# Man in Wheelchair Sentenced to Life In Prison for Pot Smuggling



## I'ma Joker Midnight Toker (Feb 20, 2008)

Man, this is sad...life...

[SIZE=+2]*Man in Wheelchair Sentenced to Life In Prison for Pot Smuggling*[/SIZE] 
by Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News (12 Feb, 2008) _The US War On Drugs has reached a feverishly insane level with this sentence of life in prison_







Maine, USA - An Aroostook County man convicted on more than a dozen charges including drug smuggling, money laundering and Social Security fraud was sentenced Tuesday, January 22nd, to life in federal prison. Michael Pelletier, 56, of St. David also was ordered to repay the nearly $84,000 in Social Security payments he had received over a 30-year period and to forfeit the more than $4.8 million he earned from trafficking in marijuana. 

He also was ordered to forfeit three residential pieces of property, two cars, a tractor and more than $20,000 in cash. Pelletier collected between $400 and $500 a month in disability payments because he has been confined to a wheelchair since he was injured in an accident at age 11. "It is striking that you ran a sophisticated drug operation from your wheelchair," U.S. District Judge John Woodcock said Tuesday. "That makes the court wonder what you could have done if you had turned to legitimate endeavors."

Pelletier showed no emotion as he was sentenced and did not address the court. It was his previous convictions in state court on drug trafficking charges and the amount of marijuana he distributed that earned Pelletier a life sentence. He was convicted in 2000 and 2001 in Aroostook County Superior Court on felony drug charges. Once the federal jury convicted him of conspiracy to possess marijuana with the intent to distribute more than a ton of marijuana, the mandatory life sentence took effect. "It is not easy for any judge to impose a sentence of life," Woodcock told Pelletier. "It is a somber, grave and tragic judicial duty. I do so today because it is my duty to do so." The Pelletier case appears to be the first time Woodcock has handed down a life sentence since he was appointed to the federal bench in 2003.

"The government truly does appreciate the gravity of the moment that is upon us," Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Casey said in supporting the imposition of a life sentence. "The government takes no pleasure in sending a man to prison for life." Pelletier, according to Casey, worked with members of the Canadian Hells Angels to bring marijuana across the border and distribute it throughout the state. He also recruited others into the drug trafficking ring, the prosecutor said. Casey, however, saved his harshest criticism for Pelletier's collection of Social Security while he made millions of dollars selling drugs. "The audacity of his asking the federal government for help while selling hundreds of pounds of marijuana," the prosecutor said. "He bilked the system and took money away from people who really needed it." Casey said after the hearing that it was unlikely that Pelletier would be able to pay the restitution or the $4.8 million forfeiture. The money made from the sale of his properties and vehicles will go to support law enforcement efforts to curb drug trafficking, he said.

Pelletier's attorney, Matthew Erickson of Brewer, said the conviction and sentence would be appealed to the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston. Erickson told the judge that his client suffers from "serious health problems that probably make a life sentence academic." The attorney said that the drug smuggling operation was "not very sophisticated."

Pelletier was convicted in July after a weeklong jury trial in U.S. District Court in Bangor. The jury of four men and eight women deliberated about 5½ hours on the criminal charges and the forfeiture order before announcing its verdict. His former girlfriend, Kendra Cyr, 44, of Madawaska, and Adam Hafford, 37 of Westfield, who was one of two men who swam the St. John River with more than 60 pounds of marijuana in duffel bags on his back, testified against Pelletier. Both were granted immunity from prosecution on drug charges. Hafford is serving a 10-year federal sentence on a gun charge. Pelletier was indicted in 2006 along with five others in connection with the drug smuggling ring. PelletierÕs co-defendants are:

- Michael Easler, 28, of St. David, indicted for drug conspiracy, money laundering, bulk cash smuggling.
- Ben Dionne, 27, of St. David, indicted for drug conspiracy.
- John "Scooch" or "Scoochy" Pascuccui, 50, of Gorham, indicted for drug conspiracy.
- Anthony Caparotta, 42, of Caribou, indicted for drug conspiracy.
- Raymond "Rocky" Fogg, 54, of Winn, indicted for drug conspiracy and Social Security fraud.

