His conviction was in June 2022, but I haven't seen in reported anywhere in poker media.
Here's the statement from the DOJ: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr...nsary-industry
This was NOT a case where he got charged federally based upon running state-legal dispenaries where the government prosecuted anyway. This was an illegal dispensary operation, not licensed in any state, and it operated on a large scale.
He pled guilty to federal charges, which is common, as the DOJ tends not to prosecute unless they have an ironclad case.
So he's gonna be in the slammer for a minimum of 5 years. He is not likely to get close to 40, because he pled guilty.Quote:
Shahram “Sean” Sheikhan and Sabriana Williams pleaded guilty in federal court today to drug distribution charges, the latest individuals convicted as part of an ongoing investigation by federal and state authorities targeting unlicensed, illegal marijuana dispensaries throughout Southern California.
From at least 2019 through 2022, Sheikhan and Williams, along with others, operated an unlicensed, illegal marijuana business known as “Cannaland,” which functioned primarily as a wholesale supplier of marijuana and marijuana products to unlicensed and illegal marijuana dispensaries in Southern California. Additionally, Cannaland operated as an unlicensed, illegal marijuana dispensary in its own right, serving individual customers.
In April 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Cannaland, which at the time was located at 10630 Willie Baker Way in Spring Valley, California. During the execution of the search warrant, more than 3,000 pounds of marijuana was seized, with an estimated street value in excess of $6 million, along with five firearms. Following the search warrant, Sheikhan and Williams personally coordinated and facilitated the procurement of replacement firearms for the business’ armed security guards and continued to operate their business and distribute vast amounts of marijuana. As part of their plea agreements, Sheikhan and Williams admitted the amount of marijuana products distributed during the course of the conspiracy exceeded 3,000 kilograms.
Sheikhan and Williams join several others who have pleaded guilty to various drug, firearm, and money laundering charges in federal court as part of this investigation.
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Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana, in violation of Title 21, U.S.C., Secs. 841(c) and 846
Maximum Penalties: Forty years in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a $5 million fine.
Sheikhan is 52 years old.
He was in various controversies before, some of which were before his time in poker.
In 1995, at the age of 25, he was convicted in California of having sex with 16 and 17 year old girls. He spent 9 months in prison for that. Believe it or not, this wouldn't have been in a crime in Nevada, where the age of consent is 16. The sex was consensual, but since the age of consent in California is 18, he was committing a crime. It is likely they went after him because of his age (25), which is old enough to where he would not be considered a peer of girls who are 16-17.
In 1999, he killed a 91-year-old woman who was a passenger in another car, during a heavy storm in Las Vegas. It was determined that he was "driving too fast for conditions", but he was ultimately not prosecuted.
In 2008, he was almost deported over this, as there was an effort by the US government to deport foreign nationals who were convicted of sex crimes. Somehow Sheikhan beat it, and was able to avoid deportation to Iran.
Shiekhan was also known for a big argument with Mike Matusow at the 2005 WSOP, when he slammed the table after seeing the flop, indicating he folded something which would have hit the board. This infuriated Matusow, and the two got into it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ5VeLPvXlM
