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. Penate alleged Kaczmarek's actions violated his "Brady rights," which require prosecutors to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence to defense counsel. . After she was caught, Farak pleaded guilty to stealing drugs from the lab and was sentenced to prison time of 18 months. After years of digging, lawyers found that Farak's illicit use of the drugs she worked with every day had actually become an addiction, and that her drug use had started well before her arresta fact the Massachusetts attorney general's office didn't initially reveal, according to the docuseries. Criminal. How to Fix a Drug Scandal depicts the role of former Attorney General of Massachusetts Martha Coakley, who was accused of political cover up. In conclusion, Linda seems to be where she always was. 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. 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 . While Farak claimed that she did in fact test all the drug evidence thrown her way, unlike Dookhan, she did so under highly questionable circumstances. She was sentenced in 2014 to 18 months in prison and 5 years of probation. Sonja Farak worked at the Amherst crime lab testing the authenticity of controlled substances submitted by state law enforcement agencies. The four-part documentary focuses on Dookhan and an independent case of fraud in the drug lab by Sonja Farak. The chemist, Sonja Farak, worked at the Amherst crime drug lab from 2004 to 2013 during which she was high almost every day. Background. Linda Farak is currently in her 60s. 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. In a sweeping decision issued on Thursday, Oct. 11, the Supreme Judicial Court dismissed with prejudice every methamphetamine-related conviction from the nine years that former chemist Sonja Farak worked at the Amherst lab, as well as all cases involving drug tests from that lab from Jan. 1, 2009 through Jan. 18, 2013. "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. She said early recovery was hard because finding employment and housing was difficult with a criminal record and having to pay court fees. Instead, the documentary . 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. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. I wasnt abused and yet I still turned out a certain way, still had some problems.. She looked into the western area of the state because it was less expensive and less hectic. Farak admitted in testimony that she began using drugs almost as soon as she started working at the Massachusetts State Crime Lab in Amherst. She began working there in 2004 and enjoyed that it was more laid back than the job at Hinton. The Netflix docuseries makes it clear that moments were re-created based on text from unsealed court transcripts; however, casual streamers may get confused about the artistic filmmaking choice, or even believe that O'Neill is indeed Farak. Farak is amongst one of the 18 defendants battling the lawsuit filed by Rolando Penate. 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. Carr said shes been horrified to read angry reactions towards Farak over Twitter. Farak was a former lab chemist at a lab in Amherst, Massachusetts and was convicted of stealing and using drugs from the lab where she worked. Her mother and sister seem to show no empathy for anyone involved in the cases of Sonja Farak, and only seem to be concerned with how the . "As the gatekeeper to this evidence, she failed to turn over documents, and she adamantly opposed the requests for access. Email; Facebook Tweet Listen 7:58. She married Lee after starting her job, but their marriage was rocky. The surveillance of the chemists as well as the standards and the confiscated drugs has also been increased considerably. 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. According to a newspaper article from 1992, she was the first female in Rhode Island to be on a high school football team. post office box as her contact information. Her notes record on-the-job drug use ranging from small nips of the lab's baseline. Deborah Becker Twitter Host/ReporterDeborah Becker is a senior correspondent and host at WBUR. The series chronicles nine years of misconduct at two Massachusetts drug labs. Within a year of working at the new lab, Farak began doing drugs. He went to bat for clients who were affected by both Farak and Dookhans misconduct. Lets find out. A majority of the report focused on Kaczmarek, who was primarily in charge of the day-to-day handling of the Farak prosecution. My findings, conclusions and credibility determinations above and below reflect that Kaczmarek not only failed to do this; she actively misled others in the AGO as to what had been produced to the DAOs.. Farak received a sentence of 18 months in jail and 5 years of probation. Class members can also call 1-833-630-1415 for information in both English and Spanish. Easy access to drugs and the lack of supervision at work allowed Farak to maintain and hide her addiction for several years. The cocaine, found in an unsealed, completed drug-testing kit, tested negativemeaning Farak had seemingly replaced the formerly "positive" drugs with falsified substances. Trump's latest attack addresses DeSantis' overseas trips to the U.K., Israel, Florida's Covid-19 record, and polling support for the 2024 Presidential race. In the series, it's explained that Farak loved the energy the meth gave her. Rick Sobey is a multimedia, general assignment reporter -- covering breaking news, politics and more across the region. Sonja Farak, of Northampton, a former chemist at the state crime lab in Amherst, appears in Hampshire Superior Court in Northampton in April 2013 for her arraignment on multiple counts of evidence . Before her sentencing, Farak failed a drug test while out on bail, according to Mass Live. [1] 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 . DA Ryan on Farak Investigation. Faraks mishandling of evidence halted in 2013 when she was approached by a state police trooper after some of her drug samples were discovered missing. Westcott has been in recovery from heroin addiction for nearly nine years. Her reporting focuses on mental health, criminal justice and education. I find that everyone needs to be given a second chance.". 