It appears that Linda has Christianity listed as her religion, and is a Caucasian woman, whos registered as a Democrat. She grew up in Portsmouth with her sister Amy.. Because she did so, Plaintiff served more than five years in a state prison.". But this wasn't the only drug lab scandal that would rock the state's criminal justice system. She suffered from substance misuse disorder and she was in the worst kind of place to try to combat that, defense attorney Luke Ryan told Oxygen.com. A majority of the report focused on Kaczmarek, who was primarily in charge of the day-to-day handling of the Farak prosecution. While Farak kept her drug use isolated to work only at first, her use still spilled out. ", "She isn't on drugs anymore, and I think that that is incredible," Carr, who also directed the true-crime documentaries. Farak testified that she started off trying meth in the lab because she was "curious. She admitted that back in college shed research drugs and noted that meth sounded like one she was particularly interested in trying. Since then, she has kept a low profile. She had been accused of intentional infliction of emotional distress in addition to the conspiracy to violate [Penates] civil rights.. 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. Sonja Farak Today: Where Is She Now? | Heavy.com Penate is just one of the thousands of people whose cases were affected by Faraks actions. "I think that there has been a decent amount of coverage on Sonja regionally, but it was almost as if it was [only] the really intense partsthat she was smoking crack 10 to 12 times a daybut it didn't super go into her background, and her as a person," Carr explains. Massachusetts prosecutor tied to Sonja Farak drug lab scandal 'actively The medical records stated that she did not have an existing drug problem that was amplified by her access to more substances. Thank you! Jasmine Gomez is the Commerce Editor at Womens Health, where she cover the best product recommendations across beauty, health, lifestyle, fitness, and more. Westcott has been in recovery from heroin addiction for nearly nine years. Very little is known about Farak, the former chemist at the states drug lab, since she has kept a very low profile, even more so after her release from prison. 1 Indeed, this Court's decisions concerning the Hinton drug lab scandal compel that remedy. Farak was well (Long, 2021) educated, participated in sports, was married, owned a home, did not have a criminal record, and held a respectable job . According to a Rolling Stone profile on Farak and the case, the former chemist has not been heard from since her release. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. She was sentenced to 18 months behind bars, followed by five years of probation and 500 hours of community services, the same year. She purchased a home there in 2006. However, the Netflix docuseries, How To Fix a Drug Scandal, shows us Sonjas moment of weakness, which led her to experiment with the drugs in evidence. Now the Board of Bar Overseers special hearing officer concluded that there were numerous lapses, oversights, intentional misconduct and rule violations by Kaczmarek, Verner and Foster. Sonja Farak in court in 2014.. The four-part investigation explains why the Massachusetts drug analyst fabricated evidence while working at the Hinton State Laboratory in Boston, and how her incompetence affected a subsequent scandal involving fellow chemist Sonja Farak in Amherst. After high school, Sonja went on to major in biochemistry at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in western Massachusetts. Linda was married to Stanley M Farak, who was in the US Navy. She Was Born in 1978 & Raised in Portsmouth, Rhode Island Farak was born on January 13, 1978, in Rhode Island to Stanley and Linda Farak. She was also her class co-valedictorian. Any uncashed checks will be distributed to Community Legal Aid, Inc., the Transformational Prison Project, and the Tufts Education Reentry Network program after one year. that she spent a lot of time thinking about Farak and trying to humanize her. Kaczmarek argued the findings are subject to appeal. Sonja Farak (left) leaving the courthouse with her lawyer. From the start, we have recognized that defendants with vacated convictions should be refunded and are pleased to have engaged in a collaborative effort to reach a fair and efficient resolution for all involved.. Deborah Becker Twitter Host/ReporterDeborah Becker is a senior correspondent and host at WBUR. 