According to the plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court Wednesday, Dayspring operated and had a controlling interest in multiple cannabis farms and dispensaries that required approval from SLO County and the city of Grover Beach. The filing adds that Dayspring and Hill held a political fundraiser at Hills home where $13,000 was raised in June 2019. {"requests":{"event":"https:\/\/www.noozhawk.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/newspack-popups\/includes\/..\/api\/campaigns\/index.php"},"triggers":{"trackPageview":{"on":"visible","request":"event","visibilitySpec":{"selector":"#c00b","visiblePercentageMin":50,"totalTimeMin":250,"continuousTimeMin":100},"extraUrlParams":{"popup_id":"id_234460","cid":"CLIENT_ID(newspack-cid)"}},"formSubmitSuccess":{"on":"amp-form-submit-success","request":"event","selector":"#c00b .wp-block-jetpack-mailchimp form","extraUrlParams":{"popup_id":"id_234460","cid":"CLIENT_ID(newspack-cid)","mailing_list_status":"subscribed","email":"${formFields[email]}","esp":"mailchimp"}}}} Federal prosecutors, on Wednesday, July 28, filed criminal information charges against a San Luis Obispo man, Helios Raphael Dayspring, charging him with bribery for paying a San Luis Obispo County supervisor approximately $32,000 - most of that in cash - in exchange for the supervisor's votes and influence on other votes affecting his cannabis business interests. The court filing says that beginning in fall of 2016 and continuing until about November 2019, Dayspring paid a sitting county supervisor it does not mention Hill by name approximately $29,000 in unreported cash payments. They told me Im a witness, Peschong told The Tribune. More dope, free money, entitlements galore at the expense of all those nasty corporations and filthy rich dishonest people, could be what they are thinking? Hill pushed his fellow supervisors to support an extension and moved to add it to the next meetings agenda; the motion failed. Makes being a hard working field worker supporting a family a desirable situation that is immune from these negative talking points. San Luis Obispos budget includes federal program funds, hence the interest. Dayspring said in his plea agreement that, in exchange for bribes, Hill took official actions that benefited his marijuana ventures, such as voting in favor of exempting certain cultivators from a moratorium on growing marijuana on unincorporated land and opposing a potential ban on outdoor grows. 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. What nailed the coffin shut for Dayspring, in addition to the financial record analysis, was his overuse of the text message function on his iPhone. Later that month, he gave hill $3,000 in cash, the first payment in what would amount to $29,000 in cash over the next three years. Have you assisted five or more individuals or entities (in separate and unrelated matters) in preparing and submitting five separate and unrelated cannabis licensing applications to government authorities? 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.. Have a question about Government Services? For 2018, for example, he reported taxable income of $1.26 million when his actual income was more than $6.5 million. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Central District of California in Los Angeles, 35-year-old Dayspring pled guilty to a pair of felonies - one count of bribery and another count of filing a false 2018 income tax return and . According to Dayspring's plea agreement, there was no bribery involved in obtaining the permits for the three dispensaries in the Glass House deal. Helios Dayspring, who also goes by "Bobby," agreed to a plea deal that was filed July . Processing In exchange, the supervisor voted on matters affecting Daysprings farms, including voting multiple times in favor of legislation that permitted Daysprings farms to operate before it had obtained final permitting approvals. Daysprings illicit activities spread to city government as well, federal prosecutors allege. Daysprings first court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 25 in Los Angeles. In another message, Dayspring wrote that he had invested in several properties but warned that if he was not deemed complete and didnt receive conditional-use permits, I dont get my ownership in the land., According to the plea agreement, Hill replied: Got it. 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. Daysprings supporters friends, family members, employees, business partners submitted many testimonials on his behalf, painting him as kind, courageous, and generous when it comes to animals and the less fortunate. Since Dayspring was not deemed a flight risk and apparently since he had already paid the IRS the millions of back taxes, he was permitted to leave the courtroom, go home, and self-surrender to start serving his prison sentence near summers end on Aug. 26. . If the lawyer answers yes to any single question (1 to 5), the lawyer can be considered for hiring to give a consultation and then, with more questions asked, to be considered as an occasional legal consultant, or even as someone to place on the payroll. 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. He also underreported income on returns filed from 2014 to 2018, according to the agreement. In January 2020, Hill was the deciding vote when the board again extended the abeyance 3-2. The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter. 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. Psychologically seared by his early abandonment, Dayspring wrote, he learned at an early age not to trust anyone whose loyalty couldnt be bought and paid for. Dayspring also agreed to pay his back taxes along with penalties and interest. Editors Note: Since the legalization of marijuana, allegations of bribery, human trafficking, black market sales and money laundering have surfaced. Text message: "Tomorrow is your favorite County Supervisor's birthday. 