BANGOR — A federal decide Friday granted a six-month extension for defendants to file motions within the investigation of an alleged marijuana rising and money-laundering operation within the Farmington space that resulted in indictments against a dozen people and corporations.
U.S. District Courtroom Justice of the Peace Choose John C. Nivison signed an order after a videoconference listening to that included codefendants within the case, setting July as the brand new deadline for motions. All motions had been due this month, however Nivison had paused that time limit to listen to from defendants who argued there was an excessive amount of proof turned over by prosecutors to assessment in that point interval.
The defendants on Friday waived their constitutional rights to speedy trial to permit for the extension.
“They’ve dumped large quantities of discovery on us,” Timothy Parlatore, legal professional for lead defendant Lucas Sirois, mentioned Friday. “It’s a whole bunch of 1000’s of information.”
Nivison additionally pushed again the tentative trial date to September.
In Parlatore’s assessment, up to now, of these paperwork shared by prosecutors, he mentioned he has seen nothing that exhibits his shopper ran afoul of the Maine Medical Use of Marijuana Act.
He mentioned the decide expects prosecutors and protection attorneys to work cooperatively to type out which proof is criminally incriminating and what would exonerate the defendant.
As soon as he has had an opportunity to pore over the entire materials, Parlatore mentioned he plans to file a movement in search of an injunction, citing the Rohrabacher-Farr Modification, which prohibits the U.S. Division of Justice from spending any cash that will intervene with the implementation of state hashish legal guidelines.
Defendants indicted within the case pleaded not guilty in November to federal costs in U.S. District Courtroom in Bangor.
Prosecutors allege that Lucas Sirois, 41, of Farmington was the chief of a felony conspiracy supposed to seem as if he and co-conspirators had complied with Maine’s medical marijuana legal guidelines whereas, actually, he recurrently bought bulk marijuana on the illicit market, together with $1 million price of marijuana for out-of-state distribution between 2018 and 2019, in response to courtroom paperwork.
Defendants who’ve pleaded not responsible to costs in an indictment are: Sirois; David Burgess, 53, of Rangeley; Ryan Nezol, 38, of Farmington; Sirois’ father, Robert Sioris, 68, of Farmington; Derrick Doucette, 29, of Jay; Bradley Scovil, 33, of Rangeley; Lucas Sirois’ estranged spouse, Alisa Sirois, 43, of Kingfield; Brandon Dagnese, 27, of Scarborough; Kenneth Allen, 48, of Farmington; James McLamb, 29, of Auburn; and Kevin Lemay, 33, of Farmington.
Lucas Sirois additionally pleaded not responsible on behalf of three corporations he co-owns.
Randal Cousineau, 69, of Farmington pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess and distribute greater than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and 1,000 marijuana vegetation. He faces from 10 years to life in jail and as much as a $10 million effective, in response to courtroom information.
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