One of the five students charged after a drug raid at a Foggy Bottom townhouse last semester pled guilty to one count of possession of marijuana last week.
Senior Brett Reisman changed his plea from not guilty to guilty at a Feb. 25 D.C. Superior Court hearing that had been delayed due to snowstorms earlier in February.
Reisman, 21, was originally charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia after being arrested along with four other students in October. His attorney, Christopher Casey, told Judge Florence Pan at the hearing that Reisman was pleading guilty to one count of possession of marijuana, but the other charge of intent to distribute a controlled substance was dismissed according to the terms of the plea.
At the hearing, Reisman was sentenced to one year probation, including 40 hours of community service to be completed within the first six months. Casey said after the hearing that if Reisman completes all the terms of the probation, the judge will dismiss all the charges.
In December, Casey said he and his client would not pursue a plea deal unless the charges were amended.
“The government agreed not to pursue the possession with intent to distribute charge. Frankly, there was no evidence to support it,” Casey said. “We’re pleased with the result.”
The other four students arrested in the raid pled not guilty to their charges in the fall and remain co-defendants in the case. A trial is set for March 29.
Senior Dennis Perales was arrested during the Oct. 30 raid for possession of cocaine. He faces one charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Seniors Russell Dubin and Jared Cobert have been charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and James Donoghue, also a senior, has been charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia.
At a status hearing in December, plea offers of undisclosed terms were offered to all of the students, but prosecutors gave a Jan. 11 deadline to take deals.
When Metropolitan Police Department officers executed a search warrant Oct. 30, officers found $1,171 in cash, three plastic bags of a substance that tested positive for cocaine, about 160 grams of marijuana, a scale, and plastic baggies, according to police reports and court documents. Court filings state officers also confiscated a grey safe, a ledger, multiple pipes, cell phones, and IDs.
