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Tag: Andrea Sanderlin

  • Andrea Sanderlin, aka “Pot Mom,” Pleads Guilty

    Andrea Sanderlin, the New York mom who is heralded as being a real-life Nancy Botwin from “Weeds,” pleaded guilty to running a marijuana empire worth millions. The soccer mom/drug kingpin faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in a federal prison and is out on bail while she awaits sentencing.

    “From 2009 to 2013 in Queens, New York, I operated a facility in which I, together with others, grew at least 1,000 marijuana plants and sold the marijuana product from the plants,” Sanderlin said in court.

    The marijuana growing mama originally pleaded “Not guilty,” but changed her plea, hoping that would help her when it’s time for her to receive her sentence. If the judge decides that she qualifies for a “safety valve,” she could receive less than the 10-year minimum sentence. The safety valve refers to a statute that is sometimes used to reduce a minimum sentence for offenders who are willing to cooperate and don’t have an extensive and/or violent criminal history.

    Sanderlin’s operation lasted from 2009 to 2013. After she was linked to a Queens warehouse and a search warrant turned up more than 2,800 plants, the mom was arrested.

    It didn’t take long for the comparisons between the 45-year-old mom of three and a popular character from Showtime’s Weeds to begin. Like Sanderlin, Nancy Botwin was a mom who ran a weed empire out of a warehouse, lived in a plush, suburban home and was eventually arrested.

    Sanderlin was paying $10,000 per month in rent for her 5,000-plus square foot Scarsdale mansion:

    Sanderlin has been promoted to hero status in some circles, with supporters saying the mom should be let off with no jail time or fines. Do you think “Pot Mom” should receive less than the 10-year minimum sentence? Respond below.

    Images via YouTube

  • ‘Pot mom’ Andrea Sanderlin Released, Gains Fans

    Andrea Sanderlin, the suburban New York mother who has drawn comparisons between her life and the plot of the television series “Weeds” since her arrest in late May, was released on bail yesterday and will await trial on federal drug charges. As ABC News announced, Sanderlin faces up to $10 million in fines and a possible 10 year prison sentence if convicted.

    While Sanderlin’s crimes are on par with many more nefarious druglords, she has received mostly positive attention from the general public as she has been continually equated with the character Nancy Price Botwin from the hit television show “Weeds,” who also supported her plush suburban lifestyle using funds earned from the sell of marijuana. Possessing similarities to such a beloved character no doubt helps to soften the public’s view of a possible drug dealer, but there is more to the phenomenon than mere pop-culture association. A simple twitter search for “Andrea Sanderlin” finds multiple marijuana advocacy groups reporting her release and several users offering supportive shout-outs, including calls to legalize the controversial drug:

    The positive response to Sanderlin’s release is reflective of her success as an entrepreneur more so than her criminal status. Few Americans can afford to drive a Mercedes and live in an immaculate mansion, but Sanderlin was able to do both while reportedly being officially unemployed for more than a decade. As the American Dream continues to decay at an alarming rate, stories like Sanderlin’s, in which a seemingly normal individual takes their financial livelihood into their own hands, enflame the underdog mentality in every citizen. If she in fact committed the crimes she will answer for them in court, but that will unlikely prevent a portion of American society from looking at her as a kind of folk hero.