sonja farak therapy notes

chemist, Sonja Farak, had been battling drug addiction and had tampered with samples she was assigned to test around the time she tested the samples in Penate's case. She consumed meth, crack cocaine, amphetamines, and LSD at the bench where she tested samples, in a lab bathroom, and even at courthouses where she was testifying. Such strong claims were too hasty at best, since investigators had not yet finished basic searches; three days later, police executed a warrant for a duffel bag they found stuffed behind Farak's desk. answered that the state considered the evidence irrelevant to any case other than Faraks.. In the only quasi-independent probe of the Farak scandal ever ordered, Attorney General Healey and a district attorney appointed two retired judges to investigate in summer 2015. Instead, Coakley's office served as gatekeeper to evidence that could have untangled the scandal and freed thousands of people from prison and jail years earlier, or at least wiped their improper convictions off the books. Her ar-rest led to the dismissal of thousands of drug cases in Massachusetts. Farak. How to Fix a Drug Scandal is an American true crime documentary miniseries that was released on Netflix on April 1, 2020. May 2003 started working in Hinton drug lab p. 14. She recovered, made it through college and got a job as a chemist at the Amherst Crime Lab, where she tested confiscated drugs. Watch How to Fix a Drug Scandal | Netflix Official Site Cleverly omitting pronouns, she wrote that "after reviewing" the file, "every documenthas been disclosed." State police took these worksheets from Farak's car in January 2013, the same day they arrested her for tampering with evidence and for cocaine possession. Who Is Sonja Farak From Netflix's 'How to Fix a Drug Scandal'? | True One colleague called her the "super woman of the lab. The cocaine, found in an unsealed, completed drug-testing kit, tested negativemeaning Farak had seemingly replaced the formerly "positive" drugs with falsified substances. As How to Fix a Drug Scandal explores, Farak had long struggled with her mental . According to a newspaper article from 1992, she was the first female in Rhode Island to be on a high school football team. The case of Rolando Penate has become a leading example for lawyers calling for further investigation into alleged misconduct by prosecutors who handled documents seized from Sonja Farak, the Amherst crime-lab chemist convicted of stealing and tampering with drug samples. Most of the heat for thisincluding formal bar complaintshas fallen on Kaczmarek and another former prosecutor, Kris Foster, who was tasked with responding to subpoenas regarding the Farak evidence. 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. Approximately one year later, she pled guilty to tampering with evidence, unlawful possession, and stealing narcotics. Grand Jury Transcript - Sonja Farak - September 16, 2015 Kaczmarek was now juggling two scandals on opposite sides of the state. She soon crossed all these lines. Still, the state was acquiring evidence. Even when she failed a post-arrest drug testprompting the lead investigator to quip to Kaczmarek, "I hope she doesn't have a stash in her house! Between 2005 and 2013, Sonja Farak was performing laboratory tests at a state drug lab in Amherst while under the influence of narcotics. In the aftermath, the court felt it necessary to make clear that "no prosecutorhas the authority to decline to disclose exculpatory information.". You can try, Suspensions and a reprimand proposed for prosecutors admonished in drug lab scandal. Looking back, it seems that Massachusetts law enforcement officials, reeling from the Dookhan case, simply felt they couldn't weather another full-fledged forensics scandal. In a letter filed with the Supreme Court, Julianne Nassif, a lab supervisor, wrote that Hinton had "appropriate quality control" measures. Only a few months after Dookhan's conviction, it was discovered that another Massachusetts crime lab worker, Sonja Farak, who was addicted to drugs, not only stole her supply from the. Coakley did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story. The crucial fact of her longstanding and frequent drug use also never made it into Farak's trial, much less to defendants appealing convictions predicated on her tainted analyses. Farak saw Kogan in 2009 and 2010, and her therapist wrote: She obtains the drugs from her job at the state drug lab, by taking portions of samples that have come in to be tested., Kogan also wrote that Farak told her she had taken methamphetamines at another lab in an old job, but she didnt get much from it. Kogan wrote that after moving to western [Massachusetts] for her job at the state drug lab, [Farak] tried it again and really liked it. Most important, they found seven worksheets from Farak's substance abuse therapy. 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. 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 came daily. Joseph Ballou, lead investigator for the state police, called them the most important documents from the car. Her access to evidence was not restricted, and she continued testifying in court. 