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. on Oct. 31, 2017. According to her teammates, She was the best center in the league last year, and they [felt] stronger with her in there than with some guys.. Its almost as if somebody would take the worst part of my life and show it to millions of people.. Inwardly though, Sonja was struggling. People Also Viewed . Her medical records included notes from Faraks therapist in Amherst, Anna Kogan. The place was closed as soon as Faraks crimes came to light. She started bringing drugs home, and doing them first thing in the morning. They wrote that she served 13 months and was paroled sometime in 2015.. The civil lawsuit was one of the last tied to prosecutors' disputed handling of the case against disgraced ex-chemist Sonja Farak, who was convicted in 2014 of ingesting drug samples she was. The charges against Penate were dismissed after Farak's conviction. Why did she do that and where has it left her? . As a defense attorney, he discusses the importance . Stream GBH's Award-Winning Content For Parents And Children. When she's not shopping for a living, she enjoys karaoke and dining out more than she cares to admit. I think shes a good person, she said. Read More: Best Movies about Drug on Netflix. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Where is Sonja Farak Now? - The Cinemaholic The woman is older now and is perhaps trying to put the incident concerning her daughter, behind her. "I was personally nervous, and I came away with a deeper level of understanding about her, about the caseand I felt a lot of gratitude that she met me," Carr says. The actions of Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan caused a racket of such a scale that the state had to recompense for it with millions of dollars and had to make a historic move in the dismissal of wrongful convictions. Extent of Massachusetts lab's forensics failure revealed Farak's findings, and occasional testimony at court about her testing, was used as evidence to convict the person who had been arrested. post office box as her contact information. Kaczmarek, along with former assistant attorneys general Kris Foster and John Verner, all face possible sanctions. YouTube Judge, lawyers: State dragging feet on Amherst drug lab scandal How to Fix a Drug Scandal: What Happened to Annie Dookhan As the docuseries shows, she admitted to a therapist in 2009 that she had been struggling with addiction issues since 2005. Three prosecutors connected with the Amherst drug lab scandal failed to disclose evidence and engaged in misconduct, including one prosecutor who actively misled others, a scathing report states. She was sentenced in January 2014 after she pled guilty to four counts of theft of a controlled substance from an authorized dispensary, four counts of tampering with evidence and two counts of cocaine possession. How to Fix a Drug Scandal: With Shannon O'Neill, Karl Kenzler, Paul Solotaroff, Jared Olanoff. She said early recovery was hard because finding employment and housing was difficult with a criminal record and having to pay court fees. Criminal. They wrote that Lee, disabled by a stew of mental ailments, [spent] her hours surfing the Web in a haze.. In Sonja Farak drug lab scandal, Mass - The Washington Post Farak is one of two Massachusetts drug lab technicians who were caught tainting evidence that was used to convict thousands of defendants on drug charges. I felt euphoric, Kogan wrote of Farak. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. Sonja Farak during her arraignment at Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown in 2013. After their arrests, prosecutors at the Massachusetts Attorney Generals office then. Shortly into her role at Amherst, Farak decided to try liquid methamphetamine to ease her personal struggles. When she got married, it turned out that her wife, too, suffered from her own demons, and their collective anguish made Sonja desperate for a reprieve from this life. Filmmaker Erin Lee Carrs newest docuseries How to Fix a Drug Scandal shines a spotlight on misconduct on several levels but its primary focus is on a Massachusetts former drug lab technician named Sonja Farak. Many people watching the show are wondering: where is Sonja Farak now? 3 Farak Defendants. Episode 2. Thousands to split $14M in Mass. drug lab scandal settlement She first worked at the Hinton State Laboratory in Jamaica Plain for a year as a bacteriologist working on HIV tests before she transferred to the Amherst Lab for drug analysis. The settlement is the result of a class action lawsuit seeking to reimburse those who had their cases dismissed. Months before Faraks misconduct came to light in 2013, another lab technician named Annie Dookhan was arrested in 2012 after it became apparent that she wasnt even testing the drug evidence; rather, she just marked results as positive so that she could impress her colleagues with her