There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. From my view, as a former federal prosecutor, and someone who teaches cannabis law in both business and law schools, Daysprings biggest mistake (besides the criminality) was not doing enough investigation to find the right lawyers initially (at the start of his business) to guide him. SLO Cannabis Grower Bribed Late County Supervisor Adam Hill, Federal Prosecutors Say, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Helios Dayspring, owner of the Natural Healing Center cannabis dispensary in Grover Beach, has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of bribing late SLO County supervisor Adam Hill for favorable votes on his projects. One can suppose existence will be about 10 years, 22 months in prison divided by 120 months overall hmmm sad choice Mr. Mendota. The cannabis business owner appeared in federal court by video on Friday, Oct. 22. A locked padlock Whoops! He represented the 3rd District on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, which includes most of the city of San Luis Obispo as well as Avila Beach, Pismo Beach and Grover Beach, from 2008 until his death by suicide in August 2020. Keep up with Noozhawk's daily news coverage, delivered at 4:15 a.m. right to your inbox. There, townspeople run into each other more frequently and have more daily opportunities to interact with the local level officials who are making licensing and zoning decisions. Has the lawyer assisted and prepared five separate and unrelated cannabis licensing applications? In addition, Dayspring was sentenced for underreporting his income to the tune of $9 million to the IRS and shorting the government $3.4 million in tax payments. Central Coast cannabis kingpin Helios Raphael Dayspring better known as Bobby was named after the sun god of Greek mythology. In addition to bribing the San Luis Obispo County supervisor, Dayspring admitted in his plea agreement that he and his business associate attempted to bribe the then-mayor of Grover Beach in exchange for two dispensary licenses in that city. County, Dayspring was well-known in northern Santa Barbara County, where he operated several industrial-scale cannabis operations off the steep and winding road that wends through the bucolic paradise of Tepusquet Canyon. I love growing it. When news broke last month about the explosive charges that late San Luis Obispo County 3rd District Supervisor Adam Hill took bribes from local cannabis magnate Helios Dayspring, SLO County Democratic Party chair Rita Casaverde's instinct was to issue a swift public statement condemning Hill's alleged misconduct. Dayspring did this, his plea agreement states, with the understanding that, as opportunities arose, Hill would vote in favor of permits and legislation benefiting Daysprings cannabis farms and dispensaries; lobby other public officials in support of such legislation; and give Dayspring non-public information regarding cannabis issues before the county government. At an event in October 2016, Dayspring gave Hill three separate $1,000 money orders, which Hill deposited into his personal account. About Us. In May 2020, the FBI questioned county supervisors John Peschong, Debbie Arnold, Bruce Gibson and Lynn Compton regarding government corruption. Helios Bobby Dayspring, 35, who owns marijuana farms and dispensaries up and down the Central Coast, will plead guilty to one count each of federal programs bribery and filing a false tax return, according to a plea agreement filed in federal court and unsealed this week. Everyone else is at home working on their computer doing whatever, selectively answering their messages or in bed asleep until their secret phone rings? Extension of timeframe seems reasonable and probably no one else in until everyone has been deemed complete., Dayspring responded that Hill was the man., On Dec. 12, 2018, Hill told Dayspring by text that the board approved the extension, to which Dayspring replied, Thank God . Adam was a friend of mine, and Im deeply disappointed and saddened to hear this news, Gibson said. Rybarczyk, for the government, and the federal judge (who also was a former federal prosecutor in the Central District), would have none of that and attributed all blame for the corrupt behavior to Dayspring alone. Helios Bobby Dayspring, who owned marijuana farms and dispensaries along the Central Coast, has admitted bribing a San Luis Obispo County supervisor in exchange for votes that favored his business affairs. According to CalCoastNews, Dayspring agreed to a "confidential settlement" with William Szymczak, an 83-year-old investor who put more than $17 million into . DAYSPRING: "It's really important you guys extend the time frame for submission and don't allow other people in yet [as] [t]his affects all the properties that I just got investment into, every one of them. Click here to read Helios Daysprings complete plea agreement. . (also known as Big Law) or have you worked at Big Law and are now in a specialty or boutique firm that advises big business on such things as tax, land use, employment, mergers and acquisitions (M&A)? Ciaran McEvoy He paid Hill an additional $9,000 in cash through the following year, the plea agreement says. Daysprings experience should serve as a warning to other operators. ", COUNTY SUPERVISOR: "Got it. In the end, his efforts to secure the loyalty of politicians would do him in. Cannabis operators, who alreadyat day oneare conducting a business that is federally illegal, cannot afford to engage in conduct that is