# Sentenced To Life In Prison For Selling Marijuana



## 7greeneyes (Jan 13, 2014)

url: h*MP*p://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/13/marijuana-lifers_n_4578030.html




Even as pot shops rake in millions in Colorado, and the possibility grows of the drug becoming legal in as many as a dozen other states, a handful of Americans are serving life sentences for selling marijuana.

At least 25 people have been condemned to live out their days behind bars because they were involved in the marijuana trade, according to The Human Solution, a pot advocacy group. Some played relatively small roles in larger distribution rings and got life sentences in part because they refused to plead guilty and testify against associates. Others held positions of power in major trafficking organizations.

James Romans, a divorced 42-year-old father of three from Indiana, says he belongs in the former category. But last year, a federal judge ruled differently, sentencing him to life based on evidence suggesting that he helped run a multimillion dollar operation.

Whatever his role, the case raises questions about the fairness of punishing marijuana offenders with the criminal justice systems harshest penalty short of death.

It doesnt seem to me in this day and age, when states are debating whether marijuana should be legal, that people who traffic in it should be spending their lives behind bars, said David Zlotnick, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney and an expert on drug sentencing laws at Roger Williams University School of Law in Rhode Island. If were not sure whether this drug should even be an illegal narcotic, why are we sending people to jail for life for it?

As Romans tells his story, he was working low-wage construction jobs in suburban Indianapolis in 2004, struggling to support his kids and dibbling and dabbling in pot dealing, when one of his childhood friends offered him a chance to join a big-time marijuana ring. Romans claims he worked as a middleman, relaying money from about 15 lower-level dealers to the friend, Eric Pieper, whom Romans now says was the boss.

I knew there could always be consequences, Romans said on the phone Tuesday night from McCreary federal prison in Kentucky. Still, he never imagined his role would lead to anything major, he said.

And it didnt -- not at first. After police arrested him in a sting in 2010, a state court found him guilty of dealing 27 pounds of pot and ordered him to participate in a work release program in prison. During his year in the program, Romans was allowed to leave the prison each day to drive a delivery truck for a retail company that sold fur coats.

But with his release date only two weeks away, federal agents picked him up and flew him to a jail in Sherman, Texas, where he waited for a new trial to begin. Investigators said they had uncovered evidence that showed he had been dealing pot not by the pound, but by the ton. The feds had opened a new case, arguing he'd been a major player in a trafficking organization responsible for transporting more than 10,000 kilos of marijuana into the U.S. from Mexico.

Under the federal governments sentencing guidelines, which the United States adopted in 1987 at the height of the countrys drug war, the sale of more than 10,000 kilos of marijuana qualifies as a very high-level offense. If a judge concludes that the defendant possessed guns in furtherance of the crime, operated a house where the drugs were stashed, or helped run a trafficking organization, the level of the offense goes up even higher.

The prosecutors in Romans case were able to use testimony from his fellow dealers and his ex-wife to argue that Romans had done all three of those things. Romans maintains his innocence in accordance with these charges, and says the other dealers lied in exchange for reduced sentences. But the judge didn't believe him. According to the sentencing guidelines, he was now subject to a life sentence.

All hope wasn't yet lost for Romans. In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled in a landmark case, United States v. Booker, that judges do not have to comply with the sentencing guidelines. And as the countrys views on drugs, and, in particular, marijuana, have begun to shift in recent years, many judges in drug cases have chosen to mete out sentences that are lighter than what the guidelines recommend.

Romans' sentencing hearing took place in February 2013, two years after his transfer to the Texas jail. Standing before Judge Marcia Crone, Romans court-appointed lawyer, James Whalen, made a last-ditch plea for leniency.

I -- I have been doing this long enough and I have had clients receive life sentences, he said in a halting cadence captured in the court transcript. And the one thing they've always -- the common denominator in all those life sentence cases is they murdered somebody.

Well, you can get life for not murdering people, retorted Crone.

I know you can, said Whalen. But to me this is not that case, Your Honor.

Crone wasnt impressed by Whalens argument. I think a life sentence is appropriate in this instance, she said.

Crone specifically noted that she didnt support the recent efforts made by states around the country to loosen restrictions around pot. I don't agree with it, and the federal government hasn't changed the marijuana laws, she said. I think it's misguided, the places that have. So I don't agree with that. And I'm not going to look at trends.

