Four people charged with marijuana crimes by Republican former Attorney General Bill Schuette will have their charges dismissed by Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel.
“Weak cases and changing laws” were cited as some of the reasons for the dismissals in two of the three marijuana cases pending in Nessel’s criminal division, according to a statement from her office. Those who had their charges dismissed were not “major players” in the cases or lacked sufficient evidence to prove their involvement, her office said.
Even remaining defendants in the three cases may be offered pleas to reduced charges so that Nessel’s office can focus on “truly bad actors,” Nessel said in a statement.
“Juries don’t want to convict people on charges concerning something that is now legal,” she said.
Nessel was a vocal advocate for marijuana legalization while on the campaign trail and received support from the cannabis community. After the November voter-approved legalization of marijuana, Nessel encouraged county prosecutors to stop pursuing misdemeanor possession cases.
After the election, then Gov.-elect Gretchen Whitmer said she would pursue executive action or legislation to free inmates and expunge criminal records for those convicted of marijuana crimes.
Among the charges dismissed were those against Mark and Terra Sochacki and Amanda Amsdill related to dispensaries James and Debra Amsdill ran in 2011 in St. Clair, Tuscola and Sanilac counties. The Sochackis were employees of the Amsdills.
The Sochackis had been charged with felony deliver/manufacture of marijuana, while Amanda Amsdill had been charged with conducting a criminal enterprise.
The charges against James and Debra Amsdill were not dismissed, but could be reduced in the future.
After eight years, two circuit court dismissals and two Court of Appeals dismissals, Amanda Amsdill was happy to hear charges against her were dropped but disappointed her parents weren’t also cleared, Amsdill’s lawyer Paul Tylenda said.
“This is certainly a step in the right direction for Michigan and for the Attorney General’s office in Michigan,” Tylenda said. “I don’t think there was any dispute that the previous attorney general loved to overcharge marijuana issues.”
The Sochackis also were relieved by the decision, but are in some ways “broken” by the long legal process, said the couple’s lawyer Michael Komorn.
“Its been devastating to them,” Komorn said. “They’ve gone through a lot.”
Mark Sochacki currently is serving a prison sentence for 2017 assault and robbery charges in St. Clair County, according to online Michigan Department of Corrections records.
Noelle Lathers, who had been charged with delivery/manufacture of marijuana, also had her charges dismissed from circuit courts in Hillsdale and Jackson counties.
Defendants in a third case involving charges in circuit courts in Genesee and Livingston counties may be offered a plea deal to reduced charges.
Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol-Proposition 1
The Coalition To Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Michigan released several promotional videos for Marijuana Legalization Michigan Proposition 1 featuring retired Michigan State Trooper Ted Nelson, retired Police Officer and Komorn Law office investigator Steve Miller, Amanda Joslin, Charmie Ghoulson, Josh, Matthew Roman as well some news reports.
Take a look...
“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. Use both those rights and Contact Komorn Law Immediately to secure your rights 800-656-3557.
Komorn Law has represented numerous clients through the legal chaos of starting up a business in the Michigan Medical Marihuana Industry.
If you or someone you know is facing charges as a result of Medical Marijuana, DUI, Drugs, Forfeiture, Criminal Enterprise, etc. Please contact our office and ensure you’re defended by an experienced lawyer in the evolving laws.
Lead attorney Michael Komorn is recognized as an expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group which advocates for the rights of medical marijuana patients and their caregivers.
Contact us for a free no-obligation case evaluation 800-656-3557.
Laws change – so please consult an attorney before taking any legal action or doing anything you may have the slightest feeling is illegal when it comes to marijuana / cannabis personal or commercial use.
In case you have been sleeping under a rock for the last few years or have had kids and only watch cartoons… it has happened. Canada Officially Legalized Recreational Cannabis at midnight on October 17, 2018.
Historical Quotes
“A date which will live in infamy”…”This is one for the history books”…”We spend a great deal of time studying history, which, let’s face it, is mostly the history of stupidity.”
What will be the famous quote for this Canadian historical event…”It’s about time..eh!!”.
