Its no big deal, 14-year-old Farak said to the Panama City News Herald. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Cohen and Felson's (Long, 2021) (Featured Image Credit: Mass Live). Kaczmarek also oversaw the prosecution for the attorney general's office in that case. The disgraced chemist was sentenced to less than two years behind bars in 2014, following her guilty pleas for stealing cocaine from the lab. Despite being a star child of the family, Sonja suffered from the mental illnesses that haunted her even in adulthood. 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. Though viewers won't hear from Farak directly due to a pending civil case, the series paints a vivid picture of Farak's drug use through dramatization. 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.. "If she puts her mind to something, she can do it, Amy told the producers of How to Fix a Drug Scandal.. Apart from the late Stanley Farak, it appears that Amy and Sonja make up the rest of Lindas family. When she's not shopping for a living, she enjoys karaoke and dining out more than she cares to admit. She would conduct her work high on meth, cocaine, LSD and crack. While attending college, she met her longtime partner Nikki Lee. 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. Sonja Farak is a former state lab chemist of Masachuttes, America. What is wrong with Sonja Faraks family? : r/HowToFixADrugScandal - Reddit How to Fix A Drug Scandal is Netflix's latest intriguing documentary series, and these are 10 details everyone missed. 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. When Sonja graduated high school in 1996, she didnt just receive various varsity letters for sports. I felt euphoric, Kogan wrote of Farak. Since Linda does not seem to have any social media profiles, we cannot give you a recent photographic update. The place was closed as soon as Faraks crimes came to light. YouTube How To Fix A Drug Scandal True Story: What The Documentary Leaves Out But I remember being terrified, sitting outside the courthouse hysterically crying. She tested . that she spent a lot of time thinking about Farak and trying to humanize her. READ NEXT: Sonja Farak: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. 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 . Thank you! Netflixs How to Fix a Drug Scandal tells the story of two women whose actions brought to light the negligence of the system that is supposed to deliver justice to everyone. Sonja Farak exposed - full extent of her drug use and where she is now 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. While what she did was wrong, many have been sympathetic to her plight. 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. In fact, she was highly accomplished before all her struggles. I was like, 'Why are they going to incarcerate me for money?' Criminal. 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. She cried as she was sentenced, Mass Live reported in 2014. After she was caught, Farak pleaded guilty to stealing drugs from the lab and was sentenced to prison time of 18 months. Drug lab case prosecutors get their day in court over allegations of Sonja Farak (left) leaving the courthouse with her lawyer. NORTHAMPTON Sonja J. Farak told a nurse at the Western Massachusetts People Also Viewed . The four-part Netflix series goes deep into the story of a man named Rolando Penate, a case Farak had handled at the lab. 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. October 6, 2020 All Things Considered. 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. 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. April 1, 2020. While Carr doesn't know a lot about Farak's personal life ("She's a very, very private person," she notes), the director does believe she is a "clear cut example" of the power of second chances. Former Massachusetts crime lab chemist Sonja Farak, left, during her arraignment in 2013. Magistrate Judge Robertson denied a request in Penate's lawsuit that Kaczmarek be prohibited from contesting the special hearing officer's findings. To find out if your case was affected by either Ms. Dookhan or Ms. Farak, you can call a toll-free hotline operated by defense lawyers with the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the public defender agency in Massachusetts. ( 2020-04-01) How to Fix a Drug Scandal is an American true crime documentary miniseries that was released on Netflix on April 1, 2020. Furthermore, she said she has been grappling with how the docuseries may have affected Faraks life. A judge will hold a final hearing on the settlement in October. With the lab's ample drug supply, she was able to sneak the drug each day from a jug that resided in the shared workspace. Farak was actually using the drugs, too. The Mirror can reveal she was forced to defend herself in. 1 Indeed, this Court's decisions concerning the Hinton drug lab scandal compel that remedy. In How to Fix a Drug Scandal on Netflix, Ryan is the primary on-camera interviewee. Westcott has been in recovery from heroin addiction for nearly nine years. In conclusion, Linda seems to be where she always was. She purchased a home there in 2006. How to Fix a Drug Scandal - Wikipedia She tried to kill herself in high school, according to Rolling Stone. Linda was born on 19th July 1951. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. Farak used to take drugs that came in the lab for test of authenticity and used as criminal evidence. 