Support Dustin Costa with Character Letters!

Support Dustin Costa with Character Letters!

Dustin Costa was active in his community and a long-time patient before
being arrested in 2004 on state charges. His case was eventually turned
over to the feds and is now the first medical marijuana patient to be
convicted at trial since the U.S. Supreme Court made its landmark
ruling, Gonzales v. Raich, in June 2005.

Dustin Costa is soon facing his sentencing hearing from his November
2006 conviction. As such, Dustin is in urgent need of
character reference letters, especially from those people he knew/knows
well. Please refer to the information listed below in order to draft a
letter that can be used to possibly lessen his sentence. Letters
ideally need to be received by Dustin's attorney, Robert Rainwater, by
January 29, but still may be allowed until February 1.



Address your letter to:

The Honorable Anthony W. Ishii

U.S. District Court

Eastern District of California

2500 Tulare Street

Fresno, CA 93721



But, do not mail it directly to the judge! It is crucial that you
send your letter ONLY to Dustin's attorney at the following
address:



Robert Warren Rainwater

Federal Public Defender

2300 Tulare St., Suite 330

Fresno, CA 93721



Background info on Dustin Costa:

Medical marijuana patient and caregiver Dustin Costa (a.k.a. “DC
Greenhouse”), 60, who is president of the Merced Patients Group, was
being prosecuted on state charges stemming from a March 2004
cultivation arrest by Merced County Sheriffs, when the state decided to
turn his case over to the U.S. Attorney for federal prosecution. On
August 10, 2005, federal agents re-arrested Costa and on November 22,
2006, a jury convicted him on federal charges of cultivation,
possession with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm.
Costa is currently incarcerated in Fresno.





Character Reference Letter Outline



To whom it may concern:



Paragraph 1: Introductory paragraph explaining who you are and
reason for writing.



Paragraph 2: Long paragraph outlining your contacts, friendship,
acquaintance, history, etc. with defendant; frequency of contact;
ability to observe him; duration of acquaintance; relationship to
defendant; relationship to defendant's family.



Paragraph 3: Your opinion, based on facts, regarding the character
of the defendant, setting forth his virtues; for example:
trustworthy, honest, intelligent, law-abiding, family-oriented,
job-oriented, etc.



Paragraph 4: Your knowledge of defendant's history relating to job,
medical, mental and addiction problems, family.



Paragraph 5: Your recommendation that defendant be treated with
leniency, based on mitigating factors known to you: measures taken by
defendant toward rehabilitation; defendant's non-criminal nature;
defendant's good character; defendant's lack of criminal record (if
applicable).



Please include your name, address, and telephone number.





--
Kris Hermes
Legal Campaign Director
Americans for Safe Access
http://www.SafeAccessNow.org
1322 Webster Street, Suite 402
Oakland, CA 94612
Phone: 510-251-1856 x307
Fax: 510-251-2036
Email: kris [at] SafeAccessNow.org