The selling price for the illegal weed, which was sold in large quantities, was about US$2,400 per pound. Laverty, for his part, was also being paid well by the family business, receiving income from the business, “including up to US$5,000 per week in cash,” the statement adds.
In January of 2020, a five-day trial ended with Laverty being convicted of conspiring to cultivate more than 100 marijuana plants, conspiracy to launder money, cultivating cannabis and possessing marijuana with intent to distribute. He also pleaded guilty to an additional charge of theft of government funds benefits, which are available to those with household incomes that do not exceed the federal poverty line).
Beyond the 12 years in prison ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman, Laverty was also ordered to serve eight years of supervised release and to pay US$3,100 in restitution. Co-defendant Andrea Laverty, in her early 60s, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to cultivate marijuana and conspiring to launder money.