Success! Those admirable criminal defense warriors who ensure that every defendant is represented and that all defendants have their day in court are to be heralded. According to the plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court Wednesday, Dayspring operated and had a controlling interest in multiple cannabis farms and dispensaries that required approval from SLO County and the city of Grover Beach. Subscribe to our free P.M. Report to receive the days headlines weekdays at 4:15 p.m. Dayspring also acknowledged filing a tax return in 2019 that reported his taxable income as $1,262,894 when it in fact exceeded $6.5 million, the agreement says. Specifically, defendant told (Hill) in a text message that its really important u guys extend the timeframe for submission and dont allow other people in yet referring to the countys impending vote on Dec. 11, 2018, to extend the abeyances on enforcement action against cannabis cultivators, the filing reads. Dayspring argued he should be sentenced to three years of house arrest and probation, citing his weight gain more than 300 pounds and health concernsCrohns disease that had overtaken him in the past two years. One of Daysprings current lawyers, Sandra Brown, herself a former Central District federal prosecutor, spoke on Daysprings behalf at the sentencing hearing. Later that month, he gave hill $3,000 in cash, the first payment in what would amount to $29,000 in cash over the next three years. Helios "Bobby" Dayspring, 35, appeared via Zoom before Judge Andre Birotte Jr. in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to enter guilty pleas to one count of federal . Sign Up for the A.M. Report Support the Santa Barbara Independent through a long-term or a single contribution. The bribes to Hill allegedly began in fall 2016 and continued through November 2019. Why did the feds in this vast Central District, home to 19 million inhabitants and covering 40,000 square miles, single out Dayspring? Director of Media Relations A locked padlock San Luis Obispos budget includes federal program funds, hence the interest. Helios Dayspring's workers transporting immigrant women to a grow in Tepusquet Canyon in Northern Santa Barbara County. By KAREN VELIE. Prosecutors charged Helios Raphael Dayspring, 35, of San Luis Obispo with one count of bribery and one count of subscribing to a false 2018 income tax return, when he allegedly deliberately failed to report millions of dollars to the IRS, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release. Dayspring said he began paying Hill in 2016, starting with three $3,000 money orders that the supervisor deposited in his personal account. He represented the 3rd District on the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors, which includes most of the city of San Luis Obispo as well as Avila Beach, Pismo Beach and Grover Beach, from 2008 until his death by suicide in August 2020. The supervisor had previously said he attempted suicide after federal agents served a search warrant at his government office in March 2020. LOS ANGELES Federal prosecutors today filed a criminal information charging a San Luis Obispo man with bribery for paying a county supervisor approximately $32,000 most of that in cash in exchange for the supervisors votes and influence on other votes affecting his cannabis business interests. Surely, the judge took that fact into consideration when imposing Daysprings 22-month sentence under federal guideline sentence. A locked padlock Notably, the federal prosecutor on the case was not from the Central Districts Narcotics Division. Dayspring also admitted that he and a business associate attempted to bribe former Grover Beach Mayor John Shoals with $100,000 during a dinner meeting in September 2017. Prosecutors charged Helios Raphael Dayspring, 35, of San Luis Obispo with one count of bribery and one count of subscribing to a false 2018 income tax return, when he allegedly deliberately failed . (Joe Johnston / San Luis Obispo Tribune photo), Former Grover Beach Mayor John Shoals was allegedly offered $100,000 in bribes by Helios Dayspring at a dinner in 2017. Harmon was having a sexual relationship with Quinn Brady, her assistant/campaign manager at the time. Helios Dayspring now faces a maximum sentence of 13 years in prison, three years of probation, a $500,000 fine, and could be forced to pay the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) $3.5 million in restitution. Rybarczyk implored the court to punish Dayspring for trying to fix the game so no other operator could fairly compete. Tony Biasotti According to the court documents, Dayspring owned, operated, and/or had a controlling interest in multiple farms that grew cannabis in San Luis Obispo County. He took another $5,000 in cash as well as cannabis products in early 2018. