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Pot Firefighter Found Guilty
By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 26, 2010
Modified Aug 26, 2010
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Aug 26, 2010
Modified Aug 26, 2010
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Patrick Murray, the firefighter who was caught operating a marijuana grow house in Queens Village last year, was convicted by a jury yesterday. Murray faces a minimum of five years in prison on the drug charges. "I'm in shock," he told his lawyer after the verdict came in.
Murray, who vehemently denied on the stand that he had any involvement with the grow house, was sunk by the testimony of fellow firefighter Matthew Cody, who cut a cooperation agreement with prosecutors. Cody, who owned the grow house building, said Murray suggested growing pot in the basement to cover the mortgage of the house. Well, hey, anything beats foreclosure, right?
Murray was also convicted of endangering three children who lived above the hydroponic pot setup, and were exposed to carbon dioxide gas and fertilizer fumes. Brooklyn federal Judge John Gleeson seemed particularly unimpressed with Murray: "He struck me as a strong, arrogant and untruthful witness."
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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