. Kaczmarek argued the findings are subject to appeal. "It is critical that all parties have unquestioned faith in that process from the beginning so that they will have full confidence in the conclusions drawn at the end," Coakley said. If there's ever any uncertainty over "whether exculpatory information should be disclosed," the Supreme Judicial Court later wrote, "the prosecutor must file a motion for a protective order and must present the information for a judge to review.". 2. It ultimately took a blatant violation to expose Dookhan, and even then her bosses twisted themselves in knots to hold on to their "super woman.". In January of 2013, Sonja Farak, a chemist at a state crime lab in Massachusetts, was arrested for tampering with evidence related to criminal drug cases (Small, 2020).A year later, Farak pleaded guilty to tampering with drug evidence, theft of a controlled substance, and drug possession .She received a sentence of 18 months with 5 years of probation and was released in 2015. GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. She had been accused of intentional infliction of emotional distress in addition to the conspiracy to violate [Penates] civil rights.. sonja farak - masslive.com compelled release of additional drug treatment records, which indicated Farak used a variety of drugs that she stole from the lab for years. Netflix's How to Fix a Drug Scandal: A staggering true story of - Vox Report shows more than 24k wrongful convictions dismissed in drug lab Asked for comment, Foster in January objected through an attorney that the judge never gave her an opportunity to defend herself and that his ruling left an "indelible stain on her reputation.". "I was totally controlled by my addiction," Farak later testified. She consumed meth, crack cocaine, amphetamines, and LSD at the bench where she tested samples, in a lab bathroom, and even at courthouses where she was testifying. According to an Attorney General Offices report, Farak attended Temple University in Philadelphia for graduate school, which is where she became a recreational drug user. TherapyNotes. High Mass. Lab Chemist Causes Over 24,000 Drug Charges To Be Dismissed Name. A local prosecutor also asked Ballou to look into a case Farak had tested as far back as 2005. In the aftermath of Farak's arrest, it's been argued that because she was under the influence, all of the cases she tested could be considered to have been wrongfully convicted. But in a
A Powerful EHR to Manage a Thriving Practice. Her notes record on-the-job drug use ranging from small nips of the lab's baseline. His report deemed Dookhan the "sole bad actor" at the lab, a finding that remains disputed in some circles. High Massachusetts Lab Chemist Causes Thousands Of Drug Cases To Be Dismissed. Defense attorneys had. Penate argued the court should follow those findings. Dookhan was now spending less time at her lab bench and more time testifying in court about her results. She had unrestricted access to the evidence room. She continued to experience suicidal thoughts, but instead of going through with those thoughts, she started taking the drugs that she would be testing at work. Its unclear if Farak is still with Lee, as they have both remained out of the public eye since the case. She was also testifying in court while high. Massachusetts prosecutors withheld evidence of corrupt state narcotics testing for months from a defendant facing drug charges, and didnt release it until after his conviction, according to newly surfaced documents and emails. Did Falsified Drug Tests Lead to Wrongful Convictions? - Rolling Stone She said, It was about coping; it certainly wasnt about having fun; I dont think shes had fun in quite a while.. ", But another co-worker was suspicious, particularly since he "never saw Dookhan in front of a microscope.". Nassif put Dookhan on desk duty but allowed her to finish testing cases already on her plate, including some of the samples she had taken from the locker. How to Fix a Drug Scandal (TV Mini Series 2020) - IMDb Massachusetts crime lab scandal worsens: Dookhan and Farak. Her access to evidence was not restricted, and she continued testifying in court. Foster and another assistant attorney general assented to that motion. In 2017, a different judge ruled that Foster's actions constituted a "fraud upon the court," calling the letter "deliberately misleading." May 2003 started working in Hinton drug lab p. 14. Who Is Luke Ryan From Netflix's 'How To Fix A Drug Scandal'? | True Why Won't Maryland Sell Me a Goddamn Beer? The show also delves into the issues of the state in discovering and reporting on the extent of the cases that were affected by Faraks actions. Before her sentencing, Farak failed a drug test while out on bail, according to Mass Live. She was trying to suppress mental health issues, depression in specific, and she attempted to kill herself in high school, according to Rolling Stone. But why were a small handful of prosecutors allowed total control over evidence about one of the worst criminal justice failures in recent memory? This threw every sample she had ever tested into question. There were also newspaper articles about other officials caught stealing drugs, including one with a scribbled note, "Thank god I'm not a law enforcement officer." In 2009, Farak branched out to the lab's amphetamine, phentermine, and cocaine standards. During her trial, her defense lawyer Elaine Pourinski said that Farak wasnt taking drugs to