By Zeke Barlow
Carlos Chavez/Special to the Star. George Christie, former leader of the Ventura chapter of Hells Angels, is the founder of Felony Prison Consultants, which advises people headed for prison on what to expect there and how to deal with the challenges.
If someone is getting ready to go to prison, there are a lot of questions in their mind. They are wondering how they are going to accept this, what is the environment going to be like, what are the rules and regulations
George Christie
Not everyone lists two stints behind bars and law enforcement's tireless hunt of them on their resumés.
But everyone is not George Christie.
Ventura's famous and infamous Hells Angel proudly details his many run-ins with the law on the website promoting his new business, which chronicles his "35-year battle with federal, state, and local agencies" as well as his connections to the "volatile and dangerous street world."
Because if you find yourself on the wrong side of the law and are going to pull some hard time in prison, he thinks that he's the kind of guy you'd turn to for advice about life on the inside.
Christie, who has about as many tattoos as he has had criminal charges against him, has launched a business called Felony Prison Consultants. His business model is simple: Counsel people who are going to prison on the many challenges, threats and fears that await them. Christie says his experience will give people the tools they need to survive the violent and demanding world of prison so they can do their time, get out and become a productive member of society again.
"If someone is getting ready to go to prison, there are a lot of questions in their mind. They are wondering how they are going to accept this, what is the environment going to be like, what are the rules and regulations," said Christie, 64, at his home on Ventura Avenue. "I can provide answers to those people."
Such consulting firms are not new, but the people using them are becoming increasingly high-profile. Everyone from Mike Tyson and Martha Stewart to Bernard Madoff and Michael Vick has employed them. Many are white-collar criminals with the money to pay for the service but lacking the street-sense that is needed in prison.
Charles Carbone, a San Francisco-based attorney who specializes in prisoner rights in California, said such services have become more prevalent in recent years but wonders how helpful they ultimately are.
"There is a psychological value to it," he said. "Some of what they are doing is stopping the hyperventilating and putting the person at ease because going to prison, especially the first time, is a horrendous experience."
But beyond giving a future inmate peace of mind, Carbone says much of what prison consultants offer in the way of how to act in prison without getting beaten up or taken advantage of can be learned in the first few weeks.
For a 31-year-old from Los Angeles, Christie's advice was invaluable. The man, who would only speak on the condition of anonymity, was sentenced to six months in Chino's state prison for assault with a deadly weapon after he got in a drunken argument and smashed a beer glass on a man's face.
He said he's never been in trouble before and didn't know anyone who had been to prison, so was worried about what to expect on the inside. He heard of Christie and hired him to counsel him on the journey through the penal system.
"My friends were making cracks about not dropping the soap and I would laugh it off, but I do have concerns about those kind of things going on," he said. "My lawyer did tell me a little bit what it was going to be like in there, but I don't think he knew because he'd never been there himself."
He said Christie has given him peace of mind on how to conduct himself, as well as advised him on how to avoid spending more time in prison than required.
"He's getting me ready for what I'll have to deal with when I'm in there," he said. "He provides a pretty good service."
Christie said he's had about two clients a month since he started the business a year ago. He charges anywhere between $500 and $2,500 for his services, depending on his clients' ability to pay. Christie, who used to be the head of the Ventura Hells Angels chapter, said he offers his services to fellow members for free. His consulting work is completely independent from the workings of the club, he said.
The idea came to him after a bail bondsman friend asked Christie to talk to a friend who was worried as he got ready to go to prison. Since then he's mainly been working with white-collar criminals to prepare them for incarceration
Christie will sit down with the client and go over their concerns about prison and guide them through the ordeal so they can get home and back to a normal life.
"Let the people who run the prison, run the prison," he said — and he was not referring to the guards. "You do your time and go home."
There are all sorts of rules that need to be paid attention to on the inside, he said. Don't stare at people too long. Don't borrow anything. Don't act too tough — or too weak. He'll go over all that as well as how to deal with race, the shower room and sexual predators.
Christie spent about two years behind bars. In 1986, he spent a year in federal prison on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and murder for hire, for which he was eventually acquitted. In 2001 he spent a year in jail after a massive bust involving the local Hells Angels selling prescription drugs. Christie pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess a prescription drug for sale. In 2008 he pleaded guilty to possession of less than two grams of cocaine and methamphetamine and being under the influence of a controlled substance, for which he got eight months probation.
Ventura Assistant Police Chief Quinn Fenwick called the Hells Angels "a street crime terrorist group" with a long history of illegal activity .
"I think George is trying to make a buck and the value is determined by his clients," he said. "My advice to people would be to do whatever you can to stay out of jail so you don't need to hire him."
Christie said he's not involved in any criminal activity these days. Indeed, his house, which has a living room plastered with photos, plaques and memorabilia from his long affiliation with the Hells Angels, is a study in contrasts.
He has the torch he carried from the 1984 Olympics mounted beside a wall of knives and bourbon bottles. A large photograph of an Indian mystic who teaches world peace sits near the fireplace where there are framed flags of the Hells Angels.
Christie wears all black, but his top is an expensive Patagonia fleece.
He knows that many people won't see beyond his Hells Angels vest and his checkered past and they may say he's just capitalizing on his run-ins with the law. And that's just fine with him.
"To all my detractors and skeptics, I would say if you find yourself in a precarious situation like this, feel free to call me," he said. "I'll come help you."
Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/apr/01/george-christie-hells-angel-prison-consultant/#ixzz1INtkfuqT
