PodCasts
On September 28, 2012, Massachusetts state chemist Annie Dookhan was arrested and charged with obstruction of justice and falsification of academic records. Approximately four months later another chemist, Sonja Farak, was arrested for using the drugs she was supposed to be testing and the Massachusetts Drug Lab Scandal was born.
Hosts Jamie Folk and Ilyas Rona will be exploring the William H Hinton, UMass Amherst and State Police crime labs associated with this scandal and speak with the lawyers whose clients rights were violated as a result of the fraud committed by the chemists in these labs. Through their investigation of this case, Folk and Rona have found that the crimes of Dookhan and Farak were just the tip of the iceberg and that multiple chemists from three state labs lied on the stand, knowingly sent people to jail for possessing drugs that were not illegal and wanted to help law enforcement send as many people to jail as possible.
Jamie Folk is an independent journal who has been investigating this case since Dookhan’s arrest was first reported. He has obtained over 70k documents from the state and has interviewed several lawyers, journalists, politicians, law enforcement officials and others connected with the case over the past 7 years.
Ilyas Rona is a lawyer who represented a man sent to prison by Dookhan and another Hinton lab chemist for possessing what turned out to be a cashew for two years. He has been investigating the Hinton, Amherst and State Police labs ever since.
Season 3 begins the exploration of cases outside of Massachusetts in the hope of shining a light on other drug lab scandals throughout the country.
In this short and solo episode, RIGGEDLabs Podcast Host, Jamie Folk, announces RIGGEDLabs the membership options on Patreon.
We’ve come a long way since launching RIGGEDLabs Podcast back in 2020, diving deep into the Massachusetts drug lab scandals that shattered lives and exposed systemic failures in the US criminal justice system. From the shocking revelations about Annie Dookhan at the Hinton Lab, to the Amherst Lab issues, and the broader implications across state police crime labs—we’ve uncovered stories that demand public attention.
And now, with RIGGEDLabs Season 3 underway, we’re expanding our lens to drug lab scandals nationwide, starting with cases like the San Francisco OCME analyst Justin Volk, the earlier Deborah Madden scandal, the Braintree Police Department evidence room scandal and the case of George Hunter White.
This work isn’t easy. Investigative journalism, interviewing experts, obtaining documents, and producing high-quality episodes takes time, resources, energy, and unwavering commitment. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce that RIGGEDLabs is now on Patreon!
LISTEN to Jamie Folk introducing RIGGEDLabs membership options on Patreon!
Patreon.com/cw/RIGGEDLabs
RIGGEDLabs Membership options come in three tiers to fit every level of support, with exclusive perks to thank you for standing with us:
- Membership Option 1: $5/month or $60/year
- Membership Option 2: $10/month or $120/year
- Membership Option 3: $25/month or $300/year
Other ways to join RIGGEDLabs as a member are also available if you prefer to give your support via PayPal, Venmo, with Debit/Credit card, or with check by mail. Details on our website.
Head over to RIGGEDLabs Patreon page today and join the community that’s driving real change in Massachusetts and across the nation.
Thank you for listening, sharing our episodes, and believing in this cause. Together, we can expose the truth, push for accountability, and advocate for justice and relief.
Stay vigilant and connected with RIGGEDLabs on Patreon, and on our web, blog, and social sites.
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Merry Christmas! and,
Happy New Year!
