What they hoped you'd never find.

It isn't
easy. But you can survive this.

Before I was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, I was exactly where you are right now — no light, no answers, nowhere to turn. I built this from that place. Free. Because you deserve what I didn't have.

Start Here Read the Journal

No judgment. No agenda. Just the truth.

No judgment here You found the right place The truth from inside Free, because you deserve it Knowledge is how you fight back You are not alone No judgment here You found the right place The truth from inside Free, because you deserve it Knowledge is how you fight back You are not alone

Federal Sentencing Tools

Free Federal Sentencing Calculators

Five tools built from the data the government already has — guideline range, FSA time credits, BOP security level, national sentencing statistics, and printable reference sheets. No login. No charge.

Federal Sentencing Guideline Range Calculator Enter offense level and criminal history category. See your recommended sentencing range immediately.

First Step Act Time Credits Calculator (FSA) Estimate earned time credits and projected release date. Every eligible day matters.

BOP Security Level Calculator — Federal Prison Designation Score the BP-337 custody factors. Find out what security level you're likely designated to.

Federal Sentencing Statistics — USSC National Data Data from 480,000+ federal cases. See what defendants with your charges actually received.

Federal Sentencing Reference Sheets — 7 Major Guidelines Printable quick-reference cards for the most common federal offense guidelines.

Build a Custom Defense Report

Bilal Khan's case timeline: 4.5 years pretrial, $1.3M family spent, 80 years once facing — built this instead

At one point, eighty years was on the table. My family spent $1.3 million on my defense — a third of it gone to lawyers I had to fire, another third cleaning up their mistakes.

In year two of pretrial I stopped trusting and started reading. The jails I was in had no law libraries, so my family shipped me whatever they could find — cases, statutes, anything I could get my hands on. Correspondence courses. Then I started helping people around me with their legal issues, and I got good at it.

This site is what I built from that place.

The full story

Books

They have a playbook.
Now so do you.

Surviving Pretrial

The map most families never get — arrest, detention, attorneys, and the decisions that define everything that follows. Written from inside the system, not a law library.

★★★★★

Much Better Than Busted By the Feds

"Surviving Pretrial is more detailed, more updated, and more usable against persecution in today's environment."
— Kevin Sr., Verified Purchase · Amazon

See the book

The 2255 Motion Handbook

Conviction is not the end of the fight. The first guide of its kind on 28 U.S.C. § 2255 — exact steps to file, argue, and fight for freedom after sentencing. Written so a non-lawyer can actually use it.

★★★★★

"It explains each step of the process, breaks down the forms, and includes full briefing for two cases that prevailed."
— Matthew Clem, Verified Purchase · Amazon

See the book

See both books

Journal

Straight answers to the questions keeping you up at night.

Free guides and articles on federal procedure, defense strategy, and surviving the process — written in plain language. Every article is printable to mail inside.

Defense Strategy

How to Use PACER to Follow Your Federal Case

PACER contains every filing in your federal case. If you're inside, you can't touch it — but your family can. Here is exactly what to do with it.

June 20, 2026

Sentencing

The First Step Act: What It Actually Gets You

Congress passed the First Step Act in 2018. Most people in the federal system have heard of it. Very few understand what it actually does to their time — and almost no one is told the catch.

June 20, 2026

Pretrial

Your Rights in Pretrial Federal Detention

You have not been convicted. The government cannot punish you. Here is what they owe you inside that facility — and how to make them deliver it.

June 20, 2026

Pretrial

Understanding the Plea Deal: What It Is, What It Costs, and When to Take It

More than 97 percent of federal convictions come from guilty pleas, not trials. Understanding what you're really agreeing to — before you sign — can be the difference between a fair outcome and a catastrophic one.

June 16, 2026

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Contributing Author & Guest

Writing for the lawyers fighting on your side.

Bilal Khan writes for and appears on Set for Sentencing — attorney Doug Passon's publication and podcast on sentencing advocacy, humanizing defendants through narrative, and autism-informed defense. Made for defense counsel. Readable by anyone who needs to understand what their lawyer should be doing.

Money order on a post office counter — putting money on a federal inmate's books

Set for Sentencing July 19, 2026

How & When to Put Money on a Federal Inmate's Books

From day one at any BOP facility, families can deposit commissary funds — the same account follows the inmate through every transfer. What to do, how to do it, and what it actually means for the person inside.

Read on Substack

Podcast appearances