Dookhan, 34, faces charges in several counties in Massachusetts because she had previously testified in various trials in her former official capacity as a chemist. She started working shortly after for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in July 2003 until July 2012, and from July 2012 until January 2013 for the Massachusetts State Police when the lab fell under their jurisdiction. Sonja Farak took heroin, cocaine from evidence inventory, attorney general alleges. Northampton, MA 01060 Those are things that cause people, including my clients, to make choices that negatively impact themselves and others. I find that everyone needs to be given a second chance.". [4] Farak was accused of tampering with the evidence she was tasked with analyzing by using it to get high herself. Filmmaker Erin Lee Carrs recent docu-series How to Fix a Drug Scandal twinkles a spotlight on wrongdoing on several levels but its main focus is on a Massachusetts former drug lab technician named Sonja Farak. While Farak kept her drug use separated to work only at first, her use still spilled out. It's rare for the key players of a story to involve mostly women, butthey werein this case. 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. The feedback will only be used for improving the website. NEXT:How To Fix A Drug Scandal True Story: What The Documentary Leaves Out, 10 Things Everyone Completely Missed In Netflix's How to Fix a Drug Scandal, Top 10 Documentaries On Netflix Right Now (According To IMDb), The 10 Best Football Movies Ever Made, According to Rotten Tomatoes, Wicked Good: 10 Great Movies Set In Boston, How To Fix A Drug Scandal True Story: What The Documentary Leaves Out, Yellowstone's Dutton Family Tree Explained In Full, Witcher: Blood Origin Uses One NSFW History Detail Game Of Thrones Avoided, Fraiser Reboot Will Feature Some Original Show Cast Members After All. The new numbers appear in a report issued by a court-designated "Special Master." A former state chemist, Sonja Farak, made headlines in 2013 when she was arrested for stealing and using drugs from a laboratory. 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. Soon after, the state police took over the control, and the lab was moved to Springfield, where it remains under the supervision of the state police. Kaczmarek, along with former assistant attorneys general Kris Foster and John Verner, all face possible sanctions. DISTURBING TRUE STORY BEHIND NETFLIXS HOW TO FIX A DRUG SCANDAL AND HOW ONE PERSONS ADDICTION AFFECTED THOUSANDS, Sonja Farak's addiction saw her abuse her position, Sonja would take samples from her colleague's desks too, Sonja Farak's actions affected thousands of drug convictions, Sonja Farak (right) followed the crimes of chemist Annie Dookhan (left). In 2013, Massachusetts State Police arrested 35-year-old crime drug lab chemist Sonja Farak for tampering with evidence: and that was only the beginning. Investigators gave that information to Kaczmarek and the state AG's office,according tohearings before thestate board that disciplines attorneys. Even though Farak found a job after graduation and was settled down with her partner, she continued to struggle with depression and felt like a stranger in her body. 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Heres what you need to know about Sonja Farak: Farak was born on January 13, 1978, in Rhode Island to Stanley and Linda Farak. Copyright 2023 by Vizaca. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Here are 10 things everyone completely missed in Netflix's How to Fix a Drug Scandal. The Bechdel Test is a test that measures the representation of women in fiction. Episode 2. (413) 586-4800lryan@strhlaw.com, DanielN. Marx When she tried it she did so when others in the lab went out to lunch it met her expectations. 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. 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. In 2019, the chemist was spotted at federal court in Springfield, MA , attending a civil case. This Board of Bar Overseers report comes as Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins last week said shes asking the states highest court to toss thousands of convictions for which evidence was processed at the now-disgraced Hinton lab. Rick is a Massachusetts native and graduated from Boston University. We allege that this chemist tampered with evidence, placing the integrity of that evidence in question, Coakley said in a statement. 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. An official website of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, This page, Drug lab cases information, is. In the last couple of minutes of the mini-series, there seems to be a reunion at a local Boston restaurant, where many of the key players in the series appear. Massachusetts could get another snowstorm Friday: What areas were the jackpot zones in this past storm? Sonja Farak was a chemist for a state crime lab in Massachusetts. Why did she do that and where has it left her? 