Today is Monday, November 6, 2023. I have about two months to go before I surrender to federal prison. I never thought I would be going to federal prison. I grew up in India working really hard with the goal of changing my life and my family’s. I got into a prestigious university in India, earned my bachelor’s degree, and came to the United States to continue my education at UC Berkeley, another great university. I started to build my career and found my way to the pinnacle of investment banking at Goldman Sachs. And while I was at Goldman, I was around some of the smartest people I’ve ever known. I learned a great deal, and I’m insanely disappointed in myself for having lost that opportunity. I didn’t even know what I was getting into. But at the end of the day, upon further reflection, I can see what I couldn’t see a year ago. I think there’s an evolutionary process to understanding our role in society. I’ve gone through so many experiences that I never anticipated: going to trial, getting arrested, dealing with defense attorneys, listening to what the prosecutor said about me, listening to what people I consider to be close to me said about me. And now I find myself on the way to serving a 36-month sentence. I had to just reflect. And as I started to unpack all the decisions that I made, finally I could see- I did something deeply wrong. As someone with my educational background, I should have known better sooner. I deeply regret that I did not. When a jury convicted me of insider trading, that conviction shows that a jury of my peers believed I broke the law. And upon reflection, I admit that I broke the law. I know that as a practitioner in financial markets, we have to create trust in the public markets. By breaking the law, I damaged that trust, and I’m deeply remorseful. I’ve been thinking during these times of how I am going to find a way to reconcile with humanity and my fellow man. I know that I would be deported after serving my sentence, which impacts my family in the US. But I’m going to spend time thinking about what I can do right now. I’m thinking about teaching and running an education institute in India. My goal is to read extensively and workout every day. I’m working towards that end with hopes that at some point people will see me not for the crime that I committed, but rather, how I responded to that crime. And so I’m writing this open letter to track my progress and memorialize what I am doing. I hope that people will see me for the person that I am and not for what’s said in the government’s case alone. I’m a man that’s flawed, but someone who is working to become better. And I hope that you’ll watch my journal and watch how I grow.