additionally criminal. It adds insult to injury to add political corruption and failure to pay back taxes to the mix. LKCMedicine's Health for Life in Singapore (HELIOS) Study is proud to be a part of the SG100K, a landmark comprehensive population health study of 100,000 Singaporeans over a few decades to identify social, environmental, lifestyle and genetic factors associated with diseases . The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. Get up to speed with our Essential California newsletter, sent six days a week. While all the offenses for which he was sentenced occurred in S.L.O. The federal prosecutor, Thomas Rybarczyk, is assigned to the Public Corruption Unit. In total, Dayspring paid the late Third District supervisor multiple bribes in cash and money orders totaling $32,000. Whoops! Cannabis businessperson Helios Dayspring entered formal guilty pleas to federal criminal charges, apparently ending a lengthy corruption saga involving multiple marijuana companies and local California officials.. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. The corruption continues with the City of SLO ignoring the fact that Helios Dayspring owns a controlling interest in Megans Organic Market and SLOCAL Roots, both of which are front organizations for money laundering and California Dept of Cannabis Control license fraud. After all, he worked hard to be eligible for a $3.4 million dollar fine? . Hill responded: Got it. Daysprings case provides an important lesson. Dayspring said he began paying Hill in 2016, starting with three $3,000 money orders that the supervisor deposited in his personal account. If you believe an Independent.com user or any material appearing on Independent.com is copyrighted material used without proper permission, please click here. The Board of Supervisors approved that abeyance for existing growers with the initial moratorium vote in September 2016. SAN LUIS OBISPO - Helios Raphael Dayspring (35), the founder of the Natural Healing Center, a cannabis retailer, has pleaded guilty to bribery and failing to report millions of dollars in income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). A lock ( U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Environmental Crimes and Community Safety, San Luis Obispo Man Sentenced to Nearly 2 Years in Federal Prison for Bribing County Supervisor and Filing False Income Tax Returns, Former FBI Special Agent Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Accepting Bribes Paid by Attorney Linked to Organized Crime Figure, Riverside County Tax Preparer Pleads Guilty to Knowingly Preparing False Tax Returns that Caused Over $3 Million in Losses to IRS, Westwood Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges for Running Surety Bond Scam that Caused $5.2 Million in Investor Losses, San Luis Obispo Man Sentenced To Nearly 2 Years In Federal Prison For Bribing County Supervisor and Filing False Income Tax Returns. San Luis Obispo County marijuana mogul Helios Dayspring surrendered to the Federal Correctional Institution in Mendota (FCI Mendota) last week to begin a 22 month sentence for bribery and tax fraud. Dayspring owned, operated, and had a controlling interest in multiple farms that grew cannabis in San Luis Obispo County. Support the Santa Barbara Independent through a long-term or a single contribution. (213) 894-4465. Thom Mrozek These many customers vote their will too and one can only imagine what their will is? To further his interests in the farms that grew cannabis in San Luis Obispo County, Dayspring began paying bribes to a San Luis Obispo County supervisor in the fall of 2016 and continued doing so through November 2019. That happened here with Dayspring. It does not matter whether the product being grown or sold is illegal in any regard. Helios Raphael Dayspring, a.k.a. Hill also requested Dayspring take him out to dinner for his birthday, which Dayspring paid for, and was then given another $5,000 in cash. Residents there had been complaining of Daysprings aggressive scofflaw methods large trucks driving back and forth, night lights and night generators blaring forth, illegal grading, creek degradation, and cultivating in excess of permits since 2015. During his sentencing, Daysprings attorney requested Dayspring spend his incarceration at the Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc where it would be easier for family and friends to visit him. Helios "Bobby" Dayspring, 35, who owns marijuana farms and dispensaries up and down the Central Coast, will plead guilty to one count each of federal programs bribery and filing a false tax . Do you represent people in family law matters to include divorce and child custody. Helios Raphael "Bobby" Dayspring, founder and former majority owner of Natural Healing Center, pleaded guilty to bribery and filing a false income tax return in October 2021. When Shoals returned to the table, Dayspring showed the mayor his cell phone, which had the number 100,000 displayed on the calculator app. (David Middlecamp / San Luis Obispo Tribune photo), Lindsey Holden, Matt Fountain and Kaytlyn Leslie for The San Luis Obispo Tribune, Click here to read more stories from The San Luis Obispo Tribune, Local Independent Online News (LION) Publishers, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Its a sad day for everybody., Arnold said, this news brings closure to a long investigation.. By Tony Biasotti Thursday, July 29th, 2021. Think of it as a vacation. The result? He was slated to open a San Luis Obispo location as well as a Turlock location sometime this year, butpermit issues delayed the local project. Before joining The Times in 2018, he covered city news and state politics at the Hartford Courant. After that, Dayspring allegedly asked his business associate whether they owed Shoals $50,000, prosecutors allege, and the business partner said their proposed deal required that defendant and business partner 1 receive two permits.. Shortly after federal agents raided Supervisor Hills home in March 2020, Hill attempted suicide. Sign up for Indy Today to receive fresh news from Independent.com, in your inbox, every morning. He also underreported income on returns filed from 2014 to 2018, according to the agreement. