After eight years at the lab, Sonja was finally caught out and arrested for her actions. The filmmaker told that she spent a lot of time thinking about Farak and trying to humanize her. She had also kept a detailed daily record of her substance abuse for a drug counsellor, which noted that she used. Yet, the cases of Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhanbecame "one of the largest mass dismissals of criminal convictions in United States history." In the last couple of minutes of the mini-series, there seems to be a reunion at a local Boston restaurant, where many of the key players in the series appear. Discovery Company. Her parents were depicted as loving, and somewhat strict. (413) [email protected], DanielN. Marx How to Fix A Drug Scandal is Netflix's latest intriguing documentary series, and these are 10 details everyone missed. Tens of thousands of criminal drug cases were dismissed as a result of misconduct by Dookhan and Farak. "I was smoking in the lab, I was smoking at home. 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. Copies of the notice letter, in English, Spanish, and other languages, are posted below. You know, no special treatment. She shone academically as well. It didnt matter whether or not she was the one who did the testing or some other chemist. A spokesperson for Attorney General Maura Healey said the AG has long been clear that the conduct that occurred during the previous administration was completely unacceptable and her focus has always been making sure the mistakes of the past never happen again., She implemented a clear policy relating to the disclosure of evidence that is covered at mandatory trainings, created an internal ethics committee, and is committed to continually enhancing the offices integrity practices, the spokesperson added. Sonja Farak. Moreover, more than 24,000 cases ended up being dismissed due to Faraks misconduct. In 2019, she was seen attending a civil court case relating to her, but she's otherwise kept a . While she reached out to her family to let them know that the docuseries was coming out, she hasnt spoken to Farak and doesnt know much about her current life. How does Jon Taffer Feb 1, 2023. A Board of Bar Overseers special hearing officer recently issued these findings in a 98-page decision about former assistant attorneys general Anne Kaczmarek, John Verner and Kris Foster. Powered by. Faraks therapist, Anna Kogan, wrote in her notes that Farak was worried about Nikki finding out about her addiction as well as the possible legal issues if she were ever caught. After she was caught, Farak pleaded guilty to stealing drugs from the lab and was sentenced to prison time of 18 months. An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, This page, Drug lab cases information, is. You can try, Suspensions and a reprimand proposed for prosecutors admonished in drug lab scandal. When testing Penates sample a second time, Farak had taken LSD and the sensation of colors in the wind left her unable to function for work. Still, when Penates lawyers inquired about Faraks drug usage, the Massachusetts state prosecutors refused to give up information. 1. For information on how to obtain relief through the class action lawsuit, please contact the attorneys representing the class, as provided below: LukeRyan After serving for 13 months, she was released on parole in 2015. She remained a football fan, and loved the Patriots. The prosecutors have been tied to the drug lab scandal involving disgraced former state chemist Sonja Farak, who admitted to stealing and using drugs from an Amherst state lab. In December 2011, Springfield, Massachusetts police arrested Rolando Penate for allegedly selling heroin, and the drugs were sent off to be tested by then-35-year-old drug lab chemist Sonja Farak . In How to Fix a Drug Scandal, there are some funny moments, surprising details, and shocking facts that are interesting, but hard to catch. NORTHAMPTON Sonja J. Farak told a nurse at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center in Chicopee in December 2013 that she used methamphetamines and other stimulants "whenever she could get her hands on them." And since her job as a chemist was to test drug samples at a state drug lab in Amherst, that opportunity . Farak wasn't . history. He recommended she lose her law license for two years; the Office of Bar Counsel later argued Kaczmarek should be disbarred. While not reporting, he enjoys long-distance running. Rolling Stone covered both drug lab scandals in 2018 and uncovered that Farak had undergone from depression for many years. Although she establish a passion for science, graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and landed a job at the Amherst state drug lab, Farak still felt alien and unseen, a ghost floating through her own life, per Rolling Stone. Netflixs How to Fix a Drug Scandal Story: 5 Fast Facts. Farak was smoking crack 10 to 12 times a day. Published Jul 1, 2020. Penate's suit said Kaczmarek withheld evidence that Farak used drugs at the lab for longer than the Massachusetts attorney general's office first claimed, and that he would not have been imprisoned based on tainted evidence. Farak was born on January 13, 1978, in Rhode Island to Stanley and Linda Farak. The Board of Bar Overseers (BBO) is reviewing the actions of three prosecutors in the investigation of the scandal to determine whether any of them deliberately withheld potentially exculpatory evidence. Thank you! "No reasonablejury could conclude that this evidence is not favorable.". She received an 18-month jail sentence. But it turns out that Farak was really high while running some of those tests. Top-requested sites to log in to services provided by the state. She has since been one of 18 defendants facing a lawsuit by Rolando Penate, who claims they committed "intentional infliction of emotional distress in addition to the conspiracy to violate [Penates] civil rights.. Regarding the cases that she had handled, the Massachusetts courts threw out every case in the Amherst lab during her tenure. In episode 3, audiences are introduced to the ACLU and its involvement in the case. Sonja Farak, 35, has been accused of mishandling drug evidence, the attorney general's office said Sunday. She had been accused of "intentional infliction of emotional distress in addition to the conspiracy to violate [Penate's] civil rights.". Luke Ryan Photo: Netflix "How to Fix a Drug Scandal" documents the riveting details about how a . They wrote that she served 13 months and was paroled sometime in 2015. On further review, the Court ordered the automatic dismissal with prejudice of all cases tested at the Amherst Drug Lab between January 2009 