Craig Rothfeld is an American

prison consultant A prison consultant provides newly convicted criminals with advice on how to cope and survive in prison. Prison consultants may also provide a client's attorney with advice on how to lobby the sentencing judge for a shorter sentence and get a clien ...

to public figures. Rothfeld served 18 months in various

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

state prisons after pleading guilty to falsifying business records.

Early life and education

Rothfeld earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from

University at Albany, SUNY The State University of New York at Albany (University at Albany, UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) is a Public university, public research university in Albany, New York, United States. Founded in 1844, it is one of four "university centers" of the St ...

in 1993. He obtained a Master of Business Administration in finance and international business from the

New York University Stern School of Business The Leonard N. Stern School of Business (also NYU Stern, Stern School of Business, or simply Stern) is the business school of New York University, a private research university based in New York City. Founded as the School of Commerce, Accounts ...

. After his release from prison in June 2017, Rothfeld completed a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and a Post Graduate Certification in Criminal Sentencing and Sentencing Advocacy, both from

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

’s

Watts College of Public Service & Community Solutions The Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions (formerly the College of Public Programs) is one of the 24 school units of Arizona State University. It is located at ASU's Downtown Phoenix Campus in Arizona. Founded in 1979, the co ...

Career and conviction

Before his conviction, Rothfeld worked in the financial services industry at organizations such as Arthur Andersen & Co., Sotheby’s, Conectiv, and WJB Capital Group Inc. WJB Capital dissolved in 2011, followed quickly by lawsuits from investors for fraud and breach of contract. After being indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney in February 2014, Rothfeld pleaded guilty in a plea deal in July 2015 where he admitted to committing various financial crimes in return for a custodial sentence of 1.5–4.5 years in New York State prison. In December 2015, Rothfeld was convicted of grand larceny, tax fraud, and falsifying Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) regulatory financial statements and began serving his prison sentence of 1.5–4.5 years, which started with five weeks in

Rikers Island Rikers Island is a prison island in the East River in the Bronx, New York (state), New York, United States, that contains New York City's largest jail. Named after Abraham Rycken, who took possession of the island in 1664, the island was orig ...

. Rothfeld and two others defrauded investors out of $11 million in total, using the money to fund personal expenses. Rothfeld's firm was first suspended from FINRA, then barred from the securities industry.

Prison consultant career

Following his release in June 2017, Rothfeld began working as a prison consultant and often serves as a source of information for media outlets. Rothfeld was hired by former film producer

Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...

, serving as Weinstein’s representative for corrections and health care matters. Rothfeld also worked with former

Trump Organization Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021. ...

chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg prior to his incarceration.

Luigi Mangione Luigi Nicholas Mangione ( ; born May 6, 1998) is an American who has been identified as the suspect in the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Thompson was shot and killed in New York City on December 4, 2024. Following a ...

retained Rothfeld as his prison consultant after he was accused of murdering

UnitedHealth Group UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is an American Multinational corporation, multinational for-profit company specializing in health insurance and health care services based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Selling insurance products under UnitedHealth ...

CEO

Brian Thompson Brian Thompson commonly refers to: * Brian Thompson (businessman) (1974–2024), UnitedHealthcare CEO killed in 2024 * Brian Thompson (actor) (born 1959), American screen actor It may also refer to: Sports * Brian Thompson (footballer, born 1938) ...

Sheff G Michael Kyle Williams (born September 23, 1998), known professionally as Sheff G, is an American rapper. He rose to fame with his 2017 single "No Suburban", which was a response to the song "Suburban" by 22Gz. 22Gz response with a song titled " ...

hired Rothfeld after he plead guilty to attempted murder. Rothfeld teaches Continuing Legal Education (CLE) courses on prison conditions and sentencing issues to various bar associations such as the Brooklyn Bar Association (BBA), the Kings County Criminal Bar Association (KCCBA), the New York Criminal Bar Association (NYCBA), and the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys (NYSACDL). His courses cover topics such as prison conditions, sentencing advocacy, and inmate rehabilitation programs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rothfeld, Criag 21st-century American criminals Living people American businesspeople convicted of crimes American white-collar criminals American people convicted of fraud