party, but instead to control her depression. But without access to evidence showing how long Farak had been doing this, defendants with constitutional grounds for challenging their incarceration were held for months and even years longer than necessary. And yet, due to their actions, they did injure people and they did inflict a lot of pain, not just on a couple of people, but on thousands. So, in a way, it is not from her that the queue of the blame should begin; it should be from the lab and the authorities themselves. But unlike with Dookhan, no one launched a bigger investigation of Farak. The charges against Penate were dismissed after Farak's conviction. Joseph Ballou, lead investigator for the state police, called them the most important documents from the car. Martha Coakley, then attorney general for the state, argued in Melendez-Diaz that a chemist's certificate contains only "neutral, objective facts." GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting. Netflix's latest true-crime series, How to Fix a Drug Scandal, dives deep into a shocking Massachusetts scandal, one that started in the humble confines of an underfunded drug testing lab and ended with an entire system in question. Who is Sonja Farak, the former state drug lab chemist featured in the show? Sonja Farak now: what happened to the chemist featured in How to Fix a The hotline is open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Farak also had an apparent obsession for her therapists husband, as she was reported to have a folder that shed put together about him, documenting her obsession. State police took these worksheets from Farak's car in January 2013, the same day they arrested her for tampering with evidence and for cocaine possession. "A forensic analyst responding to a request from a law enforcement official may feel pressureor have an incentiveto alter the evidence in a manner favorable to the prosecution.". In her June 17 ruling, U.S. Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson dismissed former Assistant Attorney General Anne Kaczmarek's claims of qualified immunity a doctrine that gives legal immunity to some public officials accused of misconduct. She started doing drugs almost as soon as she took the job at Amherst, but it was after years of negligence on her superiors part that her actions finally came to light. The judge ordered prosecutors and defense attorneys to coordinate on identifying undisclosed emails related to documents seized from the disgraced state crime lab chemist. Even as they filed numerous motions for information about how long Farak had been using drugs, the defense attorneys had no idea these worksheets existed. "he didn't request a warrant. It was an astoundingly light touch for the second state chemist arrested in six months. But absent evidence of aggravating misconduct by prosecutors or cops, the majority ruled, Dookhan's tampering alone didn't justify a blanket dismissal of every case she had touched. NORTHAMPTON Sonja J. Farak told a nurse at the Western Massachusetts "Whether law enforcement officials overlooked these papers or intentionally suppressed them is a question for another day.". How to Fix a Drug Scandal - Wikipedia This is the story of Farak's drug-induced wrongdoings, and it's the. Farak was getting high off the confiscated drugs police sent her way before replacing the evidence with fake drugs. As he leafed through three boxes of evidence, he found the substance abuse worksheets and diaries. ", The chemist, Sonja Farak, worked at the state drug lab in Amherst, Massachusetts, for more than eight years. Kaczmarek was now juggling two scandals on opposite sides of the state. Instead, she submitted an intentionally vague letter to the judge claiming defense attorneys already had everything. motion on behalf of another client to see the evidence. After graduating from Portsmouth High School, Farak attended the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where she got a bachelor of science degree in biochemistry in 2000. Even when she failed a post-arrest drug testprompting the lead investigator to quip to Kaczmarek, "I hope she doesn't have a stash in her house! In November 2013, Dookhan pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence, and perjury. concluded there was no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct or obstruction of justice in matters related to the Farak case. More than 24,000 convictions in 16,449 cases tainted by former state chemist Sonja Farak have been dismissed in a court case brought by the ACLU of Massachusetts, the Committee of Public Counsel Services (CPCS), and law firm Fick & Marx LLP. She was ar-rested for tampering with evidence while abusing narcotics at work. . At the time of her arrest, she had resided in 37 Laurel Park in Northampton. Where is Sonja Farak Now? - The Cinemaholic Watch How to Fix a Drug Scandal | Netflix Official Site In a 61 ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court in 2017, the defense bar, led by public defenders and the Massachusetts branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), won the dismissal of almost every conviction based on Dookhan's analysismore than 36,000 cases in all. Both scandals undercut confidence in the criminal justice system and the validity of forensic analysis. 