and January 2013, effective December 13, 2018. After serving just a year of her 18 month sentence, Farak was released from prison in 2015. A lock icon ( While Farak kept her drug use separated to work only at first, her use still spilled out. From 2004 to 2013, Farak took benefit of the labs lack of supervision and stole the drugs cops had seized. The scandal led to the dismissal of thousands of drug convictions. You can check your records electronically by following this link: Please do not include personal or contact information. READ NEXT: Sonja Farak: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. The court will be sending notices to those affected by Ms. Faraks misconduct. Sonja Farak worked as a chemist for the state of Massachusetts, specializing in identifying illegal substances. appreciated. Farak was released from prison in 2015 and has kept a low profile since. Its a quick two-shot sequence, but it provides punny humor for those that caught the joke. CNNs attempts to reach an attorney representing Farak were unsuccessful. Jon Taffer Net Worth: Who is Jon Taffer? Kaczmarek failed to disclose information and intentionally misrepresented the evidence she had, and worked to actively shut down inquiry and deflect zealous work by Farak defendants counsel who were doing their jobs by requesting evidence of Faraks misconduct, according to the report. Yes, it is so exciting to put a series out and I think the series is well-reported and researched but its something that happened in the midst of her addiction, and she was incredibly embarrassed about it. The series chronicles nine years of misconduct at two Massachusetts drug labs. Filmmaker Erin Lee Carrs recent docu-series How to Fix a Drug Scandal twinkles a spotlight on wrongdoing on several levels but its main focus is on a Massachusetts former drug lab technician named Sonja Farak. Another chemist was accused of tampering, affecting 34,000 drug cases, in October. [6] How to Fix a Drug Scandal depicts the role of former Attorney General of Massachusetts Martha Coakley, who was accused of political cover up. 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. She was sentenced in 2014 to 18 months in prison and 5 years of probation. Penate had been arrested in 2011 for selling heroin. Not only did she do this in the lab, but also in court whilst testifying in relation to cases. After her arrest, in 2013, Farak told prosecutors she had become addicted to drugs while working in the lab and, over nine years, had taken meth, crack cocaine, amphetamines, ketamine and LSD in the lab's bathroom and at the bench where she tested. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. Sonja Farak during her arraignment at Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown in 2013. It features the true story of Sonja Farak, a former state drug lab chemist in Massachusetts who was arrested in 2013 for consuming the drugs she was supposed to test and tampering with the evidence to cover up her tracks. Two drug lab chemists' shocking crimes cripple a state's judicial system and blur the lines of justice for lawyers, officials and thousands of inmates. How to Fix A Drug Scandal is Netflix's latest intriguing documentary series, and these are 10 details everyone missed. After her arrest, she received support from her parents, who showed up to her court appearances, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported. Robertson rejected Kaczmarek's claims she should not be held responsible for the turning over of exculpatory evidence because she was not part of the "prosecution team" in Penate's case. READ NEXT: Netflixs How to Fix a Drug Scandal Story: 5 Fast Facts, Sonja Farak: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. If she puts her mind to something, she can do it, Amy told the producers of How to Fix a Drug Scandal.. In addition, the two antagonists of the story were two women - prosecutors who made it impossible for the convicts to be rightfully released from prison. Heres what you need to know about Sonja Farak: Farak was born on January 13, 1978, in Rhode Island to Stanley and Linda Farak. All Rights Reserved. Kaczmarek has repeatedly testified she did not act intentionally and that she thought the worksheets had been turned over to the district attorneys who prosecuted the cases involved. In 2014, former Amherst drug lab chemist Sonja Farak was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison after it was discovered that she stole and used drugs that she was entrusted to test. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. Netflix's documentary titled 'How to Fix a Drug Scandal' looks into . She received the American Institute of Chemists Award in her final year as well as a Crimson and Gray Award from the school a year before, which recognized her dedication, commitment and unselfishness in the enrichment of student life at WPI. A Rolling Stone piece on Farak also indicated that she graduated with high distinction from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. In the first episode, audiences are revealed a very important fact about television - drug chemists arent actually a thing on television. She said it gave me the desired effects. You skipped the table of contents section. She had been accused of intentional infliction of emotional distress in addition to the conspiracy to violate [Penates] civil rights.. Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice: Arabic, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice: Chinese, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice: Haitian, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice: Portuguese, Notice of Rights to Challenge Conviction:Spanish, Notice of Rights to Challenge Conviction:Haitian Creole, Notice of Rights to Challenge Conviction:Khmer, Notice of Rights to Challenge Conviction:Portuguese, Notice of Rights to Challenge Conviction:Vietnamese, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice:Spanish, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice:Arabic, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice:Chinese, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice:Haitian Creole, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice:Khmer, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice:Portuguese, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice:Russian, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice:Vietnamese, Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants talks about your rights in this informational video, Stacy Foster et al vs. Commonwealth of Massachusetts Settlement, contact the Executive Office of the Trial Court. 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