sonja farak therapy notes

Relying on an investigation conducted by state police, the judges It contained substances often used to make counterfeit cocaine, including soap, baking soda, candle wax, and modeling clay, plus lab dishes, wax paper, and fragments of a crack pipe. Tens of thousands of criminal drug cases were dismissed as a result of misconduct by Dookhan and Farak. Thanks to Farak's testimony and those diary worksheets, we now know that, soon after joining the Amherst lab in 2004, Farak started skimming from the methamphetamine "standard," an undiluted oil used as a reference against which suspected meth samples are compared. 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 . Deborah Becker Twitter Host/ReporterDeborah Becker is a senior correspondent and host at WBUR. The new numbers appear in a report issued by a court-designated "Special Master." Obviously, after a blunder of such scale, no one would want their samples checked from the same lab. Farak wasn't the first Massachusetts chemist to tamper with drug evidence. Former chemist Annie Dookhan was convicted in 2013 on charges of improperly testing drug evidence at a drug lab in Boston. It included information about the type of drugs she tampered with. Not only did they not turn these documents over, but I wasnt aware that they existed, said Frank Flannery, who was the Hampden County assistant district attorney assigned to appeals following Faraks arrest. It declined Farak's offer of a detailed confession in exchange for leniency, nixing the offer without even negotiating terms. Her notes record on-the-job drug use ranging from small nips of the lab's baseline standard stock of the stimulant phentermine to stealing crack not only from her own samples but from colleagues' as well. The lax security and regulations of the place and the negligent supervision of the employees and the stock of standards are the reasons why Farak was encouraged to do what she did. Meier put the number at 40,323 defendants, though some have called that an overestimate. Foster protested that portions of the evidentiary file in question might be privileged or not subject to disclosure. Penate alleged Kaczmarek's actions violated his "Brady rights," which require prosecutors to turn over potentially exculpatory evidence to defense counsel. She had unrestricted access to the evidence room. The governor also tapped a local attorney, David Meier, to count how many individuals' cases might be tainted. ", Prosecutors maintained that Faraks rogue behavior spanned just a few months. It didnt matter whether or not she was the one who did the testing or some other chemist. (Featured Image Credit: Mass Live). Faraks wife had her own mental health problems, and according to Rolling Stone, Farak would have conflict with her wife every night at home. Defense lawyers doubled down on challenges to every case she might have taintednot just her own, which district attorneys ultimately agreed to dismiss, but also her co-workers', based on Farak's admission that she stole from other chemists' samples. Foster said that Kaczmarek told her all relevant evidence had been turned over and that her supervisor told her to write the letter, though both denied these claims. The justices ordered Healey's department to cover all costs of notifying all defendants whose cases were dismissed. Yet Dookhan's brazen crimes went undetected for ages. On top of that, it was also ensured that no analyst would ever work without supervision. Penate was convicted in December 2013 and sentenced to serve five to seven years. The court decided to uphold a ruling dismissing charges against the defendant, a juvenile at the time of the alleged offense identified only as Washington W. The justices didnt name his prosecutor, David Omiunu, who was identified by The Eye from other court records. The report She was released in 2015, as reported by Mass Live. They were found with their packaging sliced open and their contents apparently altered. Despite such unequivocal findings of misconduct, the court removed language about Kaczmarek and Foster from notification letters to those whose cases have been dismissed, which will be sent out in early 2019. This was not true, as Nassif's department later conceded. 3.3.2023 4:50 PM, 2022 Reason Foundation | In the eight and a half years she worked at the Hinton State Laboratory in Boston, her supervisors apparently never noticed she certified samples as narcotics without actually testing them, a type of fraud called "dry-labbing." She played as the starting guard for Portsmouth High Schools freshman team. | Kaczmarek argued the findings are subject to appeal. In June 2017, following hearings in which Kaczmarek, Foster, Verner, and others took the stand, a judge found that Kaczmarek and Foster together "piled misrepresentation upon misrepresentation to shield the mental health worksheets from disclosure.". It's not as bad as Dookhan, they asserted and implied over and over. Together, we can create a more connected and informed world. The results of that intake interview and notes from several of Farak's therapists all detailing Farak's drug use going back years were obtained by defense attorneys on behalf of . The Netflix docuseries ends by acknowledging that Farak received an 18-month sentence, and that defense attorney Luke Ryan was able . Foster consulted Kaczmarek about the files contents, according to an And so, when she pleaded guilty in January 2014, Farak got what one attorney called "de facto immunity." She had been accused of intentional infliction of emotional distress in addition to the conspiracy to violate [Penates] civil rights.. Verner, who testified that he didn't "micromanage" Kaczmarek, escaped criticism. Defense attorneys had. When grand jury materials were eventually released to defense attorneys, then, they did not mention that these documents existed. Rollins said it covers "a period of time in which either now disgraced chemist Annie Dookhan, or another convicted chemist Sonja Farak ," worked there. Below is an outline of her charges. February 2013 email, to which he attached the worksheets. Her medical records included notes from Faraks therapist in Amherst, Anna Kogan. Cleverly omitting pronouns, she wrote that "after reviewing" the file, "every documenthas been disclosed." A judge sentenced Dookhan to three years in prison; she was granted parole in April 2016. The criminal prosecution wasn't the only investigation of the Dookhan scandal. Who is Sonja Farak, the former state drug lab chemist featured in the show? 