Sonja Farak was a chemist for a state crime lab in Massachusetts. 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. Sonja Farak | MA Drug Lab Scandals - GitHub Pages Capricorns. We couldn't do it without you. The docuseries did note that Farak is still a fan of the Patriots. The woman is older now and is perhaps trying to put the incident concerning her daughter, behind her. Farak struggled with mental health throughout her life, the documentary series explains. Sonja Farak - Age, Family, Bio | Famous Birthdays Residents are advised to check for a notice in the mail. She really did, at certain times, tried to stop doing this but couldnt.. While not reporting, he enjoys long-distance running. 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. Thats when she found a home working at a lab in the Morrill Science Building on the UMass Amherst campus. Annie Dookhan - Wikipedia (Netflix) A former state chemist, Sonja Farak, made headlines in 2013 when she was arrested for stealing and using drugs from a laboratory. The fees eligible for reimbursement include probation fees, victim witness fees, GPS monitoring costs and driver's license reinstatement fees. She eventually landed a job at the Amherst crime lab of the Massachusetts State Police, after graduating from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Powered by. Kaczmarek argued the findings are subject to appeal. This achievement earned her a full page layout in the local paper and some local TV news coverage. The hotline is open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a . Here's Where Sonja Farak Is Now, After 'How to Fix a Drug Scandal' Farak pleaded guilty in 2014 of stealing drugs and tampering with evidence, setting off a second. I think it's very painful to be Sonja and I regret having to advocate against her, Ryan said in the docuseries. The filmmaker told Oxygen.com that she spent a lot of time thinking about Farak and trying to humanize her. ( 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. Regarding the cases that she had handled, the Massachusetts courts threw out every case in the Amherst lab during her tenure. She was arrested for tampering with evidence while abusing narcotics at work. Sonja Farak exposed - full extent of her drug use and where she is now YouTube 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. It gave me energy. I want to be accepted like one of them, Sonja said during the local news segment, included in the docuseries. Read More: Where is Sonja Farak Sister Now? I can guess that it has been very, very painful for her, she said. Obviously, after a blunder of such scale, no one would want their samples checked from the same lab. On the surface, their crimes dont seem as injurious and they dont seem to enjoy inflicting pain on others. Furthermore, Netflix has created a documentary on her story named 'How to Fix a Drug Scandal'. As she put it in a piece for Commonwealth Magazine, the Farak case involved a rare one-two punch of official misconduct. She joined Jim Braude to discuss. According to a Rolling Stone profile on Farak and the case, the former chemist has not been heard from since her release. Luke Ryan: Fixing a Drug Scandal, Just One Cause to Champion Netflix released a new docu-series called "How to Fix a Drug Scandal." 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. Report shows more than 24k wrongful convictions dismissed in drug lab She played as the starting guard for Portsmouth High Schools freshman team. On top of that, it was also ensured that no analyst would ever work without supervision. This immediately provoked questions about the thousands of cases in which her findings had contributed to the imprisonment of an individual. A lead plaintiff in the class action suit, Nicole Westcott, 34, of Belchertown, said she doesn't know exactly how much money she stands to receive if a judge signs off on the settlement later this fall. 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. Kaczmarek also oversaw the prosecution for the attorney general's office in that case. Linda was married to Stanley M Farak, who was in the US Navy. Sonja Farak Today: Where Is She Now? | Heavy.com Farak as a young woman (Photo: Netflix) Her misconduct led to more than 24,000 drug cases being dismissed. "I think that there has been a decent amount of coverage on Sonja regionally, but it was almost as if it was [only] the really intense partsthat she was smoking crack 10 to 12 times a daybut it didn't super go into her background, and her as a person," Carr explains. The number is 888-999-2881. Sonja Farak, a chemist with a longterm mental health struggle, is the catalyst of the story, but it doesn't end with her. Farak, a chemist, was later convicted of stealing drugs from the state lab in Amherst. Get all the latest from Sanditon on GBH Passport, How one Brookline studio helps artists with disabilities thrive. In 2017, Rolando Penate filed a $5.7 million lawsuit against 18 defendants, including Farak. Farak was born in San Diego, California and within a year her family moved to Newport, Rhode Island after her Navy father was transferred to the east coast. Criminal. Cohen and Felson's (Long, 2021) We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. But it turns out that Farak was actually high while running some of those tests. While attending college, she met her longtime partner Nikki Lee. 