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The board voted unanimously to grant the abeyance to growers who had registered with the county before the ban went into effect, a decision that benefited Dayspring, his plea agreement says. But even though some criminal defense lawyers and family lawyers have cannabis-related law practices, and some refer to themselves as cannabis lawyers, they are not generally equipped to provide quality regulatory and transactional services to the cannabis operator. The Tribune has reached out to Shoals for comment on Daysprings charges. Specifically, defendant told (Hill) in a text message that its really important u guys extend the timeframe for submission and dont allow other people in yet referring to the countys impending vote on Dec. 11, 2018, to extend the abeyances on enforcement action against cannabis cultivators, the filing reads. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles announced bribery and tax evasion charges against Natural Healing Center co-founder and owner Helios Dayspring just days after a Santa Barbara County Superior Court judge denied the cannabis company's petition against the county for the score NHC received . Hill died by suicide at age 54 in August 2020. Dayspring also agreed to pay his back taxes along with penalties and interest. Sign Up for the A.M. Report May 27, 2022, 9:17 PM. Sheriff Jon Lopey was startled when the mysterious stranger offered him $1 million if he would keep deputies away from certain illegal cannabis farms in Siskiyou County. The City Attorney knows about MOM INC but has negligently looked the other way to avoid finding out who really owns the shares and thus control of the stores. A week later, Hill wrote in a message to Dayspring and his employee that your industry should give me one giant French kiss wrapped in money after my work today. At Hills request, Dayspring hosted at his home a political fundraiser that raised more than $13,000, according to the plea agreement. Do not corruptly influence political decision makers. According to the court documents, Dayspring owned, operated, and/or had a controlling interest in multiple farms that grew cannabis in San Luis Obispo County. Agents also searched a Pismo Beach home and an undisclosed third location on the same day. Daysprings lawyer, Sandra Brown-Bodner, said her client has fully accepted responsibility for his actions, has been cooperating and will continue to cooperate with the government. He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 25, having signed his plea agreement late last month. Count One charged federal bribery and Count Two charged that Dayspring intentionally under-reported his business income on his federal tax returns. The IRS agent, often with the help of an IRS revenue analyst, will then comb through a targets bank statements, credit and debit card statements, business records, and federal filings (to include currency transaction reports, CTRs) and compare that information with a targets tax returns. Subscribe to our free P.M. Report to receive the days headlines weekdays at 4:15 p.m. By Surely, the judge took that fact into consideration when imposing Daysprings 22-month sentence under federal guideline sentence. Quinn Brady now works for the Dayspring front organization MOM INC a Delaware Corp in which shareholder information has been kept secret. Prosecutors charged Helios Raphael Dayspring, 35, of San Luis Obispo with one count of bribery and one count of subscribing to a false 2018 income tax return, when he allegedly deliberately failed . Hill is not named in the plea agreement, which refers to County Supervisor 1, but he was clearly the target of the FBIs investigation and the recipient of Daysprings bribes. It is unclear what will happen to his businesses now that Dayspring has been charged. In the following months, multiple sources in county government told the Business Times that FBI agents had interviewed them and asked about Hill, and about the countys cannabis permitting process. thom.mrozek@usdoj.gov Nick Andre, Tara Graves, and.Mark Cardona are the other three people listed as directors of the MOM INC Delaware Corporation, all obviously designed to hide Helios Daysprings controlling ownership interest after the shit hit the fan.The City of SLO needs to admit they overlooked the fraud committed by these liars and cancel their permits. San Luis Obispos budget includes federal program funds, hence the interest. At another dinner in Pismo Beach, Dayspring said he picked up the tab and passed Hill an additional $5,000 in cash after they finished eating. Helios Raphael "Bobby" Dayspring was charged in federal court with one count of bribery and one count of underreporting millions in federal tax income to the IRS, according to the US Department of . 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