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. LOS ANGELES A San Luis Obispo man was sentenced today to 22 months in federal prison for paying a county supervisor approximately $32,000 in bribes most of them in cash in exchange for the supervisors votes and influence on other votes affecting his cannabis business interests. Hill then solicited more bribes; he was given $3,000 in 2016 and $5,000 in 2017, the filing says. California's coastal "King of Cannabis," Helios Dayspring, owner of a San Luis Obispo cannabis cultivation site, supplier to many licensed California dispensaries, and founder of Central California's Natural Healing Center dispensary, was sentenced to a 22-month prison sentence, in a downtown Los Angeles federal courtroom May 27. 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. For example, for the tax year 2018, Dayspring falsely reported his taxable income as $1,262,894, when in fact his income was greater than $6.5 million. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. A satellite camp.Sounds cozy.He can easily run the show from there. And with the hope that such a payment to the IRS would increase the chances of a lower sentence than the statutory max of 13 years, Daysprings current lawyers advised him to pay in full, which he did before his sentencing. Helios "Bobby" Dayspring, 35, appeared via Zoom before Judge Andre Birotte Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to enter guilty pleas to one count of federal . Thom Mrozek The nature of the warrants was unknown at the time, as they were under seal. (David Middlecamp / San Luis Obispo Tribune photo). In 2017, Grover Beach began accepting applications for cannabis dispensary permits. The next week, Dayspring and his associates again spoke in favor of extending the abeyance; Hill again moved to place the item on the next meetings agenda, and this time, the board took it up for a vote. Why make oneself so susceptible to federal prosecution when the better course is to lay low and follow the rules? Natural Healing Centers was founded and owned by Helios Dayspring, . Federal prosecutors today also filed a plea agreement in which Dayspring agreed to plead guilty to both felony offenses, pay $3.4 million in restitution to the IRS, and cooperate in the governments ongoing investigation. Click here to read more stories from The San Luis Obispo Tribune. Dayspring, over a three-year period starting in 2016, bribed a San Luis Obispo county supervisor with money, free cannabis, and fancy meals, so that the local government official would vote in favor of policies which favored Daysprings San Luis Obispo cannabis farm and his Grover Beach, California retail outlet. The quid pro quo was clear, according to Daysprings plea agreement. Invariably, a federal corruption or fraud case will involve money that was not reported to the IRS. Success! 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. He had previously attempted suicide in March 2020, on the same day the FBI searched his home and his office in the county government building. According to CalCoastNews, Dayspring agreed to a "confidential settlement" with William Szymczak, an 83-year-old investor who put more than $17 million into . Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Has the lawyer assisted and prepared five separate and unrelated cannabis licensing applications? In addition, Hill who once worked for former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley voted to keep new operations that might compete with Daysprings from gaining a toehold in San Luis Obispo. Helios "Bobby" Dayspring, 35, agreed to plead guilty to one count of bribery and one count of filing a false tax return for failing to report millions of dollars in income to the Internal Revenue . Dayspring also agreed to pay $3.4 million in restitution the amount he kept from the Internal Revenue Service by underreporting his income and to cooperate with prosecutors and agents from the IRS and FBI who are said to be probing corruption in San Luis Obispo County. They put state and local prosecutors through their paces. Family lawyers (who handle marriage break ups and custody decisions) often do heartbreaking and essential work too. Californias coastal King of Cannabis, Helios Dayspring, owner of a San Luis Obispo cannabis cultivation site, supplier to many licensed California dispensaries, and founder of Central Californias Natural Healing Center dispensary, was sentenced to a 22-month prison sentence, in a downtown Los Angeles federal courtroom May 27. Tony Biasotti They asked me if I understood the Brown Act, asked me if I understood the rules of the (Fair Political Practices Commission) in California, asked me about the rules for accepting gifts, asked if I understood how to recuse myself from a vote if I have a financial interest., Peschong said investigators talked to me about a supervisor, which I probably should not name names.. All cannabis operators are required to pay their taxes. Agents also searched a Pismo Beach home and an undisclosed third location on the same day. Many of the Big Law, former federal prosecutors or specialty firm lawyers who advise single state operators, MSOs, and brands in the cannabis industry, are loath to ever refer to themselves as cannabis lawyers. In fact, they tend to chafe at the moniker and affirmatively tell prospective clients, I am not a cannabis lawyer. The lawyer-experts go on to explain that they have expertise in the wide array of laws, regulations and practices affecting the industry and things from their perspectives self-proclaimed cannabis lawyers do not., Brad Sodowick, a professor at Drexel Universitys LeBow School of Business who teaches a course called Cannabis as an Emerging Business has advice for all cannabis operators on this point: Get a former federal prosecutor and/or someone at a big firm or who worked at Big Law and not a solo-shop criminal defense attorney who represents marijuana dealers. 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