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. The last contact information provided by her, in response to Penates allegations, placed her residence in Hatfield, Massachusetts. 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. And now, three state prosecutors who investigated Farak are under investigation themselves by the states Board of Bar Overseers for their early handling of evidence. Before her sentencing, Farak failed a drug test while out on bail, according to Mass Live. Judge dismisses 'qualified immunity' claim in suit against ex - WBUR She tried to kill herself in high school, according to Rolling Stone. AG Healey has also dedicated her efforts to finding fair resolutions for all involved, including advocating for the dismissal of convictions impacted by (Annie) Dookhan and Faraks crimes, and ensuring certain fines and fees are returned to defendants whose criminal charges have been dismissed.. The place was closed as soon as Faraks crimes came to light. Instead, the documentary . It focuses on some strong female characters: Annie Dookhan, an employee of a forensics drug lab who falsified thousands of drug tests, Sonja Farak, who was convicted of stealing drugs from the lab where she worked, and . Any uncashed checks will be distributed to Community Legal Aid, Inc., the Transformational Prison Project, and the Tufts Education Reentry Network program after one year. 1 Indeed, this Court's decisions concerning the Hinton drug lab scandal compel that remedy. Instead, Carr strived to create "the three-dimensional portrait" of Farak and figured out how to put that inside her documentary. How to Fix a Drug Scandal depicts the role of former Attorney General of Massachusetts Martha Coakley, who was accused of political cover up. Because of all that, it's no surprise that Farak was sent to prison in Massachusetts. Yes, it is so exciting to put a series out and I think the series is well-reported and researched but its something that happened in the midst of her addiction, and she was incredibly embarrassed about it. The disgraced chemist was sentenced to less than two years behind bars in 2014, following her guilty pleas for stealing cocaine from the lab. 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. When Sonja graduated high school in 1996, she didnt just receive various varsity letters for sports. Because she did so, Plaintiff served more than five years in a state prison.". What Happened To Sonja From Netflix Drug Scandal Series - Refinery29 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. Who Is Sonja Farak From Netflix's 'How to Fix a Drug Scandal'? | True "It was Defendant who had the responsibility within the AGO [attorney general's office] to see that the Farak investigation materials were disseminated to the DAOs [district attorneys' offices]," Robertson wrote, adding there is no evidence anyone from the attorney general's office sent the potentially exculpatory evidence to those offices.". "I was personally nervous, and I came away with a deeper level of understanding about her, about the caseand I felt a lot of gratitude that she met me," Carr says. After high school, Sonja went on to major in biochemistry at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in western Massachusetts. 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. The four-part Netflix series goes deep into the story of a man named Rolando Penate, a case Farak had handled 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. So she turned to drugs, which . Each person who has had a case dismissed will receive at least $150. 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. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. Anders Behring Breivik. ", SCOTUS Now Just Another Congressional Committee, Trump Ramps up Attacks on DeSantis: 'Dropping Like a Rock', Russian Strikes on Pavlohrad Aim to Hamper Ukraine's Counteroffensive, Greg Abbott Criticized for Response to Texas Shooting: 'A New Low', Democrat Sold First Republic Stock, Bought JP Morgan Before Collapse, Conservative Influencers Struggle With Countering Biden's Messaging. While Farak kept her drug use isolated to work only at first, her use still spilled out. Netflix's How to Fix a Drug Scandal: What Happened to Luke Ryan I find that everyone needs to be given a second chance.". 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. She is not active on any social media platform and has kept her distance from the press. What is wrong with Sonja Faraks family? : r/HowToFixADrugScandal - Reddit Court records showed that Farak was smocking crack and dropping acid on the same day that she tested the drugs in Penates case. After their arrests, prosecutors at the Massachusetts Attorney Generals office then tried to sweep their crimes under the rug without addressing how their actions affected the defendants who were convicted based on their drug testing. Rick Sobey is a multimedia, general assignment reporter -- covering breaking news, politics and more across the region. She grew up in Portsmouth with her sister Amy. Jared Fogle. 