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A federal prosecutor said Friday that he plans to retry a prominent
marijuana advocate on cultivation charges even though the man faces
no punishment if convicted -- a decision the trial judge suggested he
reconsider.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer postponed Ed Rosenthal's retrial,
which was to start Monday, and gave prosecutors a month to decide
whether to appeal his dismissal of charges of tax evasion and money
laundering, the only charges that carried possible prison sentences.
In papers filed before the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney George
Bevan said the government wouldn't drop the case even if it fails to
reinstate the dismissed charges, or decides not to appeal Breyer's
dismissal order.
In either event, Bevan wrote, "the government would proceed to trial
on the drug counts."
At the hearing, Breyer noted that Bevan has already agreed not to
seek imprisonment for Rosenthal on the marijuana cultivation charges,
in light of a federal appeals court decision that overturned
Rosenthal's convictions at his first trial.
Rosenthal, 62, was convicted by a jury in 2003 on three charges of
cultivating marijuana that he was growing for medical patients.
Breyer sentenced him to the one day in jail he had already served,
rather than the five years prescribed by federal guidelines, saying
Rosenthal had believed he was acting legally because he had been
designated as an official in Oakland's medical marijuana program.
A federal appeals court overturned the convictions last year, finding
misconduct by a juror who consulted a lawyer during deliberations.
Prosecutors then obtained a new grand jury indictment, adding tax and
money-laundering charges that carried potential prison terms of up to 20 years.
Breyer dismissed the additional charges Wednesday, ruling that
prosecutors had illegally retaliated against Rosenthal for his
successful appeal and his public statements challenging the fairness
of his trial.
Newshawk: The Leading Source for Marijuana News www.mapinc.org
Pubdate: Sat, 17 Mar 2007
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Page: B - 5
Copyright: 2007 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: letters@sfchronicle.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: Bob Egelko |
