Despite being a star child of the family, Sonja suffered from the mental illnesses that haunted her even in adulthood. Instead, Carr strived to create "the three-dimensional portrait" of Farak and figured out how to put that inside her documentary. Hafsa Quraishi Twitter Associate Producer, Here & NowHafsa Quraishi is an associate producer for Here & Now. Capricorns. Ive been struggling with that, Carr said Its very uncomfortable and I dont know what its been like for her.. She said early recovery was hard because finding employment and housing was difficult with a criminal record and having to pay court fees. As a defense attorney, he discusses the importance . In Netflixs docuseries we get to hear from her sister, and mother, who give us an insight into Sonjas life, and how her actions impacted them. . But Westcott said she paid a variety of fees, such as $65 monthly probation costs and $500 to get her drivers license, before the SJC dismissed her three possession cases in 2018. 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. Farak admitted to being on a list of drugs while working between 2004 and her 2013 arrest. The chemist, Sonja Farak, worked at the Amherst crime drug lab from 2004 to 2013 during which she was high almost every day. You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. She still resides in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, specifically, in the Portsmouth Park Area. on Oct. 31, 2017. Sonja Farak was released on parole in 2016 and has remained out of the spotlight ever since. Linda was born on 19th July 1951. The settlement is the result of a class action lawsuit seeking to reimburse those who had their cases dismissed. 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. As the docuseries shows, she admitted to a therapist in 2009 that she had been struggling with addiction issues since 2005. Audiences also hear from Farak's mother and sister who have never spoken to the press before. According to a newspaper article from 1992, she was the first female in Rhode Island to be on a high school football team. Sonja Farak is the former state drug lab chemist featured in Netflix's "How to Fix a Scandal." Its no big deal, 14-year-old Farak said to the Panama City News Herald. 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. By Arun Rath Matt Baskin. 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.. Despite being a star child of the family, Sonja suffered from the mental illnesses that haunted her even in adulthood. She received an 18-month jail sentence. The newest true crime series from Netflix, How to Fix a Drug Scandal, was released on April 1, 2020. Magistrate Judge Robertson denied a request in Penate's lawsuit that Kaczmarek be prohibited from contesting the special hearing officer's findings. Sonja Farak (left) leaving the courthouse with her lawyer. 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. Because she did so, Plaintiff served more than five years in a state prison.". She looked into the western area of the state because it was less expensive and less hectic. The disclosure of potentially exculpatory evidence was particularly important, the report reads. Linda was married to Stanley M Farak, who was in the US Navy. Its almost as if somebody would take the worst part of my life and show it to millions of people.. According to a Rolling Stone profile on Farak and the case, the former chemist has not been heard from since her release. She remained a football fan, and loved the Patriots. Sonja Farak: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. 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 . You have been subscribed to WBUR Today. "The mental health worksheets constituted admissions by the state lab chemist assigned to analyze the samples seized in Plaintiffs case that she was stealing and using lab samples to feed a drug addiction at the time she was testing and certifying the samples in Plaintiffs case, including, in one instance, on the very day that she certified a sample," Robertson's ruling reads. .css-26w0xw{display:block;font-family:NationalBold,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-26w0xw:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.18581rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-26w0xw{line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.28598rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-26w0xw{font-size:1.575rem;line-height:1.1;margin-bottom:-0.5rem;}}How To Avoid Unexpected Health Bills. I felt euphoric, Kogan wrote of Farak. Filmmaker Erin Lee Carrs newest docuseries How to Fix a Drug Scandal shines a spotlight on misconduct on several levels but its primary focus is on a Massachusetts former drug lab technician named Sonja Farak. I think shes a good person, she said. Erin Lee Carr On Directing 'I Love You, Now Die'. April 1, 2020. The scandal led to the dismissal of thousands of drug convictions. Published Jul 1, 2020. She graduated with high distinction. She's no longer in prison, as Farak has served her sentence. How to Fix a Drug Scandal premiered on Netflix April 1, and it has told the compelling stories of Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan. Her wrongdoings were exposed when unsealed cocaine and a crack pipe were found under her desk. 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. "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. Former Massachusetts crime lab chemist Sonja Farak, left, during her arraignment in 2013. The people who were involved in this will finally get justice, Westcott said. 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. That settlement awaits approval by a judge. The chemist, Sonja Farak, worked at the state drug lab in Amherst, Massachusetts, for more than eight years. While not reporting, he enjoys long-distance running. Heres what you need to know about Sonja Farak: Farak was born on January 13, 1978, in Rhode Island to Stanley and Linda Farak. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Fake drugs were found in their place. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Sonja Farak, left, stands during her arraignment at Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown, Mass. ", "She isn't on drugs anymore, and I think that that is incredible," Carr, who also directed the true-crime documentaries. Actress Shannon O'Neill portrays Farak in How to a Fix a Drug Scandal. In four counties alone, Farak personally . 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. While attending college, she met her longtime partner Nikki Lee. The series chronicles nine years of misconduct at two Massachusetts drug labs. She started doing drugs almost as soon as she took the job at Amherst, but it was after years of negligence on her superiors part that her actions finally came to light. How to Fix a Drug Scandal: With Shannon O'Neill, Karl Kenzler, Paul Solotaroff, Jared Olanoff. She confided in her therapist that all the drugs she was consuming came from her workplace. