Jamul

A former San Diego State University professor whose Jamul farm was raided last summer for marijuana cultivation was sentenced Monday to nearly six years in federal prison.

A $50,000 fine was also levied against Jack David Mooers, 57, who, at the time of the Aug. 31 raid, was an associate professor of teacher education.

His half-brother James Johnson, 45, who lived in a guest house on Mooers’ 50-acre ranch, was sentenced to five years in prison and fined $15,000.

Mooers retired from his position at SDSU about a month after his arrest. He had taught at the university since 1968.

The former professor wept as he told U.S. District Judge William Enright, “I have been devastated by this whole situation.”

Later in the hearing, the judge told Mooers: “If you ever want to know who to blame, just look in the mirror. I must assume you must have lain awake at night, thinking those growings would be discovered. (You) decided it was worth the risk. . . . The bill collector comes for you, like he comes for everyone else.”

Johnson and Mooers pleaded guilty last year to possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, which carries a maximum 40-year sentence and a $2-million fine. The raid uncovered 614 marijuana plants.

The judge allowed both men to remain free until March 5. The exact sentence given Mooers was 5 years and 11 months in prison.

Assistant U.S. Atty. Brian Kelly asked for a sentence seven months longer than that, plus the $50,000 fine.

Kelly said the farm had an “elaborate irrigation system” for the plants, which were 10 to 14 feet tall and grew in a ravine between Mooers’ kumquat fields.

A third man, Bartolo Mercado Espinoza, 26, pleaded guilty last year to entering the United States unlawfully and was sentenced.