speed and efficiency. According to the notes, Farak thought it gave her energy, helped her to get things done and not procrastinate, feel more positive., Her partner Nikki Lee testified before a grand jury that she herself had tried cocaine, that she had observed Farak using cocaine in 2000, and that she had marijuana in her house when police officers arrived to search the premises as part of their investigation of Farak., In Faraks testimony during a grand jury investigation, she said that she became a recreational drug user during graduate school and used cocaine, marihuana, and ecstasy. She also said she used heroin one time and was nervous and sick and hated every minute of it [and had] no desire to use [it] again., Farak met and settled down with Nikki Lee in her 20s. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! In four one-hour episodes, director Erin Lee Carr explores the case of Sonja Farak, a chemist at the state drug lab in Amherst, Massachusetts. In fact, she was highly accomplished before all her struggles. The disgraced chemist was sentenced to less than two years behind bars in 2014, following her guilty pleas for stealing cocaine from the lab. Sonja Farak is at the center of Netflix's new true crime docuseries, How To Fix a Drug Scandal. Release year: 2020. Judge dismisses 'qualified immunity' claim in suit against ex - WBUR After weeks of hearings, a "special hearing officer" selected by the board recommended potential sanctions against them all. Her supply came from work itself; she would take drugs and use them and then replace the evidence bags with fake drugs. Dookhan was. AG Healey has also dedicated her efforts to finding fair resolutions for all involved, including advocating for the dismissal of convictions impacted by (Annie) Dookhan and Faraks crimes, and ensuring certain fines and fees are returned to defendants whose criminal charges have been dismissed.. She was struggling to suppress mental health issues, depression in particular, and she tried to kill herself in high school, according to, I could not imagine being high on liquid methamphetamine and hiding it, day in, day out, Carr told, , adding that her initial curiosity surrounding Farak kicked off the making of the docuseries. "She isn't on drugs anymore, and I think that that is incredible," Carr, who also directed the true-crime documentaries "I Love You, Now Die" and "Mommy Dead and Dearest," told Womens Health. After years of misconduct, thousands of wrongful convictions are Camila Cabello And Shawn Mendes' Full Relationship, Everything To Know About Rihannas 2nd Pregnancy, Stars Who Got Their Start on Reality TV Shows, These Pregnant Celebrities Have Due Dates In 2023, See Blake Shelton's Throwback Pic With Reba, Meghan Trainor Says She 'Can't Walk' After Sex, Five Dead Giveaways Tell Burglars You're Not Home, 40 Things You Can Buy On Amazon For Under $10. 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. Criminal. Sonja Farak: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. 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. Linda was married to Stanley M Farak, who was in the US Navy. She was released in 2015, as reported by Mass Live. While she reached out to her family to let them know that the docuseries was coming out, she hasnt spoken to Farak and doesn't know much about her current life. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Sonja Farak faced new drugs civil court case after crack jail shame and "No reasonablejury could conclude that this evidence is not favorable.". Her job was to determine whether a substance someone was caught carrying was really cocaine, meth, or something else. 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 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. Listen Live: Classic and Contemporary Celtic, Listen Live: Cape, Coast and Islands NPR Station, Greenway Food Truck Festival promises diverse flavors in the heart of Boston, New heads of Mass Democrats and Mass GOP spar on abortion, The drag show during North Brookfield's Pride celebration will go on, The guy who ate a $120,000 banana in an art museum says he was just hungry, Basic Black: Castle of Our Skins celebrates Black artistry through chamber music. The docuseries did note that Farak is still a fan of the Patriots. Within a year of working at the new lab, Farak began doing drugs. Where is Linda Farak Now? - The Cinemaholic After she was caught, Farak pleaded guilty to stealing drugs from the lab and was sentenced to prison time of 18 months. March 9, 2021 Greater Boston Eight years since disgraced chemist Sonja Farak was arrested for tampering with evidence at a Massachusetts drug lab, the effects of her actions are still unfolding. A scandal erupts, raising questions for the thousands of defendants in her cases. Linda was born on 19th July 1951. It is important to point out that Sonja Farak was considered a typical citizen as she did not fit the stereotype of a drug offender . Its no big deal, 14-year-old Farak said to the Panama City News Herald. Previously to her arrest, Farak lived in Laurel Park, Northampton in Massachusetts. She confided in her therapist that all the drugs she was consuming came from her workplace. 