BUSTED, no ryme or reason

[THCforus]

That's why you need a good lawyer. If you make them prove the number and they can't, you would get out of the mandatory minimum sentence realm and back into first time offender territory. A lawyer that wants to take the easiest way out that's not the best way for you is the last person you want fighting for you. Find someone who will be realistic about your chances and will get you the best possible outcome.

Here's the thing. I found this lawyer on a NORML list.
Well, i should say my wife did while i was locked up being held on a very high cash bail. She spoke w/ multiple lawyers, but most either wasnt to interested in the case, or wanted way to much money, out of my means. When i was released, i met w/ my current lawyer and agreed to hire him. The second visit w/ him, he admited that he put himself on the norml list, because he "used to smoke in college" and thinks the marijuana laws are rediculous. He has a couple drug cases under his belt, but none for defending growers.
He has no knowledge of the process of how we grow, or the diff. between roots or the stem, or what clones are, or anything.
I've already paid this lawyer a whole lot of money, and am torn on what to do at this point. I just physically dont have the money to invest into another lawyer, wether i ate ramen noodles every night to afford one or not. This leads me to believe that all i can do is hope for the best.
I'm not the type to just lay down and give up, but i'm a realist, and i know that everything revolves around money. I've thought about tryin to contact NORML, and seeing if anyone can help, but without the money i dont think i'll get very far.

 

[THCforus]

From what I'm thinking the plant # was awefully close to the limit... which is why the state cops might call it a larger # than it really was and hand it over to the feds. Just speculation of course.

Everyone else said get a diff lawyer, I agree. If you start going to rehab now, it looks very VERY good to the system, especially if you self-enroll. Going to counseling can be useful as well.

Don't feel like you've done anything wrong, you haven't. The fact that a racist govt outlawed a plant 100 years ago is a problem with the govt, not the entire global population who grows and consumes the plant.

This is what i think as well. They have groups of plants in the police report that dont exist. 10 here, 5 there, from out of nowhere.
I am seeing a councelor once a wk/, as much as i hate all the bullshit propaganda and paperwork, and having to "admit that i am seriously addicted to marijuana". I'm not gonna fight it though, and make matters worse for myself.
Thanks for the continued support guys.

 

[THCforus]

I'd like to reply to everyone's responces, but i have limited time on this computer. God bless everyone
thanks

 

[Twisted Metal]

I can only imagine what you are going through. Just keep your head up, pray, and have faith that the outcome will be in your favor. Ill keep you in my prayers and hope it all turns out well.

Godspeed

 

[pugnacious]

Start talking to another attorney right now and hell guide you thru the protocal of getting your money back. Your pretty much going to plead your case to the bar association. Like I said you need to find another attorney to guide you thru this process.

 

[THCforus]

I can only imagine what you are going through. Just keep your head up, pray, and have faith that the outcome will be in your favor. Ill keep you in my prayers and hope it all turns out well.

Godspeed

Thanks buddy. i'm trying to stay as positive as possible, but its pretty hard sometimes. Even on days that i wake on a positive note, all it takes is a few min. of thinking about everything thats going on, and its a downward spiral from there. I try to stay as busy as possible, taking any work i can get.
sitting around worrying about it, isnt doing me any justice.

I'll be glad when i can give you guys details about what happened. I was really careful about everything, covering my tracks and keeping to myself. I got caught partly, because of extreme noseyness on the snitches part, and because i trusted the word of someone that i had do some work for me. I asked him to be discrete and hide certin things as good as possible, so it would not be noticeable. I didnt check on his work, and took his word for it that it was discrete, and because of this i'm in this mess.
I know that its my own fault for not being 100% w/ my security, but it's a tough pill to swallow being that under normal circumstances, it would have gone un-noticed. It will be nice when i can let you all know what happened
so that none of you make the same mistake i did.
I honestly thought that everything w/ my security was tight, and that i'd go on for a long time without getting caught.
I was very wrong.

 

[THCforus]

Start talking to another attorney right now and hell guide you thru the protocal of getting your money back. Your pretty much going to plead your case to the bar association. Like I said you need to find another attorney to guide you thru this process.

Thanks for this info, i had no idea that i even had the option of getting some of the money back. I was under the impression that if i fired him i'd have to chalk it up as a loss, and start all over.

 

[pugnacious]

Im not going to bs you. But it can be a long process. As much as we praise lawyers, dont ever forget that he is a fukin lawyer. Hell try to drag it out. But the process can take months. By retaining another lawyer and explaining the situation he might guide you to quicken it up. But do have some extra cash on hand to atleast retain a new lawyer.

 

[Pythagllio]

Lawyers that will sue other lawyers are rare as hen's teeth. Sharks don't eat each other either.

 

[pugnacious]

Hes not suing anyone. Or get a lawyer to sue another lawyer. There is a procedure for clients that are not satisfied with there attorneys performance and want there retainer back. If he gets a new lawyer, then he will not be there at the hearing before the BAR. He will plead his case solo against a lawyer that is educated and a professional at this. But that will be taken in consideration. Every person Ive seen that has went thru this procedure, never got all of there money back. But atleast 2/3.

 

[ItsGrowTime]

Getting the money back from the crappy attorney is the least of your worries now anyway. Worry about that once you have a new attorney aggressively working your case and you can sleep at night without waking up in cold sweats. I wouldn't even bother with trying to get any money back personally...just stop paying him any more and send him a certified letter that his services have been ineffective, you have new counsel and he needs to forward all of your case information to the new attorney at so-and-so address. You request that he refund you 50% of the fees already paid and if he doesn't that you may consider following it up with a bar complaint. Obviously dont send that letter until you have a new attorney.