Congrats Canadians
You have now became the largest country in the world with a national legal marijuana marketplace.
BONUS – Hours before a federal official told The Associated Press that Canada will pardon all those with convictions for possessing up to 30 grams of marijuana, the now-legal threshold. That’s just about an ounce…but it’s a start.
Enjoy it. The US is not going to let you have all the glory or revenue for too long.
Anyhow…….
Different Ways
The war on this “drug” has ruined so many lives, several generations and derailed the potential future of so many people that could contribute to the creation of so many good things…in so many different ways.
The next step is clearing the “criminal records” of those who were railroaded, imprisoned or bullied into pleading by prosecutors and law enforcement who are allowed to use every trick in the book (they wrote). It’s time to bring those to light…in so many different ways.
Have you been charged with a crime? Remain Silent and Contact Komorn Law Immediately to protect your rights and freedom 800-656-3557.
The step after that is compensating for the lost time, the money, the life savings and potential that were taken away in the process of defending ones self or the time spent in prison. There is no price for lost time which can not be returned. There is no dollar amount that can be accurately calculated. For every one dollar should be estimated as losing twenty…in so many different ways
Under A Different Light
As the process of legalization creeps it’s way through the USA let us not become sheep. Let us move forward, work harder and create.
Of course the human factors such a power, greed and corruption will still play a part in the legalization process and business part but it will be under a different light.
Of course it will take generations of law enforcement to get the concept of recreational cannabis. They will still find away to make money and destroy lives but it will be under a different light.
Of course the Government will tax it, figure out how to control it and continue to cause conflicts about it so they can keep spending our money and keeping their jobs. That’s human nature… but now it will be under a different light.
Of course there will those who will oppose it and those who want more of it. As long as we don’t pound each other into submission that’s how compromise and progress happens. With cannabis being legal the battle will now be (yes I am going to say it just to mess with the robots)… under a different light.
Let these historical moments be one of the good victories for the people who were victimized by the system.
Komorn Law has represented numerous clients through the legal chaos of starting up a business in the Michigan Medical Marihuana Industry. If you or someone you know is facing charges as a result of Medical Marijuana, DUI, Drugs, Forfeiture, Criminal Enterprise, or any other charges please contact our office and ensure you’re defended by an experienced lawyer. Attorney Michael Komorn is recognized as an expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act and is the President of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group which advocates for the rights of medical marijuana patients and their caregivers.
Contact us for a free no-obligation case evaluation 800-656-3557.
Michigan Marijuana Legalization Commercial…feat Steve Miller
The Coalition To Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Michigan released a commercial for Marijuana legalization featuring retired Michigan State Trooper Ted Nelson and Komorn Law staff member Steve Miller.
Komorn Law has represented numerous clients through the legal chaos of starting up a business in the Michigan Medical Marihuana Industry as well as consulting and legal representation for Medical Maruhuana Patients and Caregivers.
If you or someone you know has been arrested as a result of Medical Marijuana, DUI, Drugs, Forfeiture, Criminal Enterprise or any other criminal charges please contact our office and ensure you’re defended by an experienced lawyer.
Attorney Michael Komorn is recognized as an expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act. He is the President of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group which advocates for the rights of medical marijuana patients and their caregivers.
Contact us for a free no-obligation case evaluation 800-656-3557.
This page is for informational purposes only. Laws, regulations and the world change routinely, therefore we insist you consult an attorney for the most current legal information.
Holy Moly Donut Shop laundered drug cash, feds say
Detroit — The Holy Moly Donut Shop lured cops, but for all the wrong reasons.
The popular shop, where people can customize doughnuts with candy toppings, was a front for a multi-state marijuana ring, which laundered drug money through the doughnut shop, a sham marijuana dispensary next door and a business that fills ATM machines with cash, according to federal prosecutors.
The unusual drug investigation emerged Friday when Holy Moly owner Victor Attisha and two others were indicted in federal court on drug conspiracy, money laundering and other charges.
Court records and interviews chronicle more than $700,000 seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and reveal a colorful criminal investigation that illustrates the potential for criminality as Detroit’s nascent medical marijuana ordinance takes effect with 75 licensed pot shops across the city.