3.3.2023 5:45 PM, Jacob Sullum The premise revolves around documentary filmmaker Erin Lee Carr following the effects of crime drug lab chemists Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan and their tampering with evidence and its aftereffects.. Dookhan was accused of forging reports and tampering with samples to . The Farak scandal came as the state grappled with another drug lab crisis. Farak received a sentence of 18 months in jail and 5 years of probation. As Kaczmarek herself later observed, Farak essentially had "a drugstore at her disposal" from her first day at the Amherst lab. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in 2015by which time the current state attorney general, Maura Healey, had been electedthat it was "imperative" for the government to "thoroughly investigate the timing and scope of Farak's misconduct." In June 2011, Dookhan secretly took 90 samples out of an evidence locker and then forged a co-worker's initials to check them back in, a clear chain-of-custody breach. For people with disabilities needing assistance with the Public Files, contact Glenn Heath at 617-300-3268. In an August 2013 email, Ryan asked Assistant Attorney General Kris Foster to review evidence taken from Farak. The Attorney Generals Office, Velis and Merrigan and the state police declined to answer questions about the handling of the Farak evidence. Join us. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. She married Lee after starting her job, but their marriage was rocky. The scandal led. Her role was to test for the presence of illegal substances, which could be instrumental in thousands of . The defense bar also demanded answers on how such crucial evidence stayed buried for so long. In a letter filed with the Supreme Court, Julianne Nassif, a lab supervisor, wrote that Hinton had "appropriate quality control" measures. Regarding the cases that she had handled, the Massachusetts courts threw out every case in the Amherst lab during her tenure. Process Notes/Psychotherapy Notes Process notes are sometimes also referred to as psychotherapy notesthey're the notes you take during or after a session. Foster
From the April 2023 issue, Billy Binion The crucial fact of her longstanding and frequent drug use also never made it into Farak's trial, much less to defendants appealing convictions predicated on her tainted analyses. Yet Dookhan's brazen crimes went undetected for ages. State officials rushed to condemn her loudly and publicly. Nassif considered it a lapse in judgment, but not a disqualifying one; Nassif's boss didn't think it necessary to alert the prosecutors whose cases relied on the samples, much less the defendants. Because the attorney general had "portrayed Farak as a dedicated public servant who was apprehended immediately after crossing the line, there was also no reasonto waste resources engaging in any additional introspection.". The attorney general's representative at these hearings was Assistant Attorney General Kris Foster, a recent hire. They pulled her aside as she walked back to the courthouse from her car, where she had smoked "a fair amount of crack" during her lunch break. YouTube 1. Investigators found that Sonja Farak tested drug samples and testified in court while under the influence of methamphetamines, ketamine, cocaine, LSD and other drugs between 2005 and 2013. 1. Defense attorneys say withheld Farak notes implicate prosecutors - News At some point, the attorney general's office stopped chasing leads entirely. Farak had started taking drugs on the job within months of joining the Amherst lab in 2004. It declined Farak's offer of a detailed confession in exchange for leniency, nixing the offer without even negotiating terms. Sonja Farak, a chemist with a longterm mental health struggle, is the catalyst of the story, but it doesn't end with her. Grand Jury Transcript - Sonja Farak - September 16, 2015 Contributed by Shawn Musgrave (Musgrave Investigations) p. 1. (Featured Image Credit: Mass Live). In the series, it's explained that Farak loved the energy the meth gave her. She received an email from a detective weeks after Farak's arrest containing detailed notes Farak made in conjunction with her own drug treatment, pointedly identified as "FARAK Admissions" but failed to disclose them for years. The Chemists and the Cover-Up - Reason.com As How to Fix a Drug Scandal explores, Farak had long struggled with her mental . Biden Embraces the Fearmongering, Vows To Squash D.C.'s Mild Criminal Justice Reforms, The Flap Over Biden's Comment About 2 Fentanyl Deaths Obscures Prohibition's Role in Causing Them, Conservatives Turn Further Against WarExcept Maybe With Mexico. Kaczmarek, along with former assistant attorneys general Kris Foster and John Verner, all face possible sanctions. In 2019, she was seen leaving the Springfield Federal Court but declined to comment on the status of the case. Episode 2. Chemist was high at work for 8 years: court docs - CBS News "Forensic evidence is not uniquely immune from the risk of manipulation," Justice Antonin Scalia wrote for the majority. another filing. A Compelling New Take on a Massachusetts Lab Scandal Tainting Thousands She was sentenced in 2014 to 18 months in prison and 5 years of probation. Since her release, she has kept a low profile and managed to stay out of the public . "It would be difficult to overstate the significance of these documents, Ryan
Dookhan had seeded public mistrust in the criminal justice system, which "now becomes an issue in every criminal trial for every defendant.". The surveillance of the chemists as well as the standards and the confiscated drugs has also been increased considerably.