Romans entered prison in April of last year. A few weeks after his arrival, his parents and sister suddenly stopped getting calls from him. They later found out that a group of inmates had rioted, prompting the guards to lock everyone in their cells for a two-week stretch.

Several months after that, according to Romans' sister, Elizabeth Bishop, Romans returned from lunch to find guards in his cell and blood spattered all over the walls and the beds. Somebody attempted to murder his cellmate, his sister explained.

Romans has never been convicted of a violent crime, and Bishop, for her part, insists hes as gentle as can be, despite the evidence that he had guns and ran the smuggling ring. Scared of a spider was how she put it.

And yet he's sentenced to spend the rest of his life under the same roof as men like Ricky Mungia, a Texan who went on a shooting spree with some white and Latino friends in 1994, hunting down black men in the streets of Lubbock and shooting them from a car with a short-barreled shotgun.

According to the federal Bureau of Prisons, it costs an average of $30,000 a year to keep someone confined in a high-security lockup, and as a person ages and requires more medical care, the cost increases. Were talking 40, 50, 60 thousand dollars a year to keep someone in a cell until they die, when they could be working and paying into their insurance, Zlotnick said. Its insane.

Last August, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a memo advising prosecutors to avoid asking judges to give harsh sentences to low-level drug defendants. Drug-reform advocates hailed the memo as an important step toward scaling back the drug war, but its unclear whether it could help someone convicted of a high-level offense, like Romans.

Romans still says he was just a middleman, and has filed an appeal. On Tuesday night, he used the last of his monthly allotment of 300 phone minutes to talk to The Huffington Post. Asked how he felt when he learned he would be getting life, he said, I couldnt believe it, I couldnt believe it.

They gave me a life sentence for marijuana, he said. He seemed truly surprised by his predicament.

After a few more minutes the phone went silent.


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## trillions of atoms (Jan 19, 2014)

Rediculous! 25 ppl jeez... thank god its not 25000

thankx greenie


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## WeedHopper (Jan 19, 2014)

How would i guess they would bring him to Texas to sentence him to life.


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## kaotik (Jan 20, 2014)

it's a messed up justice system when you can walk scott free, or get life in jail for the same offense..
all depending on your contacts, and if you're famous.


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## robertr (Jan 20, 2014)

I don't agree with a life sentence but it is still a federal offence. You better know the laws and the penalties before you do the crime.


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## sasnak (Jan 21, 2014)

Hopefully he will only serve a short sentence. I believe that federal drug laws are on the brink of changing for the better.
What a waste of taxpayers money, not to mention the huge burden that it places on an entire family.

We've come a long way since the 60's, but we still have a ways to go. 

Sasnak


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## trillions of atoms (Feb 10, 2014)

a little harsh mebafarmer.... but i DONT agree with the current law.


good points cubby.


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## WeedHopper (Feb 10, 2014)

Lots of illegal ways to make money. You get caught,,you go to jail. Why should this be any different? Dont agree with the sentence,,but nether did I when I went to Prison for my Dumb crap. LOL


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## benevolence6gc (Feb 12, 2014)

And the judge who falsely imprisoned 5,000 juveniles for profit only got 28 years behind bars. If only every person in this country believed that victim-less crimes are unjust from a moral stand point then maybe things would change quicker.


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## purpledrifter (Mar 8, 2014)

If you really think mj has anything to do with the life sentences then u are more naive than people who believe cops are their friends. It's just an excuse to get someone the cops don't like. Almost always politically or financially motivated. FYI. The system is corrupt


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## DrFever (Mar 9, 2014)

TBO  the American system   is pretty sad   they work on the  SNITCH BASE  to get your time lowered  and once your in jail and you didn't cooperate  they move you   all over the country   to make your life  and your families life miserable   trust me i know this first hand  see  its not like what you see in the movies   you need to pay for everything  even your underwear   and only way  to pay is have family put money into your  jail house account   at the correctional place,,,,,,  but what happens is  it takes few days for money to get  into it....   and they purposely move you,,,,,  and if they see you getting comfortable they will move you again       so your money is always chasing  you     and this is why i HATE the USA    the jail system is based  on the  be a RATT  system  and the sad  thing   most americans would sell the first born not to go to jail   i refuse to do business with any AMERICANS  as they are not trustworthy  at all    and if you don't believe me   well here    watch  a free movie  based on true events  hXXp://megashare.sh/watch-snitch-online-TmpVMk13PT0


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## bwanabud (Mar 9, 2014)

Doc I agree with you that the US jail system is flawed, more so the laws that sentence minimal crimes to time.