Dionne, Pascuccui, Caparotta and Fogg are scheduled to be tried jointly in April in federal court in Bangor. Easler was sentenced in August to 12 years and one month in federal prison after pleading guilty to the charges. Archie Ladner, 42, of Easton, who was indicted separately, was found not guilty on drug charges last year by a federal jury. Ladner was accused of being HaffordÕs driver.

_- Article from the January 23rd edition of the Bangor Daily News_





*OPED: It's Time To Legalize Marijuana *

By Bob St. Peter
Bangor Daily News
12 Feb 2008

While reading the Bangor Daily News' Jan. 23 front page story "Smuggler given life sentence," I tried to think of all the people I have met who have used marijuana. I couldn't; there are too many. So instead I found myself trying to understand the rationale for condemning a man to life in prison for selling a plant, but I couldn't do that, either. 

According to a 1998 report by the Maine Task Force on Drug Abuse, approximately 95,000 Maine adults routinely use marijuana. The report also estimated that 65 percent of adults ages 26 to 34 and 55 percent ages 35 to 50 report using marijuana at least once in their lifetime. By now the 26- to 34-year-olds are in the 35 to 50 age group, likely increasing the overall percentage of people in Maine who have used marijuana, assuming the rate of marijuana users has stayed constant over the last 10 years. 

What do these statistics tell us, other than what we already know ( people in Maine smoke pot )? Well, for starters, they tell us that there is a pretty good chance that you or someone in your household has used marijuana. I count myself in both categories. You? 

For many Mainers, selling marijuana puts food on the table and pays heating bills when work is scarce. It fixes the car and pays for school and health care. Marijuana is Maine's No. 1 cash crop for a reason -- it provides small-scale, eco-friendly economic development at its most grass-roots, and most successful. 

There are reasons marijuana is Maine's ( illegal ) drug of choice, but if the user is a consenting adult and doesn't drive, operate heavy machinery, or risk the health or welfare of others while intoxicated, is it any of our business? 

During Michael Pelletier's sentencing, U.S. District Judge John Woodcock said, "It is striking that you ran a sophisticated drug operation from your wheelchair. That makes the court wonder what you could have done if you turned to legitimate endeavors." Like perhaps selling beer, tobacco or pharmaceuticals? Even though alcohol, cigarettes and doctor's prescriptions kill more people each year and count more addicts than marijuana, success in those fields yield six- and seven-figure salaries, tailored suits and expense accounts. Michael Pelletier gets life in prison. Where is the sense in this? 

It is one thing to personally object to the use of marijuana; it is another thing altogether to imprison people for growing, using or even selling it. Hundreds of thousands of Mainers have used this plant, yet the fear of persecution and social stigmatization based on stereotypes and caricatures keeps us from speaking out. It is our collective silence that keeps Michael Pelletier and other nonviolent marijuana offenders in jail. 

It is time to take the SWAT teams and threats of prison off the table and have an open, honest dialogue about marijuana in Maine. Through this process, I am confident that we will discover our compassion, realize our humanity and, in the end, assert our common sense. Then we can set about the work of reforming Maine's laws to reflect marijuana's contribution to our economy and its legitimate role in our culture. It is time to end marijuana prohibition in Maine. 



Link:
http://cannabisculture.com/articles/5162.html


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## THE BROTHER'S GRUNT (Feb 20, 2008)

*Holy crap mang. Life in prison and in a wheelchair.   I'm in a wheelchair and there would be know way i could do life. Might as well kill my butt.  *


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## lowrydergrower775 (Feb 20, 2008)

yea thats crazy a life sentence soooo harsh on him


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## Dubbaman (Feb 20, 2008)

Whew i read the title on that and my first thought was OH HELL NO NOT TBG, good to know your still around bro.


