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Beyond his local circle, the first impression of Luke Scarmazzo was that of a talented young rapper who brags about “incorporating dope” and conspicuously flips off the U.S. government in his debut music video. The release of the video came just a month before federal agents stormed into the California Healthcare Collective, a medical marijuana dispensary he ran with Ricardo Montes. Even though Luke claims that his music and his work at the CHC were separate, government prosecutors explicitly intertwined them by playing the music video during the federal trial. Defense attorneys protested that move, saying it was highly prejudicial for the jury to watch a video where Luke utters obscenities, portrays drug-dealing scenes and raps about threatened violence. In mid-May of 2008, the jury returned guilty verdicts for the manufacture of over a hundred marijuana plants, and also for various counts of possession with the intent to distribute. But the life-shattering conviction was on another count – running a continuing criminal enterprise – which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of twenty years and the possibility of life behind bars. Due to the severity of the penalties, Luke was immediately booked into Fresno County Jail, where he awaits a September 15th sentencing hearing. Displeased with the consequences, some of the jurors spoke out against the case afterwards, inspiring the defense attorneys to attempt a motion for retrial. If the motion fails, Luke’s last hope will be an appeal that’s based on the very thing that is said to have gotten him targeted by the government in the first place: his controversial rap video.
Luke Scarmazzo 1792599 / 0826384
Fresno County Jail
P.O. Box 872
Fresno CA 93712
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Luke Scarmazzo
