Owner of Long Beach Marijuana Dispensaries Gets Federal Prison

The owner of marijuana dispensaries in Long Beach and Orange County was sentenced today to nearly 22 years in federal prison for being what the United States district judge recognized as a family man who was still "an extensive drug trafficker."

John Melvin Walker, 56, of San Clemente was sentenced today to nearly 22 years in federal prison for conspiring to sell marijuana out of nine illegal storefronts in Orange and Los Angeles counties. Walker, also known as ``Pops,'' pleaded guilty April 1 to conspiring to distribute more than a ton of marijuana and to maintaining drug-involved premises. Walker also pleaded guilty to tax evasion and was ordered to pay $4.2 million in restitution to the state and federal government.

``I live with this guilt on a daily basis,'' Walker said in a remorseful letter read in court by his attorney, in which he described looking at photos of his wife and 8-year-old daughter while sitting in a jail cell awaiting sentencing.
 
``I have caused considerable mental anguish to my wife and family,'' he said.

 Some $500,000 cash was found in a Long Beach "stash" house and raids in Orange and L.A. County yielded a ton of marijuana and weapons including an assault rifle, though Walker's attorney said he'd inherited many of them, and some were still in their original packaging. Walker's Long Beach dispensaries were Belmont Shore Natural Care near the corner of Second Street and Claremont Avenue - across the street from the Bay Shore library and bay beach - and Alternative Herbal Health at 3702 E. Anaheim Street, near Euclid Avenue. 

Acknowledging multiple letters of support and tearful testimonies on behalf of the defendant in court today, U.S. District Judge James Selna said he had to consider ``two John Walkers'' before ultimately deciding on 21 years and 10 months in prison for the defendant. ``One is a family man and a good friend,'' Selna said, while the other is an ``extensive drug trafficker.'' The judge added, ``I have to sentence the whole John Walker.''

Boris Del Cid pleaded for mercy for Walker, who he said stuck by him after a spinal cord injury left Del Cid a paraplegic. Del Cid, his voice cracking at times, described his friend of a dozen years.

Even when most of his friends drifted away, Del Cid said he could count on Walker to visit him twice a week in the hospital over his five-month stay. By the time he was released, Del Cid said, Walker would help Del Cid's wife with things she could not do in his absence, as the task of getting their home fitted for wheelchair access required attention to details and supervision. 

Walker would also take Del Cid out to eat and to the movies to keep his spirits up."As we all know, John has the biggest heart and enough compassion to fill it.  My good friend not only spent time with me at the hospital but also helped my wife with things that she could not do at home, in my absence.  As the daunting task of getting our home fitted for wheelchair access, required attention to details and supervision."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine S. Bautista had a different take on the defendant, who raked in about $25 million over six years with his marijuana storefronts.

``He chose to continue to break the law'' after federal investigators served search warrants on his businesses, getting ``more sophisticated'' and hiring an IT director to destroy incriminating emails, the prosecutor said. ``He may have worn two hats, but the other half showed how clever and dangerous he can be,'' Bautista said, noting that Walker's marijuana businesses were near schools.

In handing down the sentence, Selna noted the destruction of evidence, the size of the conspiracy, the need to deter others from committing the same crimes and the necessity of the fairness of the punishment compared with similar defendants. Walker was among 14 indicted by a federal grand jury last October for involvement in the conspiracy. Most of the defendants have pleaded guilty, according to Bautista.

The dispensaries operated by Walker were identified as Alternative Herbal Health in Long Beach; Safe Harbor Collective in Dana Point; Garden Grove Alternative Care in Garden Grove; Santa Ana Superior Care; Belmont Shore Natural Care in Long Beach; Santa Fe Compassionate Health Care in Santa Fe Springs; Costa Mesa Patients Association; the Whittier Collective; and APCC in San Juan Capistrano.

Investigators are continuing to chase down Walker's assets, Bautista said. Assets previously seized include the defendant's San Clemente home worth $1.7 million, multiple mobile homes in Mammoth Lakes, rental properties in Long Beach and his interest in two strip clubs, the prosecutor said. One stash house in Long Beach contained $500,000 in cash that was seized by authorities, Bautista said. Walker also had several guns seized, such as an assault rifle similar to an AK-47. Walker's attorney, Kate Corrigan, said her client inherited some of the weapons from his father and that authorities recovered some in their original packaging.

--City News Service and Nancy Wride contributed to this report.

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