PATRICK MURRAY, AN FDNY FIREFIGHTER, WAS CONVICTED Wednesday of operating a hydroponic marijuana farm in the basement of a fellow firefighter’s house in Queens.
Patrick Murray (Daily News photo)
Acting on a tip, New York police officers raided the house last year where they found 100 marijuana plants worth a combined $1/2-million in the basement. The owner of the home, Matthew Cody was having trouble maintaining his mortgage payments on the house and his co-worked at Engine 292, Murray, convinced him that he would make a lot of money from the harvest. Cody was charged also, but earlier this month he struck a plea deal with the prosecutor that would let him avoid jail time if he testified against Murray, which he did.
Murray is also known to the police as a major player in a large, organized drug gang, but the judge did not allow that information to be brought out in the trial. He was also convicted of endangering three children who lived above the hydroponic pot setup and were exposed to carbon dioxide gas and fertilizer fumes used in the growing process.
Murray took the stand in his own defense during the