Читать книгу Brilliant Minds in Captivity - Roger W Upchurch - Страница 7

Trusting someone’s words is respectful,

acting on that trust without facts can be deadly.

I met Brandon the other day, and he told me his story:

An American Native church approached him, and they wanted him to grow marijuana for medical and religious purposes. Medical marijuana is legal in Michigan. That is where the church is and were Branden lives. They told him they had a license and authority to grow marijuana for medical and religious reasons. They gave him documents that showed that and he sent them to the attorney. He said that the attorney glanced at them and he thought that they may be ok. He had heard nothing from the attorney for a while, so he made an agreement with the church to produce the marijuana for them. He thought that if his attorney had any reason that he should not do it he would have called him. He started growing marijuana on the farm he had there in Michigan, and it was about forty-five minutes from the church. He also had another home that he would rent out but •ace that he got this deal he would use it as his place to finish the product, bag, and weigh it. I was working out well. He kept perfect books, took pictures, and kept notes and excellent records of all purchases and transactions with the church. He thought he was doing everything legally and complying with the laws. He had been working with the church for about a year when his house that he finished the product in and stocked there as well caught on fire. There was a gas leak which was on the outside and Brandan was there when it happened. I.t ignited and burned part of the house, he called 911 and they This was in November 2014 and it was not too cold out that day, but a storm was brewing. The first responders showed up which was the fire department and the police. The fire department shut the gas off and put out the fire, but the fire destroyed the electric box, then there was no electricity as well. Branden knew one of the cops that were there, and he was questioning him about the pot and equipment that was there. He said that he had to report it as everyone there saw it. Brandon was lucky that the leak was on the outside as if it were on the inside and gas built up there would have been an explosion. Then Brandon would have been hurt or killed.

The next day the local prosecutor called, and Brandon met him and told him everything about the church and the paperwork that he had. He told him that it was cut and dry and that that he was not going to do anything there locally. He thought that it was over Brandon also suspected that the fire was the work of arson, as well as a firefighter, as it looked like the pipe had been cut. That night the weather became violent with a huge ice storm and the temperature dropped to zero. The next morning the water pipes had frozen and busted and destroyed everything in the house. He talked to his attorney and he did not have anything to tell him, so he thought he was in the clear. So, he set up a place at his farm to finish and stock the pot that he was growing for the church.

About four months later he was working on his farm and he heard a gunshot. He noticed that his dogs were missing, he had two dogs, a German shepherd, and a collie. Both were good dogs but sometimes they stayed away to the neighbors which are about a quarter-mile away. The neighbor has chickens and does not want the dogs to come over there. A few minutes later the collie came back and a few minutes later the German Shepherd came back with blood on the side of his face and had been shot. Brandon put the dog in his truck and headed to the Vet, but he saw the neighbor out in front and stopped for a minute and got in his face and threatened him and cursed him, and got back in his truck to take the dog to the Vet. The neighbor called the police on him. The police went to Brandon’s home looking for him. Brandon's girlfriend was there when the police got there. They were asking her questions about Brandon and his business. She told him that she did not know anything about the business except he was working for the church. They asked for her to call him as they were going to wait for him. She called Brandon and told him that the police were there and wanted to talk to him. This officer was the one he knew and was hoping that it would be just a tongue lashing. Brandon left the Vet and the dog would survive. Brandon pulled up in the drive and the police were there waiting on him and his girlfriend was there as well. Just a Brandon got out of his truck the police handcuffed him and said that he was under arrest and read him his rights. They said that they had a Federal Warrant out for his arrest. He was surprised and said what do you mean a Federal Warrant. They said that you will have to talk to them about that. They took him to the local jail. The next day the DEA came to visit him in the county jail, they started their scare tactics, as usual, saying that he could face a lot of time and so could his girlfriend as she was an accompanist. He said that he was not talking and got his attorney. There was a hearing set to determine if the church was exempt from the marijuana charge and protected. He said that the church would not respond, and he was on his own. The hearing was in Grand Rapids. The hearing decided that the church was not exempt and not protected. Now he was on his own, and he does not know what happened to the church since they are not involved in this case now. Brandon fired his attorney and hired another one as he did not think that he tried that hard for him. He hired another attorney and as always that starts out strong but seems like give in as it goes along. They still get paid, however. The Federal Prosecutor kept pushing for a plea deal and his new attorney said that would be the best thing to do. So, they worked out a plea of eighteen months in prison and three years’ probation and nothing on his girlfriend. There is no restitution or fines, but he paid his attorneys $50,000.

My Thoughts: As I only hear one side of every story and maybe not the total story I think that Brandon should have done more searching about the laws and what a church can and cannot do with medical marijuana and for religious reasons. Did he sell to someone else, 1 do not know! Even if the state has medical or even recreational marijuana legal, it is still illegal by the Federal Government. I know the Feds can scare you and coerce you into a plea deal even if you are not guilty, and he may have thought he was not guilty, but I believe that he knew he was in a gray area. I think one year, and two years’ probation would be appropriate.

Tuesday, January 23, 2018, got up around 7:30 am and took a shower, and fixed my coffee. I went to the rec room and weighed. I weighed one hundred and eighty-one pounds and my goal is one hundred and seventy-five pounds with no clothes on. The clothes I had on weighs about four pounds, so I need to lose around five pounds. I have lost about eight pounds since I have been here so as the weather gets warmer out and does more exercise by playing a little basketball, running or whatever I do not think that will be a problem. I will work with the barbells to build up my arms. I cannot much pressure my back and legs because of my bulging disc at my TIO level.

