Bangor, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Robert Berg, 52, of Corinna, Maine, was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. to 6 months in prison and one year of supervised release for being an accessory after the fact to the manufacture of 1,000 or more marijuana plants. An accessory after the fact is a person who, knowing that an offense against the United States has been committed, comforts or assists the offender in order to hinder or prevent his apprehension, trial or punishment. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Berg pleaded guilty to the charge on January 7, 2014.
According to court records, following the Sept. 22, 2009 discovery by law enforcement officers of a large, sophisticated marijuana growing operation in Township 37 in Washington County, Berg provided assistance to those who committed the crime. Specifically, Berg was aware that Malcolm French, Rodney Russell and Kendall Chase and a number of migrant workers were growing marijuana in Township 37. When it was discovered, several offenders including migrant workers, fled into and hid in the woods of Township 37. Shortly thereafter, at French’s request, Berg drove to Township 37 with another individual, located the migrant workers, took them to his Corinna residence and hid them in his barn. He also gave them food and clothing. A day or two later, another individual picked up the migrant workers at Berg’s barn and drove them out of state.
The case was investigated by the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Homeland Security Investigations, and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