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## Pot Belly (Feb 20, 2008)

THE BROTHER'S GRUNT said:
			
		

> *Holy crap mang. Life in prison and in a wheelchair.  I'm in a wheelchair and there would be know way i could do life. Might as well kill my butt.  *


 
Don't worry TBG, we wouldn't let that happen to you.  You guys are the best there is here at MP!

Wouldn't know what to do without you guys.  Might as well kill _my_ butt.


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## HippyInEngland (Feb 20, 2008)

The man made almost 5 million and your being sypathetic? lmao
Play with fire and you will get burnt eventually.
If a murderer only has 1 arm and no legs, he is still a murderer.


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## Pot Belly (Feb 20, 2008)

The criminal element in moving large amounts of weed like this across the border can't be ignored.  Who knows how many innocent people this type of operation might have, or could have affected.  When it's only $ that matter, the things that really matter are trampled on.  

I wish this kind of activity would stop.  It continuously makes us look bad - and is brought to you today by the folks who refuse to differentiate the responsible medicinal grower/user from the criminal who only cares about himself.

Remove the monetary value of MJ, and you've stopped the criminal element and activity.


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## GuerillaGrower420 (Feb 20, 2008)

HippyInEngland said:
			
		

> The man made almost 5 million and your being sypathetic? lmao
> Play with fire and you will get burnt eventually.
> If a murderer only has 1 arm and no legs, he is still a murderer.


I was seriously glad I wasn't the only one with this view. Life sentence? Maybe a little harsh, but c'mon now SS fruad on top of a MJ operation?


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## Kupunakane (Feb 20, 2008)

To lose the freedom that one has is a tragedy,
  To take the social security when your already wealthy is sad, and pathetic.
I fought for almost three years to get my disability. I am waiting for a liver transplant, I'm diabetic, and have a bad heart that requires me to take a chemical pacemaker, and still I had to battle for what I had paid into all the years that I worked my butt off. I get back maybe a quarter on every dollar I paid in. I doubt that I will ever reach the break even point. I am a MMJ user, and keep it small, and private. No one is hurt, no one makes a profit, and I get a little relief. Better than the mind screwing drugs the doctors write a prescip for. Oh, did I mention that I happen to be allergic to pain medicine, except the real serious narcotics like moriphine that makes me puke my guts out.
  If this fellow had taken care of his needs, and maybe even helped a couple other vets only, then he would never be paying that price.
  Since he had that kind of coin, he could have moved to where he would not have been breaking any laws, and still done well for himself.
 I hurt for him that he lost his freedom, but as was said in the above posts, He didn't have to go down that path, and the rest of us will now pay.
smoke in peace
KingKahuuna


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## Mutt (Feb 20, 2008)

Man when I read the title I thought "there has to be more to this". I read it and was hoping for the replies that you all made. It wasn't just for pot smuggling. I mean come on. 500-600 a month + millions of bucks. Come on. Money Laundering, SS Fraud, Smuggling. It was all greed based. I have no sympathy for the man. So many people are struggling and need SS to survive. This guy is what I consider a low life. Greed at any cost. I think life is harsh, but hell its his 3rd strike. He shoulda collected his SS grow for own personal use and just lived. But NOOO had to be greedy at others expense. :hitchair: 
WE ALL pay or have paid into SS. Its supposed to be there for people who NEED IT.


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## trillions of atoms (Feb 20, 2008)

man, im happy with one 400w light... who is really gunna smoke a ton of weed? no one unless their dist. it- he shouldnt have been so greedy for the money honestly.


he will get out in 10, 12- for good behaviour


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## THE BROTHER'S GRUNT (Feb 20, 2008)

*That's one thing will never have to worry about D. We don't smuggle and we don't sell. We just smoke.  *


			
				Dubbaman said:
			
		

> Whew i read the title on that and my first thought was OH HELL NO NOT TBG, good to know your still around bro.


