Marijuana Activist Indicted in Drug Case
Medicinal marijuana activist Todd Patrick McCormick, a cancer patient who was arrested in July at a Bel-Air mansion filled with $20 million worth of pot plants, was indicted Tuesday on federal drug charges.
McCormick, along with alleged accomplice Kirill N. Dyjine, also known as Hermes Zygott, was charged with producing 4,116 marijuana plants--a crime with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a $4-million fine, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Fernando Aenlle-Rocha.
The mandatory minimum penalty for growing more than 1,000 plants is 10 years in prison, Aenlle-Rocha said.
The 27-year-old activist says he cultivated the plants to combat pain from recurrent cancer.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
