My Post Sentencing Reflections
- Original Professional Hustler
- May 8
- 8 min read
Justice often eludes all who seek it in this world.
IMPACTFUL STATEMENTS
“In a world of equity, what matters most is how people receive words.” Christopher Knight Lopez, International Best-Selling Author.
THOUGHTS POST REFLECTION
I am a thief to many victims. I am known as a generous provider by those not victimized. I was called evil by two people. I was then called noble by others. I was called a man filled with greed by one victim. I am a man who never prioritizes money over principle to many who wrote me character reference letters (about seventeen I believe).
To my first wife I am a disappointment. To the one who married me afterward I am a man who exceeded all her expectations.
To some in the courtroom I am a man who would trample a bed of flowers. To my daughter I am the man who stops and picks flowers for her.
I was present for every word spoken. I listened to every letter. To those who wanted to look me in the eyes I met their gaze. I empathized with each person’s hurt. I validated each feeling. I did not offer any defense for the Christopher I was.
I know the Christopher I am.
Half of the people victimized, I never personally met. One victim was honest about how I met everyone and why she chose to do business with me. It leaned completely on the credibility of those older than me with significantly more experience who recommended the deals I presented. I appreciated her testimony of truth. The other half I knew seldomly.
A few I was close to. Those few mattered a lot to me. Their words ached my heart. One man considered me a friend. Although his wealth vastly outweighed his investment, the betrayal he felt was difficult to value. It was not about the money, it was about the feeling of betrayal.
Another was a woman who invested substantially all of the money I managed for her into a failed mortgage company which never returned her money to my disappointment. They promised her security but collapsed after twenty years of successful operation. The company was never related to the fraudulent scheme. That hurt my heart because she was elderly, I specifically chose what I believed was safe for her and it still failed.
The single largest institutional investor (17mm) was prudent, astute, thoughtful and very diligent. Everything I said was correct but none of it was right. Unfortunately, she suffered from the most sophisticated fraud scheme ever. Enough to fool three attorneys, two auditors, regulators, transfer agents, four bankers, two wealth managers, a U.S. Secret Service Agent, and multiple FBI agents. The level of complexity was astounding. To be honest, it is difficult for anyone to detect. Even artificial intelligence would have been fooled. The caveat is who the owner of the fraudulent bonds is. It is a person beyond reproach. Apparently the government cannot indict them even though their name is known (as that bad actor’s name is mysteriously left off the indictment).
What Money Is To Some People
I learned yesterday not every commercial transaction is commercial. For many, money represents their livelihoods. To some it is everything. I learned yesterday many viewed their money as a representation of their life. Others honored it as if it were a dead relative.
Money is very important to people. As a man who previously saw money as a tool — it never occurred to me money could be so…emotional.
Going forward I now understand how much people honor money. I will treat it with the care it demands. Some genuinely love it. Not for the sake of loving it but for the sake of what they believe it can do. There are many in this world who believe money: provides safety, provides a future, provides security, provides peace of mind and provides validation of a life well spent.
I always viewed this as a role for God. It never occurred to me that people would place money in that same place.
My Sentence
The emotions were intense. The emotions were high. I received a sentence of one hundred twenty months. I think that sentence was needed for the victims. I think had the judge sentenced me to anything less the courtroom would have rioted.
Seriously.
In this manner, I think the judge administered proper judgment. I learned yesterday judgment is sometimes less about the facts and more about the effects.
I will bear my punishment. If it can offer some peace to the victims then I choose to willingly bear the burden. I am going to self-surrender in less than a week. I intend to serve my sentence with dignity. I will serve every day as a day of atonement and meditate on the meaning of each day.
A mercy granted by the judge was to my daughter. The judge’s consideration for my daughter’s emotional state says everything about his character.
He is a judge of immense grace, mercy and wise judgment. I was privileged to be sentenced by him. I pray for his family, his health and his well being. I will forever be grateful for the mercy he showed towards my daughter by allowing her father to self-surrender. He spared her the trauma of seeing me led off in hand cuffs. I deserved no mercy he awarded that mercy to my daughter.
Thank you Judge Ellison for having the wisdom to see the entire court room — not just the man in front of you.
The Entirely Left Out Story
Due to my plea of guilt the entire truth will never be all the way told. The entire truth will never be heard all the way. The details will never be litigated at trial. Enough truth was spoken yesterday. Many people were hurt by losses. Losses from my poor judgment. Losses from my poor decisions.