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## I'ma Joker Midnight Toker (Feb 20, 2008)

Man in Wheelchair Sentenced to Life In Prison for Pot Smuggling
by Judy Harrison, Bangor Daily News (12 Feb, 2008) *The US War On Drugs has reached a feverishly insane level with this sentence of life in prison**
*
The title says it all to me...



Hi All, I'll add my 2 cents...This guy may be greedy but I also see that maybe he kept the SS as a front, so I understand his thinking to show he had some money... though yes it is wrong. He should do time as he broke the law...but life for a plant and cash? ...No. Murderers and manslaughter criminals get less time. A child perp or rapist do less, sorry but getting a life sentence is way out of line as far as I'm concerned.
 I also don't feel he hurts our cause, he is not us. Some may try to use this against us but it may even help, the squeaky hinge gets the oil. This is the type of activity that would disappear if MJ was legal and is used by many activists saying how the war on drugs doesn't work... 
By the way in Maine he's not able to get medical marijuana as he doesn't fit the criteria.
People that own guns are not put into the category of murderers or bank robbers just cause they have guns. It's the same for pot. We have a different fight for medical use, but let's not hide behind that, there is a fight also just to make MJ legal... as it should be. 
We are not responsible for the irresponsible so this guy will get more than his due, I feel...we forget about Enron, big companies, scam artists that have screwed people out of their life's savings and destroyed them and get 5, 10, maybe 20 years at most, some probation. Sht, OJ got off scott free!!! John  DeLorean (the car guy) got off after selling tons of coke because he proved entrapment. The law system is not just. If this was any celebrity figure he'd get 5 years and 4 dismissed, but he's a guy in hick Maine and he gets life. This guy hurt nobody but the government, which is us...but I'd like to know how many Americans cheat on taxes, etc. too. He got $6000 a year from the gov, I don't think he bankrupted us, many write off tens of thousands in taxes with a swipe of the pen, do they get life for tax fraud?.
 I think this is wrong and wish him luck in appeals court. And one more thing with medical users, you're still breaking federal law that supersedes state law as I am...so none of us are above the law on the MJ issue, smoke a fat one in front of the FBI holding your medical card... 

PS All statements IMHO...


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## HippyInEngland (Feb 20, 2008)

4.8m is all im saying, you know what greed that takes to make so much.


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## akirahz (Feb 20, 2008)

Its unfortunate he couldn't just use a 400w-600w son agro and grew 8oz worth or more, sold half of it for survival money, and just smoke the other half every harvest.. then he'd be supplying good cannabis, it'd be small, no one would be in danger that way but yeah.. you'd have to not be greedy to be content with it. a QP of medicinal grade cannabis goes for about 1,600 around here .. i could survive on that by myself in a small place pretty easily.. if i needed a few hundred more for extra food or something.. just sell a little more. -- anyway thats how I would do it if i was a distributor.. which im NOT. -- if law enforcement came across my grow they'd probably laugh themselves silly.


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## Dubbaman (Feb 20, 2008)

THE BROTHER'S GRUNT said:
			
		

> *That's one thing will never have to worry about D. We don't smuggle and we don't sell. We just smoke.  *


 
As its intended man. I read the article and was like no way thats him, but the title of the thread had me like  :shocked: but all is :cool2: now man :rofl: im so burnt today.


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## LowRider (Feb 21, 2008)

i hate our US laws, there so stupid.  this is case in point right here.  Sentenced to life in prison over herb.  We need to vote younger people to Senate and fast.  These old retards are nothing but stupid greedy bastards.  I mean if the guy had committed rape by all means life, murder by all means, give them the chair but for having herb this is stupid on all levels.  Its just so frustrating living in this country.  And the sad part is its getting worse and worse as we go.  Obama don't like, he flips flops so much, Clinton, she a freaking socialist, McCain is just a pawn like bush was.  wake me from this dream......

the three strike law is dumb, i mean sending people to jail for life over petty crimes is not what this law was supposed to be about.  I'm sure like all other normal people we thought it would help with VIOLENT CRIME not petty crime, just **.  

sorry about the rant


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