Missouri Judge Releases Non-Violent Pot Prisoner Who Served Over A Decade Of 23-Year Prison Sentence

U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough of the Western District of Missouri granted compassionate release to marijuana offender Eric Scott McCauley of Columbia, Missouri.

McCauley was sentenced in 2012 to 23 years for “conspiracy to distribute over 100 kilos of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute over 100 kilos of marijuana, distribution of marijuana and money laundering.”

However, McCauley consistently argued he’d been wrongly convicted.

“I was convicted as a first-time nonviolent marijuana offender. The quantity of marijuana I am currently serving time for was rejected by a jury of my peers. My jury refused to convict me of the 1,000-kilo quantity suggested in the indictment. Instead, returning a conviction on the lesser offense of 100 kilos. The sentencing judge overrode the jury finding, holding me responsible for the full 1,000 kilos previously rejected," McCauley said. "Had I been sentenced consistent with the jury finding, I would no longer be the burden of taxpayers, instead, I’d be home paying taxes myself.”

In his release order, Judge Bough stated, “Upon review of the record, the Court finds further incarceration is not needed to reflect the seriousness of Defendant’s crimes, promote respect for the law, or provide just punishment for his offenses. Defendant has already spent over 12 years in prison. Although the nature and circumstances of Defendant’s crimes were serious, the Court agrees with Defendant that ‘the 12 and a half years [he] has spent in prison is long enough to reflect the seriousness of his offenses, promote respect for the law and provide just punishment for his offenses.”

The help of Weldon Angelos, founder of The Weldon Project, was crucial to the process of McCauley’s release. The Weldon Project is a non-profit cannabis-offender release, expungement and clemency program.

“It’s a great day for Eric, but we cannot lose sight of the thousands of people who are serving decades in prison for cannabis activities that are now considered recreational or therapeutic. As medical and recreational cannabis use becomes legal in many states, it serves as a reminder of how unjust the system really is. Through the Weldon Project’s Mission Green Initiative, we will continue to call on the Biden administration to right this wrong and usher in sweeping criminal-justice reform,” Angelos told Benzinga.

Encuentra nuestro contenido en Español en El Planteo:

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Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm on Unsplash