Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/07/2013 10:23:43 AM PST
Updated: 01/07/2013 06:40:13 PM PST
LOS ANGELES – A former medical marijuana dispensary owner on Monday was sentenced to 10 years in prison for operating three facilities in the Inland Empire.
Aaron Sandusky, one of only a handful of defendants to fight U.S. prosecutors, was convicted in October on federal charges of distributing marijuana.
Sandusky faced as much as life in prison, but U.S. District Court Judge Percy Anderson gave him the minimum sentence possible under federal guidelines.
“In this case, as the defendant was warned, the court’s hands are tied,” Anderson said. “Whether you agree with the defendant’s position or not.”
Sandusky was charged with conspiring to manufacture and possess marijuana with intent to distribute it, conspiring to operate a drug-involved premises and and one count of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute it.
His case is one of four in the United States where federal prosecutors filed charges against individuals associated with medical marijuana dispensaries in states where medical marijuana is legal. These cases have garnered national attention, in part, because marijuana advocates have criticized the federal government for disregarding state laws allowing the possession and sale of marijuana for medicinal use.
Sandusky, 42, of Rancho Cucamonga, previously worked in the mortgage industry before opening dispensaries in Upland, Colton and Moreno Valley.
In his sentencing memo, Anderson noted that Sandusky was running an illegal marijuana operation under cover of California’s medical marijuana laws.
Sandusky “used G3 as a means to replace the vast income he lost from the collapse of his real estate business,” Anderson wrote. “Defendant built a veneer of legitimacy around his criminal enterprise using his customers’ good-faith search for pain relief.
“There is absolutely no altruistic component to defendant’s continued and sustained criminality.”
California voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996, allowing medical marijuana in the state, while state Senate Bill 420, which details the amount of marijuana a person can possess for medical purposes, prevents cities and counties from banning marijuana dispensaries.
To read entire story, click here.
Come on… This is for MMJ, not weapons, METH, heroin, or terrorist actions.
It is one of California’s biggest travesty of Justice I have every seen in my life. I know Aaron and I closely followed this case since long before he was arrested. This case was a stacked deck by the DEA and those Local Officials including the corrupt Upland electeds (former mayor now convicted felon JP Pomierski, Ken Willis, Ray Musser, Tom Thomas, etc) from the get go. The Upland Officials tried to take pay offs to the DEA making this the example to America and Californians. Aaron followed state law and the MMJ Guidelines. But to no avail… the Federal Judge who headed this trial declined Aaron’s lawyers to present the information.
Think of it this way… This Countries Banks and all the Fraud that took the Cash and value right out of our accounts, pockets and 401K got bailed with no accountability but this Man is going away for ten years in Prison for following the State Law the Feds did not like..
It is a very sad Day today…….. for Aaron and Americans….
“I want to apologize to those with me and their families who have been victimized by the federal government who has not recognized the voters of this state,” Sandusky said in court.
What worm! Did Aaron APOLOGIZE for aiding our youth and our weak in getting the “LEGAL” drug to make them LAZY,IRRESPONSIBLE, UNCARING,
NUMBING THEIR MINDS TO TUNE OUT THEIR LIFE, THEIR OPPORTUNITIES, THEIR
STUDIES, THEIR RELIGION, THEIR COMMUNITIES, THEIR DUTIES AT WORK, THEIR
FUTURE, THEIR OWN WIFE OR HUSBAND AND KIDS?
“The sentencing was greeted with sobs from attendees.”
Really? Boohoo!
You mean the same kind of painful and helpless SOBS from the many parents who lost their children to drugs; either physically, spiritually, emotionally, or mentally…all because Aaron was driven by PROFITS to”legally” ruin lives.
“his case was a stacked deck by the DEA and those Local Officials including the corrupt Upland electeds”
10 YEARS? Apparently it was NOT STACKED ENOUGH!
Had I known the “Upland” officials were all over this, I would have contacted them and provided them with more, much more, testimony and evidence of Aaron’s infiltration into the community colleges by encouraging the students to sell to others, targeting our unsuspected youth to get them HOOKED, and distract them from their studies, and mess up their lives…all for a lousy buck!
