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A noted Central California businessman who ran two major indoor marijuana growing facilities and seven pot dispensaries that generated millions of dollars was sentenced to five years in prison, federal prosecutors said Friday. The sentencing in federal court comes months after Matthew Davies, 35, of Stockton took a plea deal to avoid possibly spending up to 15 years in prison.
In May, Davies pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to manufacture and distribute marijuana, two counts of manufacturing marijuana and seven counts of marijuana distribution for businesses he either owned or operated in Stockton and Sacramento. Davies has been ordered to turn himself in in March 2014, U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner said Friday. Two other men who also pleaded guilty in the case await sentencing. Lynn Smith, 63, of Stockton, who co-owned or operated the businesses with Davies, pleaded guilty to similar charges in January and Robert Duncan, 30, of Fremont pleaded guilty to cultivating marijuana in Sept. 2012. In 2011, police in Stockton responding to a burglary call in progress at a business on the city's east side, discovered more than a dozen workers inside trimming marijuana plants.
Last summer, a federal grand jury indicted the three men on charges of cultivating marijuana stemming from the bust. Davies had argued that his store in Stockton operated in accordance with California laws after he worked extensively with accountants and lawyers before opening the business. However, Wagner said this spring that Davies, a local businessman with an MBA, made millions with intentions to set out a lucrative marijuana empire in the Central Valley, even though he knew that his conduct was illegal under federal law.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Redbluffdailynews.com
Author: DN Staff Report
Contact: Contact Us - Red Bluff Daily News Online
Website: Calif. marijuana dispensary owner sentenced - Red Bluff Daily News Online
In May, Davies pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to manufacture and distribute marijuana, two counts of manufacturing marijuana and seven counts of marijuana distribution for businesses he either owned or operated in Stockton and Sacramento. Davies has been ordered to turn himself in in March 2014, U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner said Friday. Two other men who also pleaded guilty in the case await sentencing. Lynn Smith, 63, of Stockton, who co-owned or operated the businesses with Davies, pleaded guilty to similar charges in January and Robert Duncan, 30, of Fremont pleaded guilty to cultivating marijuana in Sept. 2012. In 2011, police in Stockton responding to a burglary call in progress at a business on the city's east side, discovered more than a dozen workers inside trimming marijuana plants.
Last summer, a federal grand jury indicted the three men on charges of cultivating marijuana stemming from the bust. Davies had argued that his store in Stockton operated in accordance with California laws after he worked extensively with accountants and lawyers before opening the business. However, Wagner said this spring that Davies, a local businessman with an MBA, made millions with intentions to set out a lucrative marijuana empire in the Central Valley, even though he knew that his conduct was illegal under federal law.
News Moderator - The General @ 420 MAGAZINE ®
Source: Redbluffdailynews.com
Author: DN Staff Report
Contact: Contact Us - Red Bluff Daily News Online
Website: Calif. marijuana dispensary owner sentenced - Red Bluff Daily News Online
