Carpet Muncher
07-13-2006, 11:08 PM
Man headed to prison, wife put on probation. Couple loses house, cars.
The Morning Call
July 13, 2006
By Matt Birkbeck
A North Whitehall Township man who grew and distributed marijuana from his home was sentenced to 44 months to 10 years in prison on Wednesday.
Luu ''Jacky'' Pham, 46, who pleaded guilty last month to one count of delivery of marijuana, two counts of possession with intent to deliver marijuana and theft of services, (dumbass!!!) was also ordered to pay $4,000 in fines and $14,838 in restitution to PPL Electric Utilities.
His wife, Sandy Nguyen, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deliver marijuana, received five years' probation and a $1,000 fine.
In addition to the fines the couple's four-bedroom home at 5166 Arrowhead Drive was confiscated as were their two cars, a Mercedes and Toyota Land Cruiser. The home and the cars are now subject to forfeiture.
A nail salon they owned at 727 N. Sixth St. in Allentown is also subject to forfeiture, but has yet to be taken, said Lehigh County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steven Luksa.
The sentencings by President Judge William H. Platt were delayed until early evening to await the arrival of an interpreter to help Nguyen, who does not speak English. Both Pham, who is a U.S. citizen, and Nguyen are from Vietnam.
Pham and Nguyen were charged last year after undercover agents confiscated 50 pounds of marijuana in the basement and garage of the nail salon. Agents searched the couple's home and found rows of marijuana plants in the basement.
An air-filtration system vented fumes outside the house, and the electric meter was bypassed to provide power for 27 grow lights. The $14,838 restitution to PPL was based on an estimate of 24-hour electricity for eight months, said Luksa.
Packages with processed plants and a 55-gallon drum of water mixed with fertilizer were also found, along with topsoil, plant seeds and books on growing marijuana.
More than $13,000 in cash was found inside the home, along with $800 held by Pham, who told police the plants in the basement constituted his first successful crop of marijuana.
Luksa could not give a specific value of the marijuana grown by Pham, but said it was in the ''hundreds of thousands of dollars.''
''They lived a relatively affluent lifestyle,'' Luksa said.
Nguyen, through her attorney, Thomas Burke, said she is now living in an apartment above the nail salon, where she works 10 hours a day.
''That affluent lifestyle is over,'' Burke said.
The Morning Call
July 13, 2006
By Matt Birkbeck
A North Whitehall Township man who grew and distributed marijuana from his home was sentenced to 44 months to 10 years in prison on Wednesday.
Luu ''Jacky'' Pham, 46, who pleaded guilty last month to one count of delivery of marijuana, two counts of possession with intent to deliver marijuana and theft of services, (dumbass!!!) was also ordered to pay $4,000 in fines and $14,838 in restitution to PPL Electric Utilities.
His wife, Sandy Nguyen, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deliver marijuana, received five years' probation and a $1,000 fine.
In addition to the fines the couple's four-bedroom home at 5166 Arrowhead Drive was confiscated as were their two cars, a Mercedes and Toyota Land Cruiser. The home and the cars are now subject to forfeiture.
A nail salon they owned at 727 N. Sixth St. in Allentown is also subject to forfeiture, but has yet to be taken, said Lehigh County Chief Deputy District Attorney Steven Luksa.
The sentencings by President Judge William H. Platt were delayed until early evening to await the arrival of an interpreter to help Nguyen, who does not speak English. Both Pham, who is a U.S. citizen, and Nguyen are from Vietnam.
Pham and Nguyen were charged last year after undercover agents confiscated 50 pounds of marijuana in the basement and garage of the nail salon. Agents searched the couple's home and found rows of marijuana plants in the basement.
An air-filtration system vented fumes outside the house, and the electric meter was bypassed to provide power for 27 grow lights. The $14,838 restitution to PPL was based on an estimate of 24-hour electricity for eight months, said Luksa.
Packages with processed plants and a 55-gallon drum of water mixed with fertilizer were also found, along with topsoil, plant seeds and books on growing marijuana.
More than $13,000 in cash was found inside the home, along with $800 held by Pham, who told police the plants in the basement constituted his first successful crop of marijuana.
Luksa could not give a specific value of the marijuana grown by Pham, but said it was in the ''hundreds of thousands of dollars.''
''They lived a relatively affluent lifestyle,'' Luksa said.
Nguyen, through her attorney, Thomas Burke, said she is now living in an apartment above the nail salon, where she works 10 hours a day.
''That affluent lifestyle is over,'' Burke said.