“It is a very sad Day today…….. for Aaron and Americans….” WRONG!
THANK YOU TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE DEA…GOD BLESS AMERICA AND EACH ONE OF YOU!
#2- Your an idiot.
#2 You must be dreaming. You wrote, “Had I known the “Upland” officials were all over this, I would have contacted them and provided them with more, much more, testimony…”
The “Upland officials” were NEVER “all over this”. Upland electeds put the grip on G3 to the tune of 50k. Yes, it is true. The former mayor now felon convict Pomierski, councilmen Willis, Musser and Thomas all hand their hands out for the cash cow that Pomierski was milking.
#4
“Upland officials” or whatever you call those men, nonetheless…I wish I had paid closer attention to the on goings in Upland so I could have lent them a hand…I don’t care for those you mentioned, but their intentions in this issue was a welcome to many families!
@Repairman…
WHAT? WHAT DID I SAY?
THAT WAS YOUR DISPENSARY THAT WAS TAKEN AWAY…NOW YOU MUST USE MORE GAS TO GO ELSE WHERE?
#2…smells like paul chabot…..buy contrast,also in the news..the drug money that was washed by HSBC BANK,in the hundreds of billions USD….and the feds won’t even investigate known players,that lncluded a former cabinet member in a past administration…..so much for equal justice under the law
#2…..Did Aaron APOLOGIZE for aiding our youth and our weak in getting the “LEGAL” drug to make them LAZY,IRRESPONSIBLE, UNCARING,…….
I like your way of reasoning and find that Sandusky’s actions are similar to corrupt developers that use kickbacks in the guise of PAC donations to turn elected officials into LAZY,IRRESPONSIBLE,UNCARING public servants.
Red,
I always appreciate a good hardy laugh, but watch your humor, Kamala Harris and Melissa Mandel might be reading this blog and if they read your comment they might start to believe they actually have a case. They may even smack their foreheads and say, “Darn! Now why didn’t WE think of that before we submitted the Petition for Review!” .
Anon.#5 – Your an Idiot.
Anon #2 and #5- I agree with the rest. You are an idiot if you think we believe your retoric.
Repairman,
I suppose the earth’s tectonic plates have to buckle under your feet to convince you I am not an idiot. Fine, whatever, as you wish.
Besides, I thought your beef was with ACU, not me…I mean your “pork”.
Anon. #11
It would take much more than just the earth’s tectonic plates buckling under my feet to convince me that you are not an idiot.
As far as your comment about my beef with ACU , there is none.
Repairman,
Much more!?
Anon. #13- Much.
Repairman,
…well you haven’t been paying attention then, because MUCH more than a frivolous five second buckle under our feet has already happened in Riverside County. Apparently they did not learn from SBC’s mistakes, making them vulnerable as they opened their arms to SBC’s ills- Brulte and Boxer – and to top it off the foolish and blind RC BOS just might silently slip Harmon as head of RC’s Public Defender’s office, regardless of the fact that he would bring the same baggage and chaos Boxer created in SBC!
Riverside County has been visiting those marijuana dispensaries too much, creating a bunch of numb thumb sucking COWARDS, allowing all hell to break loose in Riverside County. Not only are the RC BOS cowards- Riverside City Hall has long ago waved the white flag and given up!
Anon. #15 -Your not an idiot, your F’en nuts.
Repairman…yes, true…I’ve gone mad-”F’en nuts” nails it!
I feel like an audience of one, helplessly pulling my hair out watching a bunch of COWARDS and FOOLS not only in San Bernardino County, but Riverside County as well, who will not rail against ANY storm; whether in their midst or yonder, or whether they have the means at hand or not!!
I’ve stopped laughing…it’s not funny anymore.
