Prosecutors and Pot: Annette Hayes — US Attorney for Western District of Washington

Will she or won’t she?Jeff Sessions’ decision to rescind Obama-era guidance on the Department of Justice’s approach to marijuana enforcement was troubling for the cannabis industry. The “Sessions Memo”  withdrew earlier marijuana-specific guidance memoranda and directed US attorneys to decide which marijuana activities to prosecute “with the Department’s finite resources,” based on well-established principles that govern all federal prosecutions including, “the seriousness of the crime, the deterrent effect of criminal prosecution, and the cumulative impact of particular crimes on the community.”
The Sessions Memo does not provide much additional insight as to what prosecutors should look for in determining what marijuana crimes to target. In lieu of such guidelines, it is important that stakeholders in the cannabis industry familiarize themselves with the US Attorney in their district. This post is focused on Annette Hayes, the US Attorney for the Western District of Washington.
On January 4, Hayes issued the following statement regarding the Sessions Memo:
Today the Attorney General reiterated his confidence in the basic principles that guide the discretion of all U.S. Attorneys around the country, and directed that those principles shepherd enforcement of federal law regarding marijuana.  He also emphasized his belief that U.S. Attorneys are in the best position to address public safety in their districts, and address the crime control problems that are pressing in their communities.  Those principles have always been at the core of what the United States Attorney’s Office for Western Washington has done – across all threats to public safety, including those relating to marijuana.  As a result, we have investigated and prosecuted over many years cases involving organized crime, violent and gun threats, and financial crimes related to marijuana.  We will continue to do so to ensure – consistent with the most recent guidance from the Department – that our enforcement efforts with our federal, state, local and tribal partners focus on those who pose the greatest safety risk to the people and communities we serve.
This short paragraph indicates that Hayes’ office will focus on threats to public safety, as it has for the past few years, and will act in a manner “consistent with the most recent guidance from the Department.” This statement is fairly vague and does not give a strong indication as to how Hayes will act in light of the Sessions Memo. To better understand Hayes’ opinions on cannabis, we can turn to her career as a prosecutor.
Hayes joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1997 as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division. Early in her career she was assigned drug cases including large-scale, international trafficking and cartel-related cases. In 2002, she became the Deputy Supervisor of the Complex Crimes Unit where she prosecuted cyber hacking and intellectual property cases.  In 2005, she became one of the supervisors of the General Crimes Unit, focusing on a range of federal crimes including child exploitation, drug, fraud, identity theft, immigration and violent crimes cases. Hayes took over for Jenny Durkan (Seattle’s current mayor) as the Acting US Attorney for the Western District of Washington in October 2014.
As she moved up the ranks, Hayes has not focused solely on drug crimes. Since taking over as US Attorney for the Western District of Washington, Hayes’ office has focused on marijuana cases involving acts of violence or the distribution of other drugs, like methamphetamine. I uncovered no examples of Hayes’ office prosecuting a licensed marijuana business. The following are some of the key marijuana-focused cases prosecuted in western Washington under Hayes:
Illegal BHO Operation in Bellevue. In June 2015, Hayes announced that David Shultz had been sentenced to nine years in prison after causing a fire in a Bellevue apartment complex while manufacturing Butane Hash Oil (BHO). A man was killed as a result of the fire and several others were injured. The incident occurred in November 2013 and Hayes took over this case after replacing Durkan. Mr. Shultz was operating squarely outside of Washington’s regulatory framework.
IRS Fraud. In May 2016, Hayes announced that former IRS agent Paul Hurley would serve 30 months in prison for soliciting and then accepting a bribe while auditing Have a Heart. Have a Heart worked with the FBI and local law enforcement to document the events leading to Mr. Hurley’s arrest and conviction. Have a Heart is a licensed retailer but did not face charges relating to this incident.
Unlicensed Medical Marijuana. In June 2016, Hayes announced that Lance Gloor would serve a ten-year sentence for drug trafficking. Gloor owned several medical marijuana dispensaries. In 2010, police officers obtained a warrant to search Gloor’s home and found over 70 marijuana plants and a firearm. While awaiting charges in state court, Gloor allegedly opened four marijuana dispensaries in the Puget Sound area. During his trial, Gloor the court ruled that Gloor violated court orders by contacting witnesses. In announcing the conviction and sentence, Hayes stated, “[d]espite repeated notice that his marijuana business was illegal under state and federal law, he continued to use lies, threats and intimidation to try to cover his tracks and make as much money as he could.” The court found that Gloor was not operating in compliance with state law and he did not have a license to produce, process, or sell marijuana from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board.
SPD Marijuana Diversion. In May 2017, Hayes announced the arrest of four Seattle Police Officers on conspiracy charges related to the delivery of hundreds of pounds of marijuana from Seattle to Baltimore. Alex Chapackdee, a 16-year veteran of SPD, was the alleged ringleader who also drove across the country to deliver marijuana on several occasions. This case is ongoing and the individuals involved have not yet been convicted.
Overall, Hayes does not appear to have the same zealous opposition to cannabis as Jeff Sessions. However, she has pursued marijuana cases that involved individuals who operated outside of Washington’s regulatory framework.  Hayes, like all of us, has relied on the Cole Memo for the last four years and is likely re-evaluating how her office will deal with marijuana in Washington. Under the Sessions Memo, we could see Hayes take a tougher approach to cannabis but her history of prosecuting marijuana crimes appears to indicate that she is not inclined to target licensed businesses.


Go to Source

Powered by WPeMatico