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. A federal judge has rejected claims from an embattled former state prosecutor that she is protected from liability in the fallout over a Massachusetts drug lab scandal. B. ut when Penates lawyer tried to obtain the documents not certain what was in them before his clients 2013 trial, he was rebuffed by state prosecutors who said the papers were irrelevant according to emails included in investigative reports unsealed earlier this month. Investigators found that Sonja Farak tested drug samples and testified in court while under the influence of methamphetamines, ketamine, cocaine, LSD and other drugs between 2005 and 2013. 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. Heres what you need to know about Sonja Farak: Farak was born on January 13, 1978, in Rhode Island to Stanley and Linda Farak. Hearings could help decide how many of thousands of convictions tainted by Farak's testing may be overturned. Farak started at Amherst lab in Aug 2004 p. 32. She was also testifying in court while high. He also 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. Privacy Policy | Gioia called for evidentiary hearings so prosecutors can be asked about what they knew, when they knew it, and what they did with their knowledge., Luke Ryan, Penates trial lawyer, said that the state police officers working on the report failed to obtain an appropriate understanding of the events that transpired before they were assigned to this investigation.". But she insisted the drugs didn't compromise her worka belief that one judge would aptly declare "belies logic.". 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. Ryan finally viewed the file in the attorney generals offices in October 2014. In addition to ordering the dismissal of many thousands of cases, the Supreme Judicial Court directed a committee to draft a "checklist" for prosecutors, clarifying their obligation to turn over evidence to defendants. Even the master's degree on her rsum was fabricated. Both have since left the attorney general's office for other government positions. 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. noted the mental health worksheets found in Faraks car, which had not been released. After serving just a year of her 18 month sentence, Farak was released from prison in 2015. With the Dookhan case so fresh, reporters immediately labeled Farak "the second chemist. | Kaczmarek had obtained the evidence at issue while she was prosecuting Farak on state charges of tampering with evidence and drug possession. One thing that How to Fix a Drug Scandal makes clear is that it wasnt all Sonja Faraks fault. It ultimately took a blatant violation to expose Dookhan, and even then her bosses twisted themselves in knots to hold on to their "super woman.". To multiple courts' amazement, her incessant drug use never caught the attention of her co-workers. In fall 2013, a Springfield, Massachusetts, judge convened hearings with the explicit aim of establishing "the timing and scope" of Farak's "alleged criminal conduct.". GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. But why were a small handful of prosecutors allowed total control over evidence about one of the worst criminal justice failures in recent memory? Local prosecutors also remained in the dark. "Please don't let this get more complicated than we thought," Kaczmarek replied when Ballou, the lead investigator, flagged irregularities in Farak's analysis in a case featuring pain pills. A status hearing on Penate's suit, which was filed in 2017, is scheduled for July. 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. 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. At the time of Penates trial, the state Attorney Generals Office contended Faraks misdeeds dated back only as far as 2012. She started smoking crack cocaine in 2011 and was soon using it 10 to 12 times a day. In the series, it's explained that Farak loved the energy the meth gave her. 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. Or she just lied about her results altogether: In one of the more ludicrous cases, she testified under oath that a chunk of cashew was crack cocaine. In 2019, the chemist was spotted at federal court in Springfield, MA , attending a civil case. Judge Kinder ordered her to produce all potentially privileged documents for his review to determine whether they could be disclosed. another filing. The place was closed as soon as Faraks crimes came to light. Regarding the cases that she had handled, the Massachusetts courts threw out every case in the Amherst lab during her tenure. Sonja Farak is in the grip of a rubbed-raw depression that hasn't responded to medication. "Going to use phentermine," she wrote on another, "but when I went to take it, I saw how little (v. little) there is left = ended up not using. Foster replied that because the investigation against Farak was ongoing, she couldnt let him see it. 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. wrote she "tried to resist using @ work, but ended up failing." Sonja Farak had admitted to stealing and using drugs from the drug lab where she worked as a chemist for around 9 years. She recovered, made it through college and got a job as a chemist at the Amherst Crime Lab, where she tested confiscated drugs. State officials rushed to condemn her loudly and publicly. But she proceeded on the hunch that Farak only became addicted in the months before her arrest, and her colleagues stonewalled people who were skeptical of that timeline. Joseph Ballou, lead investigator for the state police, called them the most important documents from the car. Two Massachusetts drug-testing laboratory technicians are caught tampering with and falsifying drug evidence, and prosecutors are reluctant to disclose the full extent of their criminal behavior. A year later, in October 2014, prosecutors relented, granting access to the full evidence in Farak's case to attorney Luke Ryan. As extensively detailed in How to Fix a Drug Scandal, Farak was arrested on January 19, 2013. Stream GBH's Award-Winning Content For Parents And Children. Farak was arrested the next day, and the attorney general's office assigned the case to Anne Kaczmarek. How to Fix a Drug Scandal: With Shannon O'Neill, Karl Kenzler, Paul Solotaroff, Scott Allen. 