It shocked some to learn the amount of money I received. For someone like me to have played the role I did in this enterprise — one would think it was for money. It was not. The amounts I personally received were trivial. Definitely not enough for most to justify going to prison for a decade.
Some people do not commit crimes for greed. Some do not commit crimes for status. Some do not commit crimes for financial riches.
Some people commit crimes out of loyalty. Some people commit crimes to save people’s lives.
Some people commit crimes because they cannot abandon a loved one.
I have never been money motivated and never will be. There are many reasons for the human condition. Sometimes, the truth sounds like a lie. Sometimes the truth is not what one wants to hear. Sometimes, the truth is difficult to comprehend. Sometimes the truth is unbelievable.
My written statement above sounds like all of those.
I have always sought to be exceptional. Exceptional does not mean special. Exceptional does not mean better. Exceptional does not mean right. One can be exceptionally wrong. That is a thing.
Exceptional in this context simply means the exception to the rule. I was loyal to a fault. I saved my brother’s life. I know I did. While many will not understand this statement — I do. My brother does too. Although people were hurt, victimized and deserved better — I made an impossible choice given my unique set of circumstances.
These statements do not have to make sense to anyone. Motive can be a mysterious thing. If you do not understand these statements it’s because you really don’t understand loyalty. You’re probably an equitable person.
The one solace I hope victims can know is I am genuinely compassionate for their loss. I hope they can at least make peace with learning I did not fund a lavish lifestyle with their money. There were no riches to be found in any of my accounts. Records were provided to the district attorney and the FBI.
The government knows where the money is. It is not in some secret account. It is not with me.
I sincerely hope the government has the courage to confront the people who are in possession of the victim’s money. Some are in scary countries. Others right here in the United States. I sincerely hope they serve justice and pursue those people. One victim stated he knew who one perpetrator was and did not understand why he was not in prison. They are not hidden. They are standing in plain sight. Their identities are known. Whether or not politics plays a role in restoring these victims’ money remains to be seen.
If you are a victim do not be persuaded by grandiose tales of secret accounts. The account numbers are already in the government’s possession. Your money’s location is known. That is not a lie. That is the truth. I know because I provided the information to my attorney pursuant to my plea agreement obligations.
I am not the man I was but the man I am today will bear the man of yesterday’s punishment.
Redemption requires a path of punishment. Not all punishments deserve eternal damnation. In this case mine will be a decade of my life.
God knows and sees all. So if you cannot believe these words…just wait…God will tell you the truth of them here shortly. Narratives collapse under scrutiny. The ultimate scrutiny is the one we all undergo at our Lord God. Complete justice is found in the hereafter not here.
CLOSING VERSE
The Final Testament. The Holy Quran. Sura [25:70–71] Exempted are those who repent, believe, and lead a righteous life. GOD transforms their sins into credits. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful. Those who repent and lead a righteous life, God redeems them, a complete redemption.
IN CLOSING
Sign up for free to listen free of charge to my chapter in “Many Paths To Profit” to read about how I look at things. My dynamic form of observing and reframing will help you to accomplish things like what we have discussed in today’s article. I have a free podcast called Hustle Kick as well which teaches you how to hustle for free.
You can pick up a copy of my international best-selling and award winning book, “I Made It Then I Didn’t” as well for a deeper insight on some of the psychology I use to take me through difficult circumstances.
This article is meant to provoke thought — not argument. It’s a way of opening up the mind to
alternative ideologies based on what one reads — not what one hears. The belief is personal and of course I respect everyone’s personal beliefs. I condemn no one for choosing whatever path — as clearly I mean to choose my own.
To Your Knowledge Success!
Sources
The life of Christopher Knight Lopez a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”.
As Hyperlinked throughout the article.
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Not a form of investment advice. Please consult a professional registered to give you advice about your individual circumstance. This is not formal counseling or a form of psychology. Please consult a licensed therapist or psychiatrist for psychological concerns. Please do not email the author about advice on investing or strategies on making investments. This article is for educational purposes and entertainment purposes only.
About Christopher: Christopher Knight Lopez is a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller, Award Winner of the December 2024 prestigious International Impact Book Awards — a premier award program dedicated to celebrating and recognizing the exceptional work of authors around the globe and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”. He is also a Co-Author with Kevin “The Shark” Harrington “Many Paths To Profit”. See more at www.christopherklopez.com.
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