Former worker of Millbury plumbing firm sentenced for marijuana, fraud and cash laundering convictions
BOSTON (USDOJ) – A former employee of a family-run plumbing business in Millbury was convicted today of drug, money laundering and fraud convictions for his role in a large marijuana grower.
Thomas Laverty, 40, of Clinton, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman to 12 years in prison, 8 years of supervised release, and $ 3,100 in compensation. In January 2020, Laverty was found guilty after a five-day trial of conspiracy to grow more than 100 marijuana plants, conspiracy to launder money, cultivating marijuana, and possessing marijuana for distribution, and later pleaded guilty to additional charges of theft Government funds.
Laverty and some co-conspirators used a plumbing company, Chuck Laverty & Son Inc., as a pretext for large-scale commercial marijuana cultivation and distribution. Laverty and others used Laverty & Son vehicles, bank accounts, and locations to facilitate the manufacture, storage, and distribution of marijuana. Each week, numerous Laverty & Son workers harvested 20 marijuana plants from the commercial warehouse with the goal of producing 8-10 pounds of dried marijuana a week. The dried marijuana sold in bulk for around $ 2,400 a pound.
Laverty received income related to his work for Laverty & Son, including up to $ 5,000 per week in cash. During the same period, Laverty received federally funded Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits that are need-based and generally limited to households whose incomes do not exceed the federal poverty line. Laverty has misrepresented his income in relevant papers provided to the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance (which administers SNAP benefits in Massachusetts) and also hid the fact that he lived with his wife, who was receiving SNAP benefits herself, but used a different address than that of her actual place of residence.
Co-defendant Andrea Laverty, 63, of Millbury, previously pleaded guilty to the marijuana cultivation conspiracy and the money laundering conspiracy. She is due to be sentenced on March 3, 2021.
acting US Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Brian D. Boyle, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Representative, New England Field Division; and Ramsey E. Covington, acting special agent for the Boston Internal Revenue Service’s criminal investigation, announced today. US Assistant Attorneys Bill Abely and Phil Cheng of the Mendell Criminal Department are pursuing the case.