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. Where is Annie Dookhan Now? Chemist From 'How To Fix A Drug - Newsweek Asked what she thought Farak would want the public to know now, Carr says, "I think that she cares about [the idea] that addiction doesn't always look the same on everybody, and I think that she really struggled with letting people down. Thank you! Sonja Farak (left) leaving the courthouse with her lawyer. Farak was in her mid-thirties at the time. Sonja Farak, who worked as a chemist at the Amherst drug lab since 2004, was arrested in January 2013 after one of her co-workers noticed samples were missing from evidence. 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. YouTube GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. In the series, it's explained that Farak loved the energy the meth gave her. MGB medical residents want to change long hours, low pay and poor benefits. 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. She continued to experience suicidal thoughts, but instead of going through with those thoughts, she started taking the drugs that she would be testing at work. 45 Year Olds. In four counties alone, Farak personally . 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. 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. "No reasonablejury could conclude that this evidence is not favorable.". For people with disabilities needing assistance with the Public Files, contact Glenn Heath at 617-300-3268. A scandal erupts, raising questions for the thousands of defendants in her cases. I wasnt abused and yet I still turned out a certain way, still had some problems.. Sonja Farak is the former state drug lab chemist featured in Netflix's "How to Fix a Scandal." "Not only did I already put my life on hold for the years that I was using, but now I was ready to be a functional member of society and I was blocked from doing that because of these charges," Westcott said. Directed by Erin Lee Carr, the four-part Netflix docuseries depicts the criminal investigation of two drug analysts - Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan - who manipulated the legal process for self-serving reasons. The series chronicles nine years of misconduct at two Massachusetts drug labs. SIMMONS, COMMONWEALTH vs., 488 Mass. 1001 Those receiving notices had their criminal convictions dismissed because evidence in their cases was tainted by the misconduct of former state chemists Annie Dookhan and Sonja Farak. The difference? Her reporting focuses on mental health, criminal justice and education. READ NEXT: Netflixs How to Fix a Drug Scandal Story: 5 Fast Facts, Sonja Farak: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. [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 . 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. Her job was to determine whether a substance someone was caught carrying was really cocaine, meth, or something else. In fact, she was the first girl in the state of Rhode Island to play high school football in a public school system. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! A pair of scandals at two state . She said, It was about coping; it certainly wasnt about having fun; I dont think shes had fun in quite a while.. . Who Are Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan? How to Fix a Drug Scandal True Story Inwardly though, Sonja was struggling. Massachusetts prosecutor tied to Sonja Farak drug lab scandal 'actively Farak is amongst one of the 18 defendants battling the lawsuit filed by Rolando Penate. Second Massachusetts state chemist accused of tampering | CNN Who is Sonja Farak, the former state drug lab chemist featured in the show? The process of reimbursing people for the biggest drug lab scandals in the nations history is moving forward. In her June 17 ruling, U.S. Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson dismissed former Assistant Attorney General Anne Kaczmarek's claims of qualified immunity a doctrine that gives legal immunity to some public officials accused of misconduct. Its up to the Board of Bar Overseers about what discipline, if any, should be imposed on the three former prosecutors. The four-part documentary series, released this month, focuses on the 2013 arrest - and ensuing court case - of Sonja Farak, a then-35-year-old crime lab chemist accused of tampering with . (Courtesy Shawn Musgrave) For the first time ever, the board that disciplines attorneys is recommending a former Massachusetts prosecutor lose her law license for failing to turn over evidence that might have exonerated defendants. 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. Farak graduated with high distinction from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and was passionate about science, according to Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone covered both drug lab scandals in 2018 and uncovered that Farak had suffered from depression for many years. A new documentary by Netflix 'How to Fix a Drug Scandal' looks at the . After her arrest, she received support from her parents, who showed up to her court appearances, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported. More than 24,000 convictions have been overturned as a result of her case. 