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. The new four-part Netflix series tracks chemists Sonja Farak and Annie Dookhan, whose convictions for misconduct led to over 40,000 drug convictions being dismissed by the courts. More than 24,000 convictions have been overturned as a result of her case. 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. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. Westcott has been in recovery from heroin addiction for nearly nine years. 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. 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. Her parents were described as loving, and somewhat strict. 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. (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. 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. Don Treeger/The Republican via AP, Pool, File. She began working there in 2004 and enjoyed that it was more laid back than the job at Hinton. She has pledged to dismiss Suffolk County drug convictions an estimated 74,800 for anyone whose drug certification was done at the Hinton Lab between May 2003 and August 2012. Why did she do that and where has it left her? Since then, she has kept a low profile. She would conduct her work high on meth, cocaine, LSD and crack. After she was caught, Farak pleaded guilty to stealing drugs from the lab and was sentenced to prison time of 18 months. (Featured Image Credit: Mass Live). 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. 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. Faraks sister Amy Farak said her sister excelled at sports. 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. Farak was arrested in January 2013 for stealing drugs . Faraks mishandling of evidence halted in 2013 when she was approached by a state police trooper after some of her drug samples were discovered missing. Easy access to drugs and the lack of supervision at work allowed Farak to maintain and hide her addiction for several years. As a teenager, she had attempted suicide. They wrote that she served 13 months and was paroled sometime in 2015. By some accounts, she is 68 years old. During her career as a. It appears that Linda has Christianity listed as her religion, and is a Caucasian woman, who's registered as a Democrat. A Board of Bar Overseers special hearing officer recently issued these findings in a 98-page decision about former assistant attorneys general Anne Kaczmarek, John Verner and Kris Foster. October 6, 2020 All Things Considered. Her notes record on-the-job drug use ranging from small nips of the lab's baseline. Her supply came from work itself; she would take drugs and use them and then replace the evidence bags with fake drugs. 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 . Hints of problems to come were not apparent as a child, at least not from the outside. She eventually landed a job at the Amherst crime lab of the Massachusetts State Police, after graduating from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. 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. Kaczmarek failed to disclose information and intentionally misrepresented the evidence she had, and worked to actively shut down inquiry and deflect zealous work by Farak defendants counsel who were doing their jobs by requesting evidence of Faraks misconduct, according to the report. In the civil suit, she filed her own answer to the lawsuit and hired the services of attorney Susan Sachs. As shown in the docuseries, she testified that her childhood was normal and middle class. When she tried it she did so when others in the lab went out to lunch it met her expectations. No wonder, she expresses an initial surprise upon learning that Sonja got addicted to drugs while working on her job. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, on Monday, heard from attorneys representing prosecutors from the attorney general's office over their handling of the 2013 prosecution and arrest of drug. However, it must be said that Linda has maintained a straight backbone about the entire matter. You can try, Suspensions and a reprimand proposed for prosecutors admonished in drug lab scandal. From the start, we have recognized that defendants with vacated convictions should be refunded and are pleased to have engaged in a collaborative effort to reach a fair and efficient resolution for all involved.. Sonja Farak, 35, who worked at the Massachusetts State Crime Laboratory in Amherst, was arrested at her Northampton home Saturday night by Massachusetts State Police and is facing two counts of. I find that everyone needs to be given a second chance.". Farak pleaded guilty in 2014 of stealing drugs and tampering with evidence, setting off a second. Linda was married to Stanley M Farak, who was in the US Navy. He went to bat for clients who were affected by both Farak and Dookhans misconduct. After high school, Sonja went on to major in biochemistry at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in western Massachusetts. In December 2011, after police in Springfield, Mass., had arrested Renaldo Penate for allegedly selling heroin, the drugs from that case were tested at a state drug lab by technician Sonja Farak. The Mirror can reveal she was forced to defend herself in. The difference? Now the Board of Bar Overseers special hearing officer concluded that there were numerous lapses, oversights, intentional misconduct and rule violations by Kaczmarek, Verner and Foster. 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. 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. The fees eligible for reimbursement include probation fees, victim witness fees, GPS monitoring costs and driver's license reinstatement fees. "As the gatekeeper to this evidence, she failed to turn over documents, and she adamantly opposed the requests for access. In high school, she nearly died by suicide, and in college Farak was . Criminal. El Chino ntrax. March 9, 2021 Greater Boston Eight years since disgraced chemist Sonja Farak was arrested for tampering with evidence at a Massachusetts drug lab, the effects of her actions are still unfolding. Dookhan was. I was like, 'Why are they going to incarcerate me for money?' 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. It gave me energy. Farak, a chemist, was later convicted of stealing drugs from the state lab in Amherst. 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.. The surveillance of the chemists as well as the standards and the confiscated drugs has also been increased considerably. 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 . It was a slippery slope from there, as Sonja went from cocaine to crack cocaine and even LSD. She really did, at certain times, tried to stop doing this but couldnt.. The lawsuit names Kaczmarek, Farak and three members of the state police.
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