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April 13, 2007
Dustin Costa follow-up
To summarize the treatment a sixty year old ailing ex-marine has received at the hands of a vindictive federal government: Dustin had been charged by his local DA in Merced with growing marijuana in February 2003 and was released on bail. By August 2005, he’d made 18 court appearances, yet no trial date had been set; after the Raich decision in June, 2005, he was summarily rearrested on a federal warrant and held without bond at the Fresno County Jail for 18 months until being tried in Federal Court in late November, 2006. He was convicted on the day before Thanksgiving by a jury that had been prevented from hearing testimony that his activities were in compliance with California's ten year old medical marijuana law.
He then remained in the Fresno County Jail until February, when he was sentenced to 15 years and summarily transferred to the Kern County Jail in Bakersfield to await transfer to a federal prison. On March 31, he was again moved without notice and disappeared until yesterday when he was able to call me from a federal correctional institution (FCI) in Big Spring Texas, near Midland/Odessa. He describes it as a low security facility with barely passable food, but possessed of several amenities that were lacking in county jails in California: recreational facilities, ink pens to write with (even a typewriter, but no internet access).
I received two letters later in the afternoon which I’ll report on later, but I did want to post his new address and that he welcomes mail from all who care to write. He is allowed to receive soft covered books mailed by individuals or from any book store; hard covered books can only be sent directly from the publisher.
Dustin R. Costa 62406097
FCI Big Spring
Federal Correctional Institution
1900 Simler Ave
Big Spring, Tx 79720
Doctor Tom
Posted by tjeffo at April 13, 2007 02:00 PM