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. In 2019, she was seen leaving the Springfield Federal Court but declined to comment on the status of the case. The civil lawsuit was one of the last tied to prosecutors' disputedhandling of the case against disgraced ex-chemist Sonja Farak, who was convicted in 2014 of ingesting drug samples she was supposed to test at the Amherst state drug lab. Discipline recommended for former assistant attorneys - Masslive Despite her status as a free woman (who has seemingly disappeared from the public eye), Farak's wrongdoings continue to make waves in the Massachusetts courts. "Whether law enforcement officials overlooked these papers or intentionally suppressed them is a question for another day.". Coakley's office finally launched a criminal investigation in July 2012, more than a year after the infraction was discovered by Dookhan's supervisors. Yet state prosecutors withheld Farak's handwritten notes about her drug use, theft, and evidence tampering from defense attorneys and a judge for more than a year. But why were a small handful of prosecutors allowed total control over evidence about one of the worst criminal justice failures in recent memory? Tens of thousands of criminal drug cases were dismissed as a result of misconduct by Dookhan and Farak. 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. Because she did so, Plaintiff served more than five years in a state prison.". The newest true crime series from Netflix, How to Fix a Drug Scandal, was released on April 1, 2020. He was floored when he found the worksheets. (Featured Image Credit: Mass Live). Chemist was high at work for 8 years: court docs - CBS News Instead, Kaczmarek proceeded as if the substance abuse was a recent development. ", The chemist, Sonja Farak, worked at the state drug lab in Amherst, Massachusetts, for more than eight years. Sonja Farak: Defendant Rafael Rodriguez died of drug overdose - MEAWW Joseph . A hearing on their motions is scheduled next month. But unlike with Dookhan, no one launched a bigger investigation of Farak. concluded there was no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct or obstruction of justice in matters related to the Farak case. After her arrest, she received support from her parents, who showed up to her court appearances, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported. And when the tests she did run came back negative, Dookhan added controlled substances to the vials. Although the year she wrote the notes wasnt listed on the worksheet, in the six years prior to her arrest, 2011 is the only year in which Dec. 22 fell on a Thursday. Exhausted from the ongoing scandal in Boston, state officials were desperate for damage control. Obviously, after a blunder of such scale, no one would want their samples checked from the same lab. The defense bar had raised concerns that prosecutors might be "perceived as having a stake" in such an investigation. This threw every sample she had ever tested into question. Farak signed Her role was to test for the presence of illegal substances, which could be instrumental in thousands of . Powered by. . Another three days later, state police conducted a full search of Farak's workstation, finding a vial of powder that tested positive for oxycodone, plus 11.7 grams of cocaine in a desk drawer. There is no allegation of misconduct against the local prosecutors who presented the case against Penate in Hampden County Superior Court. MA: A reckoning for prosecutors in drug lab scandal? - NADDI This might not have mattered as much if the investigators had followed the evidence that Farak had been using drugs for at least a year and almost certainly longer. Drug lab cases information | Mass.gov She was trying to suppress mental health issues, depression in specific, and she attempted to kill herself in high school, according to Rolling Stone. Farak had started taking drugs on the job within months of joining the lab. The attorney general's officeKaczmarek or her supervisorscould have asked a judge to determine whether the worksheets were actually privileged, as Kaczmarek later acknowledged. In 2012, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court foundegregious prosecutorial misconduct after an assistant district attorney withheldevidence a judge had ordered him toproduce for the defense of a teenageraccused of statutory rape. But in a Where is Sonja Farak from How To Fix A Drug Scandal now? One was clearly dated November 16, 2011a year and two months before her arrest. Dookhan's output remained implausibly high even after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts (2009) that defendants were entitled to cross-examine forensic chemists about their analysis. | A drug chemist . Farak worked under the influence of drugs for nine years - from 2004 to 2013 - before she was caught. The four years since Ryan discovered Farak's diaries have been a bitter fight over this question of culpabilitywhether Kaczmarek, Foster, and their colleagues were merely careless or whether they deliberately hid crucial evidence. Kaczmarek got a note from Sgt. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. Due to the conviction, prosecutors were forced to dismiss more than . Even the master's degree on her rsum was fabricated. Farak as a young. From the March 2019 issue, "Tried to resist using @ work, but ended up failing," the forensic chemist scribbled on a diary worksheet she kept as part of her substance abuse therapy. 