BANGOR, Maine — The owner of a Corinna business raided by federal investigators in January 2011 and accused of playing a role in a large marijuana-growing operation in Washington County was released Wednesday after posting $250,000 secured bail.
Robert Berg, 49, of Dexter was arrested Sunday along with co-defendants Malcolm French, 50, of Enfield; Rodney Russell, 48, of South Thomaston; and Kendall Chase, 55, of Bradford. All four men along with Haynes Timberland Inc., a Maine corporation, were indicted on federal drug and other charges arising from the Sept. 22, 2009, seizure of nearly 3,000 marijuana plants.
Each pleaded not guilty to the charges lodged against them late Monday afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Margaret Kravchuk, according to a previous report. All but Berg were released on bail.
Berg’s release was held up while firearms were removed from his home and deeds of trust to property he owns could be posted as bail.
Another individual also has been indicted in the case but has not been arrested, Assistant Attorney General Joel Casey, who is prosecuting the case, said. Once the person is arrested, his or her name will be released.
French is scheduled to plead not guilty Friday on behalf of Haynes Timberland Inc.
Russell, French and Chase are charged with conspiracy to manufacture more than 1,000 marijuana plants. French, Russell, Berg and Chase are charged with manufacturing more than 1,000 marijuana plants. French, Russell and Haynes Timberland Inc. are charged with managing and controlling property used to manufacture marijuana. French, Russell and Berg also are charged with harboring illegal aliens. In addition, Berg is charged with assisting individuals conspiring to manufacture marijuana evade apprehension.
French was released after his court appearance Monday on $350,000 bail, secured by the deed to his home. Chase was released Tuesday after posting $250,000 bail, secured by deeds to his primary residence in Penobscot County and summer home in Washington County.
Russell, who is on supervised release for a conviction in April 2011 for health care fraud, was released on his own recognizance. He was released July 6 after serving five months in federal prison, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prison’s Inmate Locater website.
Berg is the owner of Berg Sportswear, the Corinna business that does custom screenprinting and embroidery that was raided by federal investigators in January 2011. Documents made public in July 2011 indicated that investigators were looking for evidence that Berg was using logos for major sports teams illegally.
Investigators in January 2011 seized business records, computers and dozens of boxes of merchandise from the business and residence, according to a custody receipt for seized property and evidence filed in federal court in Bangor. In addition to those items, more than $38,000 in U.S. currency and $740 in Canadian cash was found and seized in safes in the garage of Berg’s home.
How that evidence is related to the charges on which Berg was indicted was not clear Wednesday.
When the marijuana operation was discovered in 2009 in Washington County, MDEA officials categorized the size, scope and detail of the operation as quite surprising. They said the plants — many of them 8 feet tall and highly cultivated — were of extremely high quality.
“We have never seen this type of operation in Maine before,” Maine Drug Enforcement Agency Director Roy McKinney said at the time. He confirmed that it was a plantation or farm, where caretakers of the crop lived 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“These are the types of operations we see on the West Coast,” McKinney said. “In Maine, when marijuana is grown in remote locations, someone usually hikes in and checks it periodically. These growers were living right here.”
If convicted, defendants charged with conspiracy and manufacturing marijuana face between 10 years and life in prison and a $10 million fine.
Those charged with managing and controlling property used to manufacture marijuana face up to 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine, if convicted. Defendants charged with harboring illegal aliens face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and those charged with assisting individuals to evade apprehension face up to 15 years in prison and a $5 million fine, if convicted. The indictment also seeks forfeiture of Haynes Timberland Inc. and the real property used to manufacture marijuana.
Taxpayers should be pissed that they’re paying to prosecute this victimless crime.
Alcohol kills more people every year then all drugs combined. Marijuana should be legelized. Has many medical benefits. You can grow it yourself. Corporations , law enforcement, lawyers would lose billions. Its a big farse and all about MONEY. In my 60 years Iv’e seen such a change in the attitudes of law enforement towards the people of this country. I love my country and flag so many are dying for. I just sometimes wonder why so many good people have to suffer.
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. I’ll bet there is someone in your family who smokes pot, good people do you want to see them go to jail. It’s bad enough they have to hid the fact to be accepted and respected. Semper Fi 70-74
the world is laughing at the US becoming a nation of druggies
Really? Can you hear them?
“Spain, like many European countries, has liberal laws on marijuana use, compared to many other nations such as the U.S. Spanish laws focus on restricting sale and transport of the drug. Individual possession and use in private are legal. Spain generally treats drug abuse as a health issue rather than a legal issue. Drug abusers are more likely to face court-appointed treatment programs than incarceration.”Read more: Marijuana Laws in Spain | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6950924_marijuana-laws-spain.html#ixzz27dWOdtIK
Many countries have decriminalized marijuana use and possesion. In Spain where many drugs were decriminalized it was found that actual drug use went down somewhat. Other countries are not laughing at us because we are a nation of druggies, they are laughing at us becuase we the citizens allow this gross misuse of our tax money and abuse of power.
As Europe goes, so goes the U,S,. The Dutch are the biggest druggies as is Sweden, Norway, Mexico. You got your poppies fields the U.S. military is not only protecting but encourage the Afghans to keep growing. Russia and Germany are the biggest boozers on the planet. SO wheres the laughing coming from?