The indictment was filed one month before Michigan voters will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana.
“I’d say of all the gin joints to walk into, if they walked into this one, there must be a reason,” said attorney Michael Komorn, president of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association. “More information needs to come out but people should be concerned because if you’re not operating under the rules, this is the kind of thing that can happen.”
A lawyer for Attisha and a DEA spokeswoman declined comment Friday.
Have you been charged with a crime? Remain Silent and Contact Komorn Law Immediately to protect your rights and freedom 800-656-3557.
Attisha, 40, of Sterling Heights was charged alongside business partners Junior Asmar, 45, of Sterling Heights, and James Shammas, 38, of Shelby Township.
The drug conspiracy started in 2016 when the three men devised a scheme to make and distribute hundreds of pounds of marijuana under the guise of operating a marijuana dispensary that purportedly would comply with state drug laws, prosecutors said.
That sham dispensary was Unified Collective, next door to Holy Moly Donut Shop on Eight Mile, prosecutors said.
The trio had various roles manufacturing, possessing and distributing the marijuana and laundering the drug money, according to the indictment.
The marijuana was grown and cultivated in commercial and residential locations across Metro Detroit and sold throughout the region.
The men also bought hundreds of pounds of marijuana worth more than $1 million from suppliers in California and other locations to sell in Metro Detroit, according to the government.
The drug ring’s operations included operations in Farmington Hills, Roseville, Shelby Township and Asmar’s bedroom, the doughnut shop and Unified Collective, prosecutors said.
The 24-hour doughnut chain has multiple locations in Detroit: on Eight Mile east of Woodward and on Seven Mile.
Government documents obtained by The News indicate investigators seized more than $39,000 from Holy Moly and Unified Collective on Feb. 14. The rest of the money was seized from a home in Bloomfield Hills, a Hazel Park business and banks.
The doughnut shop and dispensary were used to conceal drug proceeds and hide the source of the income, prosecutors said.
So were ATM businesses, according to the indictment.
Asmar, an employee of A&S ATM on the 24000 block of John R. Road in Hazel Park, periodically filled the machines with cash, including illegal marijuana proceeds, prosecutors said. Attisha is the company’s resident agent.
From April 2016 to September 2017, more than $2.3 million was deposited into the ATM company’s bank account. A nearly equal amount was withdrawn, prosecutors said
The bank account was controlled by Asmar and Attisha, according to the government. Shammas, meanwhile, listed his profession as “ATM Consulting.”
Asmar and Shammas could not be reached for comment Friday.
The men used other people to conceal the true identities of certain real estate and bank accounts, prosecutors said.
The real estate included commercial marijuana operations on Research Drive in Farmington Hills and in Oak Park. And a safety deposit box that held $197,140 was registered under the name of a Shammas relative.
Attisha, the doughnut shop merchant, has a criminal record.
In November 2000, police officers in suburban San Diego, Calif., raided the home of a suspected drug dealer and seized cocaine, and a loaded pistol. Investigators learned that the pistol was among 54 firearms stolen during a smash-and-grab robbery of a gun shop.
The suspected drug dealer cooperated with federal investigators and led them to the person who sold him the stolen firearm.
The suspected drug leader said Attisha sold one weapon at his workplace, a San Diego fish market, where agents seized an illegal rifle, ammunition and “approximately one-half pound of high-grade marijuana,” according to federal court records.
Attisha was indicted in March 2001 on marijuana and weapons charges, convicted of one gun crime and sentenced to 27 months in a federal boot camp.
Komorn Law has represented numerous clients through the legal chaos of starting up a business in the Michigan Medical Marihuana Industry. If you or someone you know is facing charges as a result of Medical Marijuana, DUI, Drugs, Forfeiture, Criminal Enterprise, or any other charges please contact our office and ensure you’re defended by an experienced lawyer. Attorney Michael Komorn is recognized as an expert on the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act and is the President of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association (MMMA), a nonprofit patient advocacy group which advocates for the rights of medical marijuana patients and their caregivers.
Contact us for a free no-obligation case evaluation 800-656-3557.