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. In four 50-minute episodes, Netflix's latest shocker tells the story of Sonia Farak, a chemist who worked at a crime lab in Amherst, Massachusetts. Instead, she submitted an intentionally vague letter to the judge claiming defense attorneys already had everything. (Conveniently, they also found a Patriots schedule from 2011 in the car.). With your support, GBH will continue to innovate, inspire and connect through reporting you value that meets todays moments. The medical records stated that she did not have an existing drug problem that was amplified by her access to more substances. Penate and other defendants are asking see all of Fosters emails regarding Farak and other materials relating to the handling of evidence in the chemist's case. They never searched Farak's computer or her home. And when defense attorneys tried to do it themselves, Coakley's office blocked their efforts. This past Tuesday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court filed a report saying that more than 24,000 convictions in 16,449 cases have been dismissed as a result of foul play by a former state drug lab chemist. 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. "Whether law enforcement officials overlooked these papers or intentionally suppressed them is a question for another day.". | 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 . 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. 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. After high school, Sonja went on to major in biochemistry at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in western Massachusetts. Soon after Dookhan's arrest, Coakley's office asked the governor to order a broader independent probe of the Hinton lab. A few months before her arrest, Farak's counselor recommended in-patient rehab. Kaczmarek was now juggling two scandals on opposite sides of the state. A drug chemist . Farak admitted to being on a list of drugs while working between 2004 and her 2013 arrest. Several defense attorneys who called for the Velis-Merrigan investigation say the former judges and their state police investigators got it wrong. "We shouldn't be in the position of having to be saying, 'Don't close your eyes to the duration and scope of misconduct that may affect a whole lot of cases,'" the exasperated Massachusetts chief justice told prosecutors during oral arguments. A. Farak struggled with mental health throughout her life, the documentary series explains. Thank you! Grand Jury Transcript - Sonja Farak - September 16, 2015 Contributed by Shawn Musgrave (Musgrave Investigations) p. 1. Instead, Kaczmarek proceeded as if the substance abuse was a recent development. The last contact information provided by her, in response to Penates allegations, placed her residence in Hatfield, Massachusetts. Would love your thoughts, please comment. After she was caught, Farak pleaded guilty to stealing drugs from the lab and was sentenced to prison time of 18 months. In a letter filed with the Supreme Court, Julianne Nassif, a lab supervisor, wrote that Hinton had "appropriate quality control" measures. Magistrate Judge Robertson denied a request in Penate's lawsuit that Kaczmarek be prohibited from contesting the special hearing officer's findings. If they'd kept digging, defendants might still have learned the crucial facts. Farak admitted in testimony that she began using drugs almost as soon as she started working at the Massachusetts State Crime Lab in Amherst. But in a Dookhan was sentenced to prison in 2013. According to the documents released Tuesday, investigators found that Sonja Farak tested drug samples and testified in court while under the influence of methamphetamines, ketamine, cocaine, LSD . Its no big deal, 14-year-old Farak said to the Panama City News Herald. YouTube 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. The staff in the new lab was also doubled, and the number of trainees was also increased. In a March 2013 email highlighted in the Velis-Merrigan report. wrote to the Attorney Generals Office two days later. To better estimate how many convictions will have to be reviewed because of Farak, the Supreme Judicial Court mentioned a New England Patriots game on Saturday, Dec. 24 which corresponded with a game date in 2011. Her job consisted of testing drugs that have. But Ryan, who represented Penate, suspected it was more extensive. Sonja Farak, a chemist with a longterm mental health struggle, is the catalyst of the story, but it doesn't end with her. The worksheets, essentially counseling notes, showed that Farak had been using drugs often on the job for much longer than the attorney general's office had claimed. Farak had started taking drugs on the job within months of joining the lab. The governor didn't appoint the inspector general or anyone else to determine how long Farak was altering samples or running analyses while high. The court also dismissed all meth cases processed at the lab since Farak started in 2004. This scandal has thrown thousands of drug cases into question, on top of more than 24,000 cases tainted by a scandal involving ex-chemist Annie Dookhan at the state's Hinton Lab in Jamaica Plain. She stopped the interview when asked about crack pipes found at her bench, and state police towed her car back to barracks while they waited on a warrant. The twin Massachusetts drug lab scandals are unprecedented in the sheer number of cases thrown out because of forensic misconduct. Foster's first stepper ethical obligations and office protocolshould have been to look through the evidence to see what had already been handed over. The lawsuit names Kaczmarek, Farak and three members of the state police.

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