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 fact, she was the first girl in the state of Rhode Island to play high school football in a public school system. But Westcott said she paid a variety of fees, such as $65 monthly probation costs and $500 to get her drivers license, before the SJC dismissed her three possession cases in 2018. 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. Rick is a Massachusetts native and graduated from Boston University. She was released in 2015, as reported by Mass Live. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. Kaczmarek argued for qualified immunity after she was sued by Rolando Penate, who spent five years in prison on drug charges in which the evidence in his case was tested by Farak. Those are things that cause people, including my clients, to make choices that negatively impact themselves and others. Sonja Farak was released on parole in 2016 and has remained out of the spotlight ever since. "All Defendant had to do to honor the Plaintiffs Brady rights was to turn over copies of documents that were obviously exculpatory as to the Farak defendants or accede to one of the repeated requests from counsel, including Plaintiffs counsel, that they be permitted to inspect the evidence seized from Faraks car," Robertson wrote in her ruling. She was released in 2015. . The docuseries did note that Farak is still a fan of the Patriots. Between Farak and Dookhanwho's also featured in How to Fix a Drug Scandal38,000 wrongfully convicted cases have been dismissed, according to the Washington Post. T he day Sonja Farak's world unraveled - the day a crack pipe and sliced evidence bags of cocaine were found at her workstation - started like many others: she attended court. YouTube She tested . She married Nikki Lee. Sonja Farak. Why did she do that and where has it left her? Where is Farak today? The state and attorneys for some of the defendants agreed to a $14 million settlement to reimburse 31,000 defendants for post conviction-related costs, such as probation and parole fees, drug analysis and GPS monitoring. 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. Because of all that, it's no surprise that Farak was sent to prison in Massachusetts. Am I somebody who took her personhood? She has been under arrest since 2013 under drug abuse charges. Jasmine Gomez is the Commerce Editor at Womens Health, where she cover the best product recommendations across beauty, health, lifestyle, fitness, and more. Heres what you need to know about Sonja Farak: Farak was born on January 13, 1978, in Rhode Island to Stanley and Linda Farak. After serving for 13 months, she was released on parole in 2015. Join us. I could not imagine being high on liquid methamphetamine and hiding it, day in, day out, Carr told Oxygen.com, adding that her initial curiosity surrounding Farak kicked off the making of the docuseries. However, from the docuseries, it is clear that she remains in touch with her daughters. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. "Annie Dookhan and Sonja Farak's crimes undermined the integrity of our justice system and impacted thousands of lives," Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said when the settlement was. At one point, Westcott said she faced incarceration because of unpaid court costs. Carr, who has been public about her past personal battles with alcohol misuse said that it takes both strength and a very specific type of person to hide such intense substance use for so long. Kaczmarek argued before the BBO, and in response to Penate's lawsuit, that she was focused on prosecuting Farak and not defendants, like Penate, whose criminal cases were affected by Farak's misconduct. Original release. Farak pleaded guilty to four counts of tampering with evidence, four counts of theft of a controlled substance from an authorized dispensary, and two counts of possession of cocaine in 2014. "No reasonable individual could have failed to appreciate the unlawfulness of [Kaczmarek's] actions in these circumstances," Robertson wrote in her ruling. Unfortunately, Stanley passed away in 2015. In 2017, Rolando Penate filed a $5.7 million lawsuit against 18 defendants, including Farak. Farak's findings, and occasional testimony at court about her testing, was used as evidence to convict the person who had been arrested. It appears that Linda has Christianity listed as her religion, and is a Caucasian woman, who's registered as a Democrat. Linda was married to Stanley M Farak, who was in the US Navy. 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. After her arrest, she received support from her parents, who showed up to her court appearances, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported. Hints of problems to come were not apparent as a child, at least not from the outside. As a defense attorney, he discusses the importance . The place was closed as soon as Faraks crimes came to light. Tens of thousands of criminal drug cases were dismissed as a result of misconduct by Dookhan and Farak. She's no longer in prison, as Farak has served her sentence. Penate argued the court should follow those findings. The charges against Penate were dismissed after Farak's conviction. 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. I think shes a good person, she said. By some accounts, she is 68 years old. After contemplating another suicide, she settled on drugs, and the fact that she had such easy access to it at her workplace made it easier for her to get lost in that world. Her wrongdoings were exposed when unsealed cocaine and a crack pipe were found under her desk. Faraks wife had her own mental health problems, and according to Rolling Stone, Farak would have conflict with her wife every night at home. Former Massachusetts assistant attorney general Anne Kaczmarek prosecuted Farak in 2013. