BOSTON (WHDH) - An estimated 11,000 convictions in 7,690 criminal cases tainted by disgraced former state chemist Sonja Farak were ordered dismissed Thursday, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts and the Committee for Public Counsel Services.
Farak admitted that for nearly nine years, she routinely used drugs that she stole or manufactured from a state lab in Amherst.
In a statement, ACLU of Massachusetts Executive Director Carol Rose called the decision to toss the cases “a victory for justice and fairness.”
“After living with the collateral consequences of their unfair convictions, thousands of people in Massachusetts finally have the opportunity to clear their records,” Rose said in a statement. “Today is a victory for justice and fairness – and an important step toward restoring the integrity of the criminal justice system and addressing the criminalization of substance abuse.”
The ruling comes nearly a year after some 22,000 wrongful drug convictions were dismissed because investigators found state chemist Annie Dookhan had falsified her records.
The ACLU is asking people with criminal convictions that may have been tainted by Dookhan or Farak can call the Public Defender “Drug Lab” hotline at 1-888-999-2881.
This is a developing news story, 7News will add additional information as it becomes available.
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