is so unfortunate that these clients are taking such an approach and did not allow FPC to finish our services because of completely different reasons, which again we have in email. We can certainly provide references of both former and current clients, as well as attorney references to our services. No one can guarantee any results and these clients received that in writing, as well as a list of our services and the ability to contact me or the company 6 days a week from 10 AM to 10 PM Eastern Time. I hope this addresses the immediate issues at hand. Regards, Ed Bales Managing Director Federal Prison Consultants, LLC

To: Cc: Sent: Monday, March 16, 2009 2:26:21 AM Subject: Re: Mario Angela: I have not heard back from you or your daughter-in-law. I did get a call from the Burlington County BBB and I am outraged at all of this craziness. Your daughter-in-law is not our client, it may be her and your son's money as you admit here in the prior email, but you retained us with your check. If this craziness is not ended, I am going to have my attorney get involved for whatever action can be taken , including notifying the BOP, US Probation Department and the Sentencing Judge on the fact that your son and daughter-in-law have funds that have been hidden for whatever reason and I will let them do an investigation with our full cooperation. We have gone out of our way to do so many things for your son, including helping him and you while he was in the segregation. We have been doing our services in accordance with our contract with you and services are not even completed yet. I expect to hear back with 48 hours of I will be meeting with my attorney and suspending any further action until this matter is resolved. Ed Bales

There are two reports from two people in Brooklyn, NY filed within a few hours of one another. The only other thing that I saw on this company was a year old. I think that there is more than just a simple cooincidence. Looks like one is definitely a fake, or at the very least suspect. Also I have never heard of any consulting company ever guaranteeing results. Its always up to the person who hires the consultant to decide whether their fee is justified before they get paid. It sounds like this individual was desperate for anything b/c their loved one is incarcerated and they want them out. Sounds like when what could be an absolute best case scenario went unfulfilled, they decided they would defame this company. A good example is one of my past employers (mortgage brokerage) hired a consulting company to come in to increase productivity/ cut down expenses and they had a good track record with past success (otherwise who would hire them). The company was expanding at the time. The company has since dwindled from 33 brokers to four. Why? It turns out the realestate market burst and there was no business and their size was unsustainable as a result. Was the consultant responsible? NO. The poster should have tried to do some type of risk to benefit before hiring these guys and say is this worth it? I think this lady knew what the risks were and has a bad case of buyer's remorse.