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. (Netflix) A former state chemist, Sonja Farak, made headlines in 2013 when she was arrested for stealing and using drugs from a laboratory. We couldn't do it without you. Easy access to drugs and the lack of supervision at work allowed Farak to maintain and hide her addiction for several years. They wrote that Lee, disabled by a stew of mental ailments, [spent] her hours surfing the Web in a haze.. Her parents were described as loving, and somewhat strict. The hotline is open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a . Farak was in her mid-thirties at the time. El Chino ntrax. Judge, lawyers: State dragging feet on Amherst drug lab scandal Sonja Farak: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Kaczmarek had obtained the evidence at issue while she was prosecuting Farak on state charges of tampering with evidence and drug possession. Previously to her arrest, Farak lived in Laurel Park, Northampton in Massachusetts. After Faraks arrest in 2013, police found pages of mental health worksheets in her car indicating she'd struggled with drug addiction since at least 2011. According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Farak graduated with awards and distinctions. 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. It appears that Linda has Christianity listed as her religion, and is a Caucasian woman, who's registered as a Democrat. On the surface, their crimes dont seem as injurious and they dont seem to enjoy inflicting pain on others. You can try, Suspensions and a reprimand proposed for prosecutors admonished in drug lab scandal. Linda was married to Stanley M Farak, who was in the US Navy. It appears that Linda has Christianity listed as her religion, and is a Caucasian woman, whos registered as a Democrat. Sonja Farak, a chemist with a longterm mental health struggle, is the catalyst of the story, but it doesn't end with her. Report shows more than 24k wrongful convictions dismissed in drug lab She was also her class co-valedictorian. 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. 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.. Both were convicted of tampering with the drugs they were testing for evidence in criminal cases, resulting in the state Supreme Judicial Court dismissing tens of thousands of compromised criminal cases. The lawsuit names Kaczmarek, Farak and three members of the state police. Where is Linda Farak Now? - The Cinemaholic Though lawyers from the attorney general's office attempted to suppress evidence demonstrating Sonja's drug use actually went as far back as nine years, a group of defense attorneys committed to helping people who had been convicted based on Farak's testing results were eventually able to get their hands on evidence that would ultimately help dismiss more than 35,000 convictions. It features the true story of Sonja Farak, a former state drug lab chemist in Massachusetts who was arrested in 2013 for consuming the drugs she was supposed to test and tampering with the evidence to cover up her tracks. After years of misconduct, thousands of wrongful convictions are How to Fix a Drug Scandal: What Happened to Annie Dookhan Her reporting focuses on mental health, criminal justice and education. 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. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Her parents were described as loving, and somewhat strict. 'How to Fix a Drug Scandal's Kris Foster Might Still Be in Legal Trouble Faraks sister Amy Farak said her sister excelled at sports. The docuseries did note that Farak is still a fan of the Patriots. One thing that How to Fix a Drug Scandal makes clear is that it wasnt all Sonja Faraks fault. A scandal erupts, raising questions for the thousands of defendants in her cases. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Join us. In December 2020, he filed a motion for a new trial seeking to withdraw his guilty pleas on the basis that chemist Sonja Farak analyzed the drugs in question while she was employed at the William A. Hinton State Laboratory Institute (Hinton . He was most recently a reporter at The Lowell Sun. MGB medical residents want to change long hours, low pay and poor benefits. Carr told Women's Health she was really interested in humanizing Farak's story to fill in the gaps left by New England media. The people who were involved in this will finally get justice, Westcott said. The drug lab technician was sent to prison for 18 months, but was released in 2015. By Arun Rath Matt Baskin. As the docuseries shows, she admitted to a therapist in 2009 that she had been struggling with addiction issues since 2005. Farak admitted to being on a list of drugs while working between 2004 and her 2013 arrest. Powered by. 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 last contact information provided by her, in response to Penates allegations, placed her residence in Hatfield, Massachusetts. Stream GBH's Award-Winning Content For Parents And Children. Actress Shannon O'Neill portrays Farak in How to a Fix a Drug Scandal. The latest true crime offering from Netflix is the documentary series How to Fix a Drug Scandal. It dives into the story of Sonja Farak, a chemist who worked for a Massachusetts state drug lab and got arrested for taking the drugs she was testing as well as tampering with evidence. Netflixs How to Fix a Drug Scandal Story: 5 Fast Facts. 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. Where is Annie Dookhan Now? Chemist From 'How To Fix A Drug - Newsweek Thank you! The disgraced chemist was sentenced to less than two years behind bars in 2014, following her guilty pleas for stealing cocaine from the lab. 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.
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