{"id":1215,"date":"2021-09-20T23:00:52","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T23:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=178063"},"modified":"2021-09-20T23:00:52","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T23:00:52","slug":"judge-reveals-surprise-twist-in-cannabis-bribery-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=1215","title":{"rendered":"Judge reveals surprise twist in cannabis bribery case"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Judge reveals surprise twist in cannabis bribery case &#8211; Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.1.2 (Yoast SEO v17.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                  <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>     <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p>The sentencing hearing of Jasiel Correia, the former Fall River, Massachusetts, mayor convicted of taking cannabis bribes, took a shocking turn today when the judge in the case tossed out eight of the 21 counts on which Correia had already been convicted. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>The former Fall River, Mass., mayor is still expected to do serious prison time for the cannabis bribery convictions.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>None of those dismissed convictions were related to cannabis bribery, though. <\/p>\n<p>It was a somewhat confusing twist in an already complex case. The result, though, is that most observers expect the former mayor to be sentenced to prison time for extorting payments for cannabis licenses. The completion of Correia\u2019s sentencing hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. EST tomorrow. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-two-cases-tried-as-one\">Two cases tried as one<\/h2>\n<p>In late 2015, a young entrepreneur named Jasiel Correia became America\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wbur.org\/morningedition\/2015\/12\/17\/new-fall-river-mayor-jasiel-correia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">youngest mayor<\/a> by capturing a plurality of votes in the race for the corner office in Fall River. The 23-year-old came into office with big plans and high hopes for this former textile mill town that\u2019s fallen on hard times. <\/p>\n<p>His political honeymoon didn\u2019t last long. Within two years, federal officials arrested Correia and charged him with wire fraud and tax fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud investors in one of his startup companies, a software company called SnoOwl. <\/p>\n<p>Things went from bad to worse. Less than a year later Correia was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-ma\/pr\/fall-river-mayor-charged-extorting-marijuana-vendors-cash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arrested again<\/a>, this time on federal charges of extortion based on an alleged scheme to pocket bribes from legal cannabis companies looking to set up shop in Fall River. <\/p>\n<p>The alleged pay-for-play scheme was made possible by Massachusetts\u2019 Host Community Agreements (HCAs). Those are essentially permission slips given by local towns to cannabis entrepreneurs who want to set up shop there. Without an HCA, state officials will not license a legal cannabis company. <\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/strains-products\/the-most-intriguing-cannabis-stores-in-massachusetts\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>The most intriguing cannabis stores in Massachusetts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-two-separate-cases-tried-as-one\">Two separate cases tried as one<\/h2>\n<p>Federal prosecutors tied both cases together at a single trial. Correia\u2019s attorneys asked for the cases to be split into separate trials, but that request was denied. In May 2021, a jury convicted Correia on several counts of wire fraud, tax evasion, and extortion related to the SnoOwl fraud and the cannabis HCA scheme. <\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s sentencing hearing was expected to yield a term in federal prison for Correia. Instead, Federal Judge Douglas P. Woodlock dismissed a number of the wire fraud and tax fraud convictions. Woodlock said the evidence presented at trial did not meet the legal definition of wire fraud and tax fraud. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-what-about-the-cannabis-bribery\">What about the cannabis bribery?<\/h2>\n<p>In the afternoon, Woodlock and Correia\u2019s legal team traded arguments over Correia\u2019s remaining extortion convictions, which resulted from the cannabis licensing bribery. <\/p>\n<p>The argument for dismissal of the extortion counts, in essence, came down to the idea of a spoiled theme. Federal prosecutors painted a picture of Jasiel Correia as a young man overcome by greed and a lust for power. The government argued that the alleged fraud in the SnoOwl case, and the cannabis license bribery, all grew out of Correia\u2019s corrupt ambition. <\/p>\n<p>With the SnoOwl convictions dismissed, Correia\u2019s attorneys argued that evidence presented in the software portion of the case unfairly prejudiced the jury against Correia, and made them more likely to believe the witnesses against him in the bribery counts. <\/p>\n<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/strains-products\/best-cannabis-products-in-massachusetts\" class=\"wp-block-leafly-blocks-leafly-single-inline-block leafly-inline-related-story\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"border border-deep-green-alt border-l-0 border-r-0 my-xl p-md font-bold\">\n<p>Related<\/p>\n<p>The best cannabis products in Massachusetts<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a> <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-judge-takes-a-dim-view-of-license-bribery\">Judge takes a dim view of license bribery<\/h2>\n<p>Judge Woodlock didn\u2019t buy that argument. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t see actual innocence in this case,\u201d he said, referring to Correia\u2019s \u201cuse of his position to extort money and [establish] a system of bribery in the City of Fall River.\u201d <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-left\">\n<p>\u2018I don\u2019t see actual innocence in this case,\u2019 the judge said. That doesn\u2019t bode well for the former mayor.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Woodlock declined to dismiss Correia\u2019s extortion convictions. In fact, the judge indicated that he would be handing down a serious sentence for those counts. \u201cHere is what\u2019s on my mind in this case: The trajectory of someone who was perhaps a big greedy and immature, someone who was the chief executive officer of a major city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,\u201d said Woodlock. <\/p>\n<p>The judge noted that he found it telling that after the SnoOwl charges were laid in 2018, Correia \u201cdidn\u2019t become more humble. He became more liable to commit fraud.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to be clear that I\u2019ve thought a great deal about this,\u201d Woodlock said. His primary interest, the judge added, was in finding \u201cthe proper way to vindicate the public interest in this setting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Correia\u2019s sentencing hearing is scheduled to conclude at 11 a.m. tomorrow in Judge Woodlock\u2019s courtroom in Boston.<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/judge-reveals-surprise-twist-in-cannabis-bribery-case.jpg\" alt=\"Bruce Barcott's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Bruce Barcott<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Leafly Senior Editor Bruce Barcott oversees news, investigations, and feature projects. He is a Guggenheim Fellow and author of Weed the People: The Future of Legal Marijuana in America.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/bruce-barcott\">View Bruce Barcott&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-09-20 16:00:58 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge reveals surprise twist in cannabis bribery case &#8211; Leafly Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The sentencing hearing of Jasiel Correia, the former Fall River, Massachusetts, mayor convicted of taking cannabis bribes, took a shocking turn today when the judge in the case tossed out eight of the 21 counts on which Correia had already been convicted. The&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/judge-reveals-surprise-twist-in-cannabis-bribery-case.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}