I feel like that this is a vacation that I can write and lose weight and exercise to get in shape. Also, it has been of a good experience as I have met some amazing people in here that have "Brilliant Minds" and some great stories, well I mean great in that it is stupid that some are here that are not guilty or maybe just made a mistake.

Nothing much went on before dinner and just chilled. At dinner, I ran into Brandon again and he forgot to tell me that after they arrested him; he found out that the neighbor that shot his dog was an FBI agent, What luck.

I sat down for dinner with Willy to eat; I have eaten with him before and talked to him but not about why he was here. Willy is a stocky black man around forty-two years old and about five foot ten inches tall, he looks like he could handle himself very well. I assumed that he was here on drugs charges. I asked him what he did, and he said the government uses you as a scapegoat is corrupt. He was a policeman in Mississippi and was in here on bribery charges. I said that I would like to set down and interview him and hear his story, and he said that he had a good one. I told him that I would get with him soon.

After dinner Lee, Cisco, John, and myself played cards. Lee wanted to play Texas Hold’em, and we played for stamps. Stamps are the currency here to buy things like food. The food service workers bring back, gamble, items such as shoes when someone leaves, and much more. Anyway, I was the first out and I lost ten stamps which are three dollars. The stamps are old stamps, not new mailing stamps.

Wednesday, January 24th, 2018 Today starts my fourth month here at the camp and it seems like it is going fast, but not fast enough. I am always trying to stay busy and that makes time go faster it seems. I am always getting asked to play cards and when the weather is good, I will do more outside.

I met Major soon after I first got here, and we have become good friends. We call him Major because he was a Major in the Army. Major is a tall, very distinguished black man, about fifty-five years old and very fit. He is also a physical trainer, and he has helped me in stretching. Major has been working on appeals and not having much luck. In the next few pages is his story. He says that he is innocent of the charges and was railroaded and coerced into a plea deal. They indicted his wife and his sister as they had money and his sister and his wife had a business and Major was not part of that business, but the government does not care, when they go after someone they try to get everyone around them, and that was his wife and sister. The government took all their money and assets and their business. His wife and sister both got six months in prison and were charged with no restitution. They are both out now, but not in a business and trying to make ends meet. Waiting for John to return home.

Here is a report on Major: Superb performance of duty in a challenging wartime assignment as Deputy Commander of Southwest Asia Contracting Command Kuwait. Major is the number one Major in this Command. Major served dual roles: one as Deputy Commander and two as a Contracting Officer. John took the lead in transitioning Camp Ariana and Kuwait Naval Base from LOGCP to Sustainment Contracts and saving the government twelve million dollars annually while providing improved quality of life support for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Through his contracting expertise, Major was able to successfully coordinate the requirements of 14 base camps through the Advanced Acquisition Planning Board. His tireless efforts resulted in anticipating warfighter requirements, developing more efficient contracting instruments, reduced cost and significantly improving contracting support to the warfighter. Major dedicated himself to this command his peers, and subordinates ensuring the utmost commitment was always given to the warfighter Major performs as a seasoned professional and as an outstanding leader. Major is an extremely talented officer and has unlimited potential for increased responsibility. Major must be given the toughest assignments in the Global War on Terrorism. Promote early to Lieutenant Colonel and select for Battalion level command.

Here is Major's story: I was charged with, Bribery, but I bribed no one. The money was freely contributed in recognition' for my having reported on criminal activities that would have prevented them from contracting under the blacklist, and on the criminal activities that would have illegally canceled their contracts and impacted their livelihoods, I was charged with money laundering, but none of the money entered, passed through me, or to the United States. The overseas companies who gave or pledge their own money to an overseas charity as benevolence after my Whistle Blowing and for my previously exposing an illegal "blacklist" is an area of interest, but it is not a crime by definition, as described by the government prosecutor’s indictment. It is conducted unbecoming; however, the case may be, and I accept full responsibility for this conduct. But this conduct does not rise to bribery by legal definition, so no felony crime was committed. In fact, government prosecutors cannot produce any of the documents they reference in the Indictment.

NOTE: the prosecutors were without an Authority to prosecute according to Title 28 U.S.C. 541, 546, 547 as Washington, D.C. Trial' Attorneys having no case or controversy in the Western District. of

NOTE: I, Major was never discharged according to Title 10

As you can see Major was an outstanding officer in the Army was a high-ranking officer and was on his way to becoming even higher. He was charged and made a plea and got six years in prison and was ordered to pay nine and a half mil Ion dollars ($9,500,000) in restitution. He can make a real dent in that making forty dollars ($40.00) a month working at the BOP camp.

Major has met and worked under three Presidents and many world leaders. After taking all his and his wife's money around two million dollars, and he says his wife and sister's business, as he said they said that their money was co-mingled and then all dirty money. He was ordered here at the BOP Ashland Kentucky camp, where we met.

Major had met a lot of friends while in the military and one was an oil barren from Saudi Arabia. They had been close, and he owned a home in LA. He did not tell me his name, but he knew he was very, very wealthy.

Every six months here at the camp we have what they call a team meeting where you set down with your counselor and discuss your file and if you have any problems or concerns. Major had gone to his team meeting and when the counselor was looking at his file, he noticed that the restitution balance was zero. Is there a mistake they said, and he researched and said that someone paid his restitution and it was nine and a half million dollars ($9,500,000) John knew it was his Saudi Arabia friend, He said that he did not know how to thank him and when they talked he did not want any thanks. That much money to him was like $950 to us.

Major is probably the best friend that I have met in here so far, and we plan on getting together when we get out. We both get out almost the same time, and we may do some business together.

My Thoughts :

He just got Screwed by the Government. Thank you for your service, Major.