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. The place was closed as soon as Faraks crimes came to light. 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. Because the attorney general had "portrayed Farak as a dedicated public servant who was apprehended immediately after crossing the line, there was also no reasonto waste resources engaging in any additional introspection.". How to write better therapy progress notes: 10 examples But whether anyone investigated her conduct during a brief stint working at the state's Boston drug lab is at . The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled in 2015by which time the current state attorney general, Maura Healey, had been electedthat it was "imperative" for the government to "thoroughly investigate the timing and scope of Farak's misconduct." The last contact information provided by her, in response to Penates allegations, placed her residence in Hatfield, Massachusetts. Several defense attorneys who called for the Velis-Merrigan investigation say the former judges and their state police investigators got it wrong. Kaczmarek is one of three former prosecutors whose role in the prosecution of Farak later became the focus of several lawsuits and disciplinary hearings. In January 2014, she pleaded guilty to evidence tampering and drug possession. 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. She was ar-rested for tampering with evidence while abusing narcotics at work. 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. GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. Episode 2. Sonja Farak, a chemist with a longterm mental health struggle, is the catalyst of the story, but it doesn't end with her. In worksheet notes dated Thursday, Dec. 22, Farak wrote she "tried to resist using @ work, but ended up failing." Although the year she wrote the notes wasn't listed . At the time of her arrest, she had resided in 37 Laurel Park in Northampton. And so, when she pleaded guilty in January 2014, Farak got what one attorney called "de facto immunity." There were also newspaper articles about other officials caught stealing drugs, including one with a scribbled note, "Thank god I'm not a law enforcement officer." 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 evidence and its aftereffects.. Dookhan was accused of forging reports and tampering with samples to . Perhaps, as criminal justice scandals inevitably emerge, we need to get more independent eyes on the evidence from the start. When defense lawyers asked to see evidence for themselves, state prosecutors smeared them as pursuing a "fishing expedition.". You can check your records electronically by following this link: https://icori.chs.state.ma.us. But a crucial issue was not before the court. She was released in 2015, as reported by Mass Live. After weeks of hearings, a "special hearing officer" selected by the board recommended potential sanctions against them all. 2. Inwardly though, Sonja Farak was striving. It took another three years for the truth to emerge. "The gravity of the present case cannot be overstated," Kaczmarek wrote in her memo recommending a prison sentence of five to seven years. How to Fix a Drug Scandal (TV Mini Series 2020) - IMDb Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. As a teenager, she had attempted suicide. 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. The Amherst lab had called state police when the two missing samples were noticed in 2013. After serving for 13 months, she was released on parole in 2015. Chemist Sonja Farak pleaded guilty to "tampering with evidence" back in 2014 and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Emma Camp Please note that if your case has been identified for dismissal, it could take approximately 2-3 months for the relevant court records to be updated. They tend to be more freeform notes about the session and your impressions of the client's statements and demeanour. El 6 de enero de 2014, Farak se declar culpable de los cargos en su contra. Foster replied that because the investigation against Farak was ongoing, she couldnt let him see it. But she insisted the drugs didn't compromise her worka belief that one judge would aptly declare "belies logic.". 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. Her notes record on-the-job drug use ranging from small nips of the lab's baseline. State officials rushed to condemn her loudly and publicly. Without even interviewing Foster, they determined there was "no evidence" of obstruction of justice by her, by Kaczmarek, or by any state prosecutor. In the aftermath of Farak's arrest, it's been argued that because she was under the influence, all of the cases she tested could be considered to have been wrongfully convicted. The justices ordered Healey's department to cover all costs of notifying all defendants whose cases were dismissed. The chemist, Sonja Farak, worked at the Amherst crime . In Farak's car, police found a "works kit"crack cocaine, a spatula, and copper mesh, often used as a pipe filter.

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