And that invisible indifference, weakness, cowardliness, obliviousness, unwillingness to act or put up a fight, or just plain stupidity and selfishness does MUCH MORE damage and HORRIFIES me more than any war, or single crime, with VISIBLE BLOODY VIOLENCE !
I could just pick up my marbles and go home, but it’s too late, I already scattered and lost half of them-if not all, as you stated.
But, unlike those that I complain about, I will not go away without a fight. What I do need though, is to go back to the drawing board, but first I’ll nurse my own wounds, after all I’m only human-I think- lol.
Maybe instead of “the earth’s tectonic plates buckling under our feet we need something more IN OUR FACE to snap us out of it and get our damn attention TO ACT-NOW!
Anon.#17
Have you ever thought the reason your preaching to an audience of one, is because your just plain, terribly wrong.
Anon # 17- We get that you are passionate about your beliefs. Just not into having someone tell me what I have to do. Or what I am allowed to do with my life and that of my Family. You are not qualified to tell me what is best for my Family. Good luck converting all the brainless sheep who let others tell them what right and wrong is.
Anon. #17 seems to live a vary fearful life.
#19-whatzupwithdat,
I NEVER “told” you what to do, you are “allowed” to do as you wish, foolish or not-
YOU, as is everyone else, are free to do as you wish, go ahead, just ignore me … and being I offend you so, I strongly suggest you stick with iepolitic, it caters to the likes of your mentality.
Repairman,
Yeap, I’m “afraid” I’m in too deep!
Anon. #21
It would be easy for you to get out and see the light if you would just reach down , reach way in, grab both of your ears and pull .
Paul r u up to your drug war Nazi rhetoric again?
You’re supposedly all about families, right, then teach your kids about drugs, instead of perpetuating fear in people that don’t understand the medicinal benefits of MMJ as a scare tactic.
What do they say about people that do the same thing over and over again, without any success? Thing is, the drug war has been turned into BIG BUSINESS for our PUBLIC SAFETY, when it is really only benefitting law enforcement’s fight against a lost cause, at an extraordinarily-large expense to the taxpaying public. Educate, don’t incarcerate! And talking about taking advantage of GOVERNMENT STEPPING ALL OVER ITSELF, isn’t this kind of the same thing as illegal immigration, where the FEDS CAN’T GET THERE SHIT TOGETHER so local law enforcement performs selective enforcement and prosecution of the law(s)?
Obviously your parent’s scare tactics didn’t work on you, so why not BREAK THE CYCLE NOW and start teaching your kids what’s right and what’s wrong, instead of advocating taking medicine away from the sick and unfortunate, and the unfair punishment of those caught in the crossfire.
Repairman,
Sorry, I don’t get it? You are talking over my head or my brain is fried! Say it again, more clearly.
Anon. #24- O.K. I’ll make this simple, pull your head out of your butt.
Repairman,
I know you didn’t mean that, it must have been a slip of the tongue, don’t slide back to your old ways I ran out of soap for your mouth.
BTW, which was it, did I miss the luau pig roast peace offering between you and ACU or was I just not invited for some reason?
Anon. #26
I’m not sure what your obsession with ACU is (if you’d like, I’d love to venture some guess’s) but that’s not the conversation were having.
We were talking about what an idiot you are and how I personally think your F’en nut’s . In comment #17 you confirm that fact. Now let’s try to keep to the subject.
Repairman,
Haha, no more “obsessed” than with you, Red, etc., or even the bad boy LSW.
Anon Paul has special privilege to dump on ACU, he is a former-SBSD deputy too!
Oops, there went your credibility… so it’s all about taking advantage of a bad situation in this here WELFARE STATE (and under one Obamanation).
You’re right Paul, selective law enforcement rules, how else do you corner the market on PUBLIC SAFETY?
What Anon paul means by selective law enforcement is when he makes false allegations to have someone he considers enemy, arrested and thrown in jail.