A Resident of Siskiyou County was sentenced to nearly six years to the his role in an illegal cannabis cultivation operation and then attempts to bribe his way out when caughtreported The Sacramento Bee.

The man’s sister, who played a minor role in the affair, was sentenced to time and a $50,000 fine.

Chi Meng Yang by Montagu et al Gaosheng Laitinen of St. Paul, Minnesota were sentenced Tuesday in Sacramento. They were part of a bribery scheme aimed at “shielding,” from prosecution, illegal marijuana cultivation in Northern California’s Siskiyou County, the US attorney said Phillip A Talbert.

Earlier this year, a federal jury found Yang guilty of attempting to bribe former sheriff Jon Lopey, conspiring to commit bribery and producing over 100 cannabis plants. This came after Laitinen pleaded guilty to two conspiracy accounts: committing bribery and manufacturing marijuana.

The background

According to the US Attorney’s Office, the case began in May 2017. Yang and Lopey have reportedly met several times, with Yang offering money to Lopey several times. The payments were to be used for charity and to fund Lopey’s reelection campaign. In return, Lopey was asked to push for legalization of marijuana in Missouri and protect eight properties, among other things, authorities said.

Yang also told the sheriff about his illegal marijuana cultivation. Lopey then called the FBI to participate in an investigation. Following Numerous taped phone calls and video footage between Lopey and Yang, federal agents arrested Yang in August 2017 and accidentally found 1,168 marijuana plants on his property.

Illegal cannabis cultivation is thriving in Siskiyou County

Interestingly, earlier this year, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office pushed State and federal regulators are coming to see first-hand the problems illicit cannabis cultivation is bringing to the county.

sheriff Jeremiah LaRue posted the following message on the County Sheriff’s Facebook…