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. After launching a lengthy investigation, his attorney Luke Ryan discovered that Farak had been using drugs the same day she ran tests on the substances found on him, thanks to paperwork he discovered noting the date of one of Farak's therapy sessions, where she admitted to have been using that day. The Amherst Bulletin reported that her medical records indicated that she only became addicted to drugs once she started working at the lab, in 2004. Because of all that, it's no surprise that Farak was sent to prison in Massachusetts. The four-part documentary series, released this month, focuses on the 2013 arrest - and ensuing court case - of Sonja Farak, a then-35-year-old crime lab chemist accused of tampering with . How to Fix A Drug Scandal takes a one-woman issue in a crumbling police drug lab and follows the way it blew up an entire legal system. In 2019, she was seen leaving the Springfield Federal Court but declined to comment on the status of the case. Sonja Farak, left, stands during her arraignment at Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown, Mass. A final decision is still pending and must be approved by the state Supreme Judicial Court. You can try, Judge dismisses 'qualified immunity' claim in suit against ex-prosecutor in drug lab scandal, Judge declines mass dismissal of cases from tainted drug lab, New Evidence May Implicate Additional Chemists In Statewide Drug Lab Scandal. Former Massachusetts crime lab chemist Sonja Farak, left, during her arraignment in 2013. Netflix released a new docu-series called "How to Fix a Drug Scandal." 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. The scandal led to . The project has brought up questions Carr is still grappling with. Where Is Kris Foster From 'How to Fix a Drug Scandal' Now? - Women's Health True Story of 'How to Fix a Drug Scandal' - Esquire By some accounts, she is 68 years old. Her notes record on-the-job drug use ranging from small nips of the lab's baseline. Sonja Farak: Defendant Rafael Rodriguez died of drug overdose - MEAWW The series chronicles nine years of misconduct at two Massachusetts drug labs. Investigators gave that information to Kaczmarek and the state AG's office,according tohearings before thestate board that disciplines attorneys. 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. Follow her @JazzeGomez. Sonja Farak grew up with an interest in sports, and a desire to do well in life. Faraks sister Amy Farak said her sister excelled at sports. 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. It gave me energy. (Courtesy Shawn Musgrave) For the first time ever, the board that disciplines attorneys is recommending a former Massachusetts prosecutor lose her law license for failing to turn over evidence that might have exonerated defendants. Months before Faraks misconduct came to light in 2013, another lab technician named Annie Dookhan was arrested in 2012 after it became apparent that she wasnt even testing the drug evidence; rather, she just marked results as positive so that she could impress her colleagues with her speed and efficiency. She was caught when it was discovered she was high on LSD while testing samples from. Support GBH. When Farak was arrested,former Attorney General Martha Coakley told the public investigators believed Farak tampered with drugs at the lab for only a few months. As shown in the docuseries, she testified that her childhood was normal and middle class. The settlement also covers relatives of deceased class members. DA Ryan on Farak Investigation. In December 2011, after police in Springfield, Mass., had arrested Renaldo Penate for allegedly selling heroin, the drugs from that case were tested at a state drug lab by technician Sonja Farak. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. After her arrest, she received support from her parents, who showed up to her court appearances, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported. It appears that Linda has Christianity listed as her religion, and is a Caucasian woman, who's registered as a Democrat. She was arrested for tampering with evidence while abusing narcotics at work.
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