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas F. Rybarczyk of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section is prosecuting this case. The FBI is still investigating the matter as part of what it calls an ongoing public corruption investigation in San Luis Obispo County.. He crossed the ethical line. Driver killed in single-vehicle crash on Highway 41 in Atascadero, San Luis Obispo police holding DUI patrols on Monday, Tuesday, Storm sweeps SLO County bringing snow, road closures, power outages. When news broke last month about the explosive charges that late San Luis Obispo County 3rd District Supervisor Adam Hill took bribes from local cannabis magnate Helios Dayspring, SLO County Democratic Party chair Rita Casaverde's instinct was to issue a swift public statement condemning Hill's alleged misconduct. Daysprings downfall is a warning to all. In total, Dayspring paid the late Third District supervisor multiple bribes in cash and money orders totaling $32,000. You might also like our free A.M. Report. Two of the matters cited by federal prosecutors from which Dayspring benefitted was the September 2016 moratorium on cultivation of cannabis in the countys unincorporated areas, which included an exemption from enforcement for existing farms registered with the county, as well as a November 2017 extension on an abeyance of enforcement action on Daysprings farms. But after being sentenced to 22 months behind bars last week by a federal judge for paying $32,000 in bribes to a San Luis Obispo County Supervisor over a period of three years, it would seem Dayspring should have been named instead after Icarus, another character out of Greek mythology, who plummeted to earth after flying too close to the sun. In exchange, the supervisor voted on matters affecting Daysprings farms, including voting multiple times in favor of legislation that permitted Daysprings farms to operate before it had obtained final permitting approvals. If you believe an Independent.com user or any material appearing on Independent.com is copyrighted material used without proper permission, please click here. The Board of Supervisors approved that abeyance for existing growers with the initial moratorium vote in September 2016. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas F. Rybarczyk of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section prosecuted this case. But it was not cannabis that put the authorities on the scent. Helios Raphael Dayspring, founder and former CEO of the Natural Healing Center, has agreed to plead guilty to several felony charges, pay $3.4 million in restitution to the IRS, and cooperate with an ongoing investigation. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In January 2020, Hill was the deciding vote when the board again extended the abeyance 3-2. According to Dayspring's plea agreement, there was no bribery involved in obtaining the permits for the three dispensaries in the Glass House deal. Cannabis business operators need experienced lawyers to guide them. The most important question of the five? San Luis Obispo County marijuana mogul Helios Dayspring surrendered to the Federal Correctional Institution in Mendota (FCI Mendota) last week to begin a 22 month sentence for bribery and tax . (213) 894-6947. Helios Dayspring, a cannabis entrepreneur, was sentenced Friday to 22 months in prison for bribing a public official and filing a false tax return. Helios Raphael "Bobby" Dayspring, founder and former majority owner of Natural Healing Center, pleaded guilty to bribery and filing a false income tax return in October 2021. Has the lawyer assisted and prepared five separate and unrelated cannabis licensing applications? Sign Up Now Hill then solicited more bribes; he was given $3,000 in 2016 and $5,000 in 2017, the filing says. Have a question about Government Services? SAN LUIS OBISPO - Helios Raphael Dayspring (35), the founder of the Natural Healing Center, a cannabis retailer, has pleaded guilty to bribery and failing to report millions of dollars in income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). RELATED: Q: Whats a Cannabis Operator to Do to Get Ahead Without Getting Indicted? In total, Dayspring paid the late Third District supervisor multiple bribes in cash and money orders totaling $32,000. Sheriff Jon Lopey was startled when the mysterious stranger offered him $1 million if he would keep deputies away from certain illegal cannabis farms in Siskiyou County. DAYSPRING: "It's really important you guys extend the time frame for submission and don't allow other people in yet [as] [t]his affects all the properties that I just got investment into, every one of them. You're on the list. Hill died by suicide at age 54 in August 2020. California's coastal "King of Cannabis," Helios Dayspring, owner of a San Luis Obispo cannabis cultivation site, supplier to many licensed California dispensaries, and founder of Central California's Natural Healing Center dispensary, was sentenced to a 22-month prison sentence, in a downtown Los Angeles federal courtroom May 27. They asked me if I understood the Brown Act, asked me if I understood the rules of the (Fair Political Practices Commission) in California, asked me about the rules for accepting gifts, asked if I understood how to recuse myself from a vote if I have a financial interest., Peschong said investigators talked to me about a supervisor, which I probably should not name names.. Dayspring wrote that he learned to fish using a line tethered to a coat hanger, killed birds for food, and learned the value of hard work at an early age. Dayspring admitted to underreporting more than $3.4 million on his personal income on his federal tax returns for four . The Tribune has reached out to Peschong to request comments on the charges and bribery allegations, but Peschong did not respond as of Wednesday night. According to federal prosecutors, from fall 2016 to 2019, Dayspring paid the . Why make oneself so susceptible to federal prosecution when the better course is to lay low and follow the rules? 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