11 May I Received an Investigation Letter
To say out loud that “I received an investigation letter” is a shocking experience. If you’ve received an investigation letter or, worse, have been indicted, chances are you not only feel nauseated but are underestimating the arduous journey ahead. The reality of the situation is that while this journey will be an expensive and emotional one, if you’re found guilty (chances are you will be, research the odds), you come to realize that most of your experience has just begun.
Eventually, you may find it hard to recall life before you received the investigation letter and all this started. Think about the time from the moment of the government’s indictments, through their investigation, grand juries, discovery, plea negotiations, possible trial, sentencing memorandums, PSR’s, character reference letters, sentencing hearings, and report dates. It’s a lot to go through considering 97% of you will end up in the same place – something I wish I knew earlier
It’s kind of like getting in the car for a road trip that is an 8-hour drive, and someone wants to stop for lunch after 45 minutes. By no means is 45 minutes an extremely long drive, but still, you have over 7 hours left. However, to that passenger who wants lunch, they’ve already looked at their phone (5 different times), read a magazine, conversed with everyone in the car, and are bored. That 45 minutes felt like an eternity to them. That being said, the passenger needs to mentally and emotionally prepare for what’s to come even though they are already “over it.”
I am less than a month away from reporting to prison and trying to keep my spirits up after what has been an incredibly long five-plus year journey. I still have yet to be in prison, live in a halfway house, and restart my career and life back in Boise once the incarceration portion of this journey is finished. That is a lot to get through, especially once I consider all the last five years have entailed.
If you work in the private sector, you are not prepared for the pace at which this process plays out. No one is in a rush. The fact that you want it to be over, you want your life back, and you want emotional security once again are factors that do not come into play.
You have to keep taking the hits and come back up for more. The quicker you realize that the real battle is an internal one, the better off you will be. Sow seeds for the future, make good decisions today, and consistently prepare for tomorrow.