Having said that, there's a big difference between an incompetent attorney and an attorney that's just not very good. You're only guaranteed counsel in the criminal legal system. You're not guaranteed GOOD counsel! For that reason alone I wouldn't actively pursue getting a refund. Unless the guy is basically sending your ass to prison himself through poor performance (related to his actual case work) then his services won't stand up to the legal prcedent of being incompetent. Sleeping during evidentiary hearings? Incompetent. Talking plea agreement early? Not incompetent. Lazy maybe but not incompetent. It's a high standard to claim incompetence and expect a refund.

 

[tokinafaddy]

As stated before get yourself an agressive attorny. He doesnt have to be the most expensive, just good. Dont stress yourself all to hell, easier said than done, but Ive been there and life goes on. Your first offence, any decent lawyer is gonna get you probation. As little as 2. Now I know states have different laws and i hope your not under some mandatory bullshit laws where your at, but probation is probably your most likely outcome. Best of luck to you my friend and stay strong. ill keep checking up on ya.

 

[THCforus]

As stated before get yourself an agressive attorny. He doesnt have to be the most expensive, just good. Dont stress yourself all to hell, easier said than done, but Ive been there and life goes on. Your first offence, any decent lawyer is gonna get you probation. As little as 2. Now I know states have different laws and i hope your not under some mandatory bullshit laws where your at, but probation is probably your most likely outcome. Best of luck to you my friend and stay strong. ill keep checking up on ya.

from what i'm seeing, researching cases similar to mine, 1st offence, no priors, and being eligible for the safety valve, probation is likely. This is what seems to be the case on a state level. Being that my case has gone federal, i don't think the state i got busted in is gonna matter much. i'm finding out that federal guidelines are nothing like state. Supposedly, i'm in the 22 to 26 month bracket, and my lawyer's thinking i'll probably serve 18. I really hope your right about probation, but my lawyer doesnt think its to probable so i'm not gonna get my hopes up.
I guess they go by either the actual weight per plant, or the supposed weight of a plant (100gms), what ever is greater. It doesnt matter wether its male, small or a clone. I dont know where they come up with this shit.
Anyway, thanks for the support buddy.

 

[Lazyman]

Not sure the laws in your state, but where I am (in some instances) if you fire your lawyer, fees paid to them get passed on to the replacement lawyer in some manner. My ex was sued for something, her first lawyer sucked, we fired him and found another, and the first lawyer had to pay the second lawyer.

Good luck man, don't get discouraged, you'll come out of this stonger and wiser.

 

[movingtocally]

Canada isn't far...

And mexico has english friendly areas.



I'd be eating a 14 cent chalito right now

 

[zenoonez]

And mexico has english friendly areas.



I'd be eating a 14 cent chalito right now

Go to either Baja or to somewhere south of Mexico city, the rest of the country is getting trashed. Canada is a good choice too but I think both have extradition policies with the US which means living underground and working off of the books. That is not hard to do, the hard part is never coming back to the states. Federal conviction = they will be waiting for you lol. Again, sounds to me like your lawyer is a shithead and is not going to really fight for you. This is why the first 50k you make should go into the wall of a house far away from the grow house.

 

[blinx420]

God I keep hearing about the first 50K having to be stashed which leads me to beleive your all dealing this plant makes think you deserve to do time.

Anyway as crazy and hard as things are for you just keep pushing forward do everything you can to make yourself look good take this guys advice to a Tee it's a pain but they know what the're talking about get counseling enroll in drug rehab etc.. keep faith in god workout build your muscles incase you do go to jail you can defend yourself the first year will feel slow but it'll pass by faster if you keep yourself busy doing some odd job in prison.

 

[Lazyman]

God I keep hearing about the first 50K having to be stashed which leads me to beleive your all dealing this plant makes think you deserve to do time.

Dude, that's fucked up and harsh. You don't know all of the details of his bust, or him. Some of us might be considered dealers by LEO for distributing medicine to members of our own collectives, so does that mean we all deserve jail if we grow for more than 1 person? Half the members of this board would pop you in the nose for saying that to their faces.

If you grow 3 plants that's fine, but if you want to judge others, go to grasscity or rollitup, we don't need that kind of negativity here.

 

[blinx420]

Dude, that's fucked up and harsh. You don't know all of the details of his bust, or him. Some of us might be considered dealers by LEO for distributing medicine to members of our own collectives, so does that mean we all deserve jail if we grow for more than 1 person? Half the members of this board would pop you in the nose for saying that to their faces.

If you grow 3 plants that's fine, but if you want to judge others, go to grasscity or rollitup, we don't need that kind of negativity here.

 

[blinx420]

Dude, that's fucked up and harsh. You don't know all of the details of his bust, or him. Some of us might be considered dealers by LEO for distributing medicine to members of our own collectives, so does that mean we all deserve jail if we grow for more than 1 person? Half the members of this board would pop you in the nose for saying that to their faces.

If you grow 3 plants that's fine, but if you want to judge others, go to grasscity or rollitup, we don't need that kind of negativity here.

LOL Oh common am not buying that after reading some of this storys it seems alot are just in it for mere personal gain funding huge illegal grow ops setting yourself up for the fall why else would you need that amount of money to bail your people out and have lawyer stashes? give me a break it makes you no diffrent from a drug kinping