But to say all Americans are not trustworthy, may be going over the top. An entire country's citizens can't be judged by 1 movie...or 1 anything.


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## DrFever (Mar 9, 2014)

bwan yea i guess i let my anger  speak in my fingers   my bad  its bad tho my friend seen many people go down   cause  one of our southern brothers  got nabbed and squeeled like a pig   and then went on the usual set ups   which friends ended up getting nabbed  sad truth  and now there   protected lol so cannot be found  or they would visit there maker i am sure  but anyways  like most above said if you do the crime  you better be prepared to do the time  and keep your mouth shut in the mean time


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## bwanabud (Mar 9, 2014)

Doc, I agree...everyone is looking for a short cut to success, but don't want to man up & do the time. 

You get busted, you get busted alone


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## WeedHopper (Mar 10, 2014)

I went to Prison twice and didnt have to go ether time, if I had been a Snitch.I didnt,,and Im not,,, and I was Born and Raised in Texas,,,so yeah that comment Doc is Bullshit. PPL get snitched on all over the World. Might wanna do some research into some Outlaw Bikers and that are not from America that have snitched on their Brothers. Snitches are all over the World Bro,,you eather are one are ya aint.


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## DrFever (Mar 15, 2014)

I am sorry Weed your fist  sentence  hahaha  you went  to prison twice and didnt go either time  huh hahahah
  But obviously  your charges  were  minor  compared  to  drug / distribution of narcotics if you didn't go to jail Right,,, Even for a   first timer.
  it   carries   a minimum  <---- 10 years of prison  which in most cases   comes down to  the drug dealers, Growers,.. Distributors,,,, Believe it or  not   rape  or manslaughter   carries  a less sentence  but either way  it comes down to how you will fit in that 6x8   cell  for 10 years   and stay alive with out being shanked raped or killed ,,,,  let alone who will support your family  while your in there  .. Oh and lets not forget  which family and friends  will probably dis own you ...  So YES  if you dont think    someone would  ratt you out in a heartbeat  to reduce there time your sadly mistaken  Cause i have seen it first hand  was not involved  in the 100 kilo  a week border planned  crossings but when   the people  down south  got nabbed    they ad no problems setting up others to get there time off 

Rule 35 Cooperation is the way to get the must substantial amount of time reduced from your prison sentence. To cooperate, a defendant must provide the Government with what is called substantial assistance. This can be done pre and post sentencing. Usually, or generally the Government will give around a third off someones sentence. But again, time given off can vary a lot, sometimes only 15% and also up to 80% in some cases. You really should consult a professional prison sentence reduction specialist to find out and to assist you in doing this sort of thing. They can walk you through the process, communicate to the Government and or your lawyer and help you get the biggest possible reduction. Lawyers cannot do this service and do not provide this kind of service. 

View attachment prisontattoo005.JPG


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## WeedHopper (Mar 15, 2014)

Ha Ha ha,,real funny guy.
I meant if I had snitched I wouldnt have went to Prison,,,I did NOT snitch,,and my *** went to prison both times. I did a total of 7 years in and several out on Parole. None of that was freaken funny Bro.


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## WeedHopper (Mar 15, 2014)

By thw way Doc,,,Im a Pothead and I suck at typing,,so ya might have to read real close sometimes.  lol


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## DrFever (Mar 15, 2014)

I f you think about it for a moment  most of the  people  that get caught  law enforcement  has been informed at one point  even when you watch  some high criminal  take downs  it was done by informants ,  Bin laden     informants


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## gorickyourself (Mar 15, 2014)

There is a person by the Rosie Rowbottom,1st time 14yrs 1ton of hash, got out on parole got pinched again 6 ton 10yrs.Solid as the day is long!!! ln Canada !


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## WeedHopper (Mar 15, 2014)

Believe it or not,,there are PPL who would rather do time then snitch,,,very Few,,but there are good Bros out there.


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