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. Deborah Becker Twitter Host/ReporterDeborah Becker is a senior correspondent and host at WBUR. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Email; Facebook Tweet Listen 7:58. Class members can also call 1-833-630-1415 for information in both English and Spanish. A judge will hold a final hearing on the settlement in October. General drug lab cases information. The disclosure of potentially exculpatory evidence was particularly important, the report reads. In high school, Farak became the first girl to play high school football in the state of Rhode Island and made local headlines. Massachusetts board recommends disbarment for former prosecutor in drug 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 . Robertson rejected Kaczmarek's claims she should not be held responsible for the turning over of exculpatory evidence because she was not part of the "prosecution team" in Penate's case. Ive been struggling with that, Carr said Its very uncomfortable and I dont know what its been like for her.. 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. 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. 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. Drug lab case prosecutors get their day in court over allegations of Many people watching the show are wondering: where is Sonja Farak now? 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. She has been under arrest since 2013 under drug abuse charges. Farak began her drug use by experimenting with liquid methamphetamine, but her addiction quickly grew and she began using other drugs including cocaine, and crack, which she smoked in her drug lab's bathroom, per Rolling Stone. More than 24,000 convictions in 16,449 cases tainted by former state chemist Sonja Farak have been dismissed in a court case brought by the ACLU of Massachusetts, the Committee of Public Counsel Services (CPCS), and law firm Fick & Marx LLP. Sonja Farak was born in San Diego, California and within a year her family shifted to Newport, Rhode Island after her Navy father was transferred to the east coast. Her curiosity soon led to a regular drug habit. Farak was actually using the drugs, too. As a teenager, she had attempted suicide. What Netflix's How To Fix a Drug Scandal didn't tell you - Esquire 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. Sonja Farak in court in 2014.. Sonja Farak worked at the Amherst crime lab testing the authenticity of controlled substances submitted by state law enforcement agencies. their crimes under the rug without addressing how their actions affected the defendants who were convicted based on their drug testing. I, think I make a strong case and advocate that humans are fallible and she needs to be given a second chance, but thats an unpopular opinion, and I can't control how the public reacts to it.. She started skimming small amounts of drugs, but soon, she was falsifying evidence and cooking crack cocaine in the evidence lab. Netflix's new docuseries How to Fix a Drug Scandal is about way more than former drug lab chemist Sonja Farak's years-long addiction to the drugs she was testing everyday. Penate argued the court should follow those findings. Farak's findings, and occasional testimony at court about her testing, was used as evidence to convict the person who had been arrested. The Amherst Bulletin reported that her medical records indicated that she only became addicted to drugs once she started working at the lab, in 2004. She recovered, made it through college and got a job as a chemist at the Amherst Crime Lab, where she tested confiscated drugs. I think shes a good person, she said. It is important to point out that Sonja Farak was considered a typical citizen as she did not fit the stereotype of a drug offender . How To Fix A Drug Scandal True Story: What The Documentary Leaves Out Former Massachusetts assistant attorney general Anne Kaczmarek prosecuted Farak in 2013. The people who were involved in this will finally get justice, Westcott said. Despite being a star child of the family, Sonja suffered from the mental illnesses that haunted her even in adulthood. Two drug lab chemists' shocking crimes cripple a state's judicial system and blur the lines of justice for lawyers, officials and thousands of inmates. How to Fix a Drug Scandal (TV Mini Series 2020) - IMDb An ex-lab chemist Sonja Farak's negligence and misdeeds shocked US when she was arrested in 2013 for stealing and using drugs from the lab where she worked. There was something so tragic but also surreal about this story., She suffered from substance misuse disorder and she was in the worst kind of place to try to combat that, defense attorney Luke Ryan told, . Episode 1. Her notes record on-the-job drug use ranging from small nips of the lab's baseline. Linda was married to Stanley M Farak, who was in the US Navy. Applying Routine Activity Theory: A Case Study of the Sonya Farak Drug 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. "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. How to Fix a Drug Scandal: behind a staggering Netflix crime docuseries