There are several different reasons that we are protecting the poppy fields. Firstly, the poppies are a major part of the economy in those places and by destroying them it further destabilizes the country even more than it already has been by the occupation. One of the other reasons that we now protect those same poppies is that is was quickly discovered that if you destroy all of the poppies there is no longer any opium. No opium no morhpine. No morphine, the soldiers we sent into harms way had to suffer their terrible injuries without pain medication because there was a shortage of morphine. This not only affected our combat troops but people in hospitals around the world.
As usual, no one at the “top” bothered to look at the long term effect of their actions.
I don’t have a problem with that, it just seems rather two faced
to make pot illegal when there is so many positive things about pot.
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_related_mortality/
More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.
If you want to argue with the CDC, feel free.
Who cares. We all know tobacco kills.
Seldom does the News tell us that people have been killed or killed others in a car accident while having pot in their system. That would be a good statistic to research. Many people grow their own pot to save money and to feel safe in knowing what they will be using. So today the BDN and other Maine news sources feel the need to tell us about a business owner getting busted for pot cultivation. Disgusting that our taxes are being used to prosecute these people. Something stinks as in a RAT.
I sure feel like a victim since I’m working two jobs (and paying taxes on both) while these yahoos are playing loosey-goosey with the system, probably laundering wads and wads of cash, and pay absolutely NOTHING. Besides all that, nobody knows what “activities” they invest their profit in, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t go in the collection plate on Sunday.
That’s exactly why I want this plant legal. I’m tried of working for peanuts while these guys get stoned and get rich growing weed. Legalize and put them out of business.
You’re speaking about Wall Streeters, right?
“Yes, as through this world I’ve wandered
I’ve seen lots of funny men;
Some will rob you with a six-gun,
And some with a fountain pen.
And as through your life you travel,
Yes, as through your life you roam,
You won’t never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home.”
I’m a taxpayer and i am not pissed at all. I think you might be talking about the non tax paying citizens that are pissed. Most dopers are on disability, non productive leeches on society.
I agree 100%
It’s not a victimless crime when we’re talking millions of dollars and potential life sentences. People get hurt. People get killed. This isn’t about marijuana , it’s about organized crime.
Howie … Oh Howie!!
Say it ain’t so Howie Carr!
yeah wonder if this’ll make the show. It might. “Legalize the bud, man.”..and the La Cucaracha horn maybe…
——————————————“Well there shouldn’t be no law, if people that wants to smoke a lil’ dope.”–Muddy Waters, “Champagne and Reefer”
Does anyone actually think if these individuals had gotten by with the manufacturing of marijuana it would have stopped there? The fast easy cash is in smuggling harder drugs like Heroin and Cocaine which i have no doubt they would have moved on to. Good ole boys, hero’s? Only to dopers…………….
Really? These guys are in their 50’s, probably been doing this for 30 years. There’s more profit in growing pot than smuggling heroin. You can’t even compare the two. Marijuana grows from a seed. Heroin and cocaine are processed, not an easy task . You need to lay off the movies and fox news
french and berg own businesses. what are russell and chase’s backgrounds?
Nice guys, trying to make a living where there’s no jobs…….?
Am sure that the tee-shirts poking fun at Obama’s Auntie Zuntuni and Uncle Omar that Berg made brought him under extra scrutiny from the DEA.
Yeah, and I’m sure it made him do illegal things too.
Do they screenprint tinfoil hats, too?
Then you are not sure of very much.
” Berg also are charged with harboring illegal aliens”
Yet, he sold anti illegal alien T shirts. How they are criminals.
Lots of illegal aliens in maine prison. good luck meeting them hamBERGer
Never trust a pointing finger.
Obama is laughing his fool head off about now going good job boys berg got himself targeted same as Howie got audited for revenge
They knew what they were doing when they went inside the place, it wasn’t about the logos, it was more about the plants, sure a story might develop attempting to forge a relationship between the two but their primary purpose was not about the logos.
here is a picture of Robert Berg, 49, of Dexter …arrested DRUG DEALER..arrested HARBORING ILLEGAL ALIENS…
….and who is that other guy next to him?
https://www.bergsportswear.com/PHDInventory/gallery-image.asp?img=/PHDInventory/Pictures/162135/162135_11008_28673.jpg&w=640&h=480
Oh Howie the hater of marijuana users. Say it isn’t so! :-)
“How many more Mr. Speaker? How many more?”
That’s funny. Bob looks like he might of toked up prior to that pic…
I think BDN should do some investigative reporting on Berg. Oh the irony of harboring illegal aliens.
Now we taxpayers must pay for the administration, prosecution, and jailing of these people.
The REAL marijuana industry are the police, judges, prison systems, and lawyers that so richly benefit from keeping this plant illegal.
Marijuana could be a CASH crop. The marijuana industry could be about creating jobs just like tobacco and alcohol. Marijuana could be helpful to our economy.
Instead our tired, conservative prejudices enable the state to keep costing us millions of dollars while fighting the un-winable “war on drugs.”
What a total waste…
“Another individual also has been indicted in the case but has not been arrested, Assistant Attorney General Joel Casey, who is prosecuting the case, said. Once the person is arrested, his or her name will be released.”
I smell a rat. Anyone else?