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. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Powered by. But what happened next to the former lab chemist? Rick Sobey is a multimedia, general assignment reporter -- covering breaking news, politics and more across the region. The Netflix docuseries ends by acknowledging that Farak received an 18-month sentence, and that defense attorney Luke Ryan was able . A majority of the report focused on Kaczmarek, who was primarily in charge of the day-to-day handling of the Farak prosecution. It gave me energy. 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. She was caught with evidence files under her desk, including unsealed envelopes . 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.. In 2019, she was seen leaving the Springfield Federal Court but declined to comment on the status of the case. She later pleaded guilty to stealing drugs from the lab and was sentenced in 2014 to serve 18 months . In fact, Farak was highly achieved before all her battles. 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. I actually smoked in the evidence room. How to Fix a Drug Scandal 's four episodes break down how chemists Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan tampered with evidence from tens of thousands of cases. "As the gatekeeper to this evidence, she failed to turn over documents, and she adamantly opposed the requests for access. Carr weaves Farak's story into that of another Massachusetts chemist, Annie Dookhan, who worked across the state at the Hinton drug lab in Boston. [6] How to Fix a Drug Scandal depicts the role of former Attorney General of Massachusetts Martha Coakley, who was accused of political cover up. Get the latest headlines, releases and insider-gossip direct to your inbox with our Binge-worthy newsletter. According to a Rolling Stone piece on Farak, she struggled with depression from an early age, one that hasnt responded to medication. They wrote that Farak attempted suicide in high school and was also hospitalized while in college. Sonja Farak: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. YouTube The number is888-999-2881. 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. After searching her work station, they found a vial of oxycodone and 11.7 grams of cocaine, along with kits to use crack. After eight years at the lab, Sonja was finally caught out and arrested for her actions. READ NEXT: Sonja Farak: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. JetBlue flight at Boston Logan had a 'close call' with a Learjet a day after 'aborted landing', Supreme Court seems ready to reject student loan forgiveness, Cybercriminals steal $6.4 million from Pipefitters Local 537 in Dorchester: 'Very unfortunate news', NFL notes: Robert Kraft's involvement fueling excitement for Patriots in big offseason, 'Yo Pesci' receives seven year sentence after flashing firearms on social media, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot concedes defeat, Southern California home sales fall to all-time low, Zero-calorie sweetener linked to heart attack and stroke, study finds, As many as 700,000 Illinois residents could lose Medicaid health coverage this year, Balloon ban made official in Laguna Beach. She worked there for a year but soon understood she wouldnt make sufficient money there in the Boston area to buy a house. Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Sincevery few people willingly dabble in drugs, its more of a question to ask why is this person using drugs to begin with? This is even further legitimized when it's revealed Sonja Farak was dealing with depression since she was 16 years old. Sonja received a job as a chemist at the Hinton State Laboratory building in Jamaica Plain after getting her college degree. I wasnt abused and yet I still turned out a certain way, still had some problems.. The staff in the new lab was also doubled, and the number of trainees was also increased. They wrote that she served 13 months and was paroled sometime in 2015. Between Farak and Annie Dookhan, over 47,000 drug convictions were overturned, sending them to retrials. According to a newspaper article from 1992, she was the first female in Rhode Island to be on a high school football team. The pair's actions saw around 44,000 drug convictions overturned and resulted in prison sentences for the pair. 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. Sonja Farak pleaded guilty to stealing samples of drugs from an Amherst drug lab. She looked into the western area of the state because it was less costly and less hectic. She received an 18-month jail sentence. Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice: Spanish, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice: Khmer, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice: Russian, Notice of Dismissal with Prejudice: Vietnamese, 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. Boston, MA 02110 Kaczmarek argued the findings are subject to appeal. 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