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Though the four-part documentary series interviews some of Farak's family members, she does not appear in it herself. Farak pleaded guilty in 2014 to stealing drugs and tampering with evidence, in addition to using crack cocaine and other drugs while analyzing evidence at the lab. She was sentenced to 18 months behind bars, followed by five years of probation and 500 hours of community services, the same year. If the judge determines that it is fair, a settlement administrator will send out checks. She was struggling to suppress mental health issues, depression in particular, and she tried to kill herself in high school, according to Rolling Stone. While I certainly think her longstanding refusal to acknowledge what she was doing comprised the rights of lots of people, I have sympathy for a human being who is struggling with a very difficult addiction, he said. So she turned to drugs, which . The scandal led to . Sonja Farak, left, stands during her arraignment at Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown, Mass. 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. In January 2017, after years of litigation, this Court established "a new protocol" for cases affected by the egregious misconduct of another former state chemist, Annie Dookhan. Less than a year later, former drug lab technician Sonja Farak would also be arrested for tampering with the drugs she was tasked with testing. Cohen and Felson's (Long, 2021) She said it gave me the desired effects. Read More: Where is Sonja Farak Sister Now? This is the story of Farak's drug-induced wrongdoings, and it's the story of the Massachusetts Attorney General's office apparently turning a blind eye on those wrongfully convicted because of Farak's mistakes. 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. Over time, Farak's drug use turned to cocaine, LSD and, eventually, crack. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. "And I think often when we're looking at these criminal justice stories, and we're looking at 'perpetrators,' we sort of almost see them as avatars, like 'there was this bad chemist and she did X.'" She cried as she was sentenced, I think it's very painful to be Sonja and I regret having to advocate against her, Ryan, said in the docuseries. During her trial, her defense lawyer Elaine Pourinski said that Farak wasnt taking drugs to party, but instead to control her depression. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Rolling Stone covered both drug lab scandals in 2018 and uncovered that Farak had suffered from depression for many years. Netflix's latest documentary series, How to Fix a Drug Scandal, focuses on the story of Sonja Farak, a former Massachusetts crime lab chemist who was found to be abusing the drugs she was . that she spent a lot of time thinking about Farak and trying to humanize her. Sonja Farak grew up with an interest in sports, and a desire to do well in life. The staff in the new lab was also doubled, and the number of trainees was also increased. With her response, she only listed a Hatfield, Mass. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. When she tried it she did so when others in the lab went out to lunch it met her expectations. Farak worked for the Amherst Drug Lab in Massachusetts for 9 years when she was convicted of stealing and using them. She started skimming small amounts of drugs, but soon, she was falsifying evidence and cooking crack cocaine in the evidence lab. . 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. She really did, at certain times, tried to stop doing this but couldnt.. Deborah Becker Twitter Host/ReporterDeborah Becker is a senior correspondent and host at WBUR. After weeks of hearings, a "special hearing officer" selected by the board recommended potential sanctions against them all. . It was a slippery slope from there, as Sonja went from cocaine to crack cocaine and even LSD. That's when rogue. The newest true crime series from Netflix, How to Fix a Drug Scandal, was released on April 1, 2020. 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. Farak worked at the Amherst Lab since the summer of 2004 and she started taking the labs drugs soon after. The new four-part Netflix series tracks chemists Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan, whose convictions for misconduct led to over 40,000 drug convictions being dismissed by the courts. Share. A pair of scandals at two state . Linda was born on 19th July 1951. Sonja Farak, a chemist with a longterm mental health struggle, is the catalyst of the story, but it doesn't end with her. The Farak scandal came as the state grappled with another drug lab crisis. Though Farak was arrested in 2013 and sentenced to jail in 2014, the findings from the state's investigation into the scope of her misconduct were just released Tuesday. As shown in the docuseries, she testified that her childhood was normal and middle class. Towards the end of the docuseries, we see her coming to terms with Sonjas indiscretions. 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. The lawsuit names Kaczmarek, Farak and three members of the state police. The strikes left 34 people injured, including three children, and caused widespread damage. Audiences also hear from Farak's mother and sister who have never spoken to the press before. A judge will hold a final hearing on the settlement in October. Part of that process included having a conversation with Farak, though Carr couldn't capture it on camera. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The medical records stated that she did not have an existing drug problem that was amplified by her access to more substances. Netflixs How to Fix a Drug Scandal Story: 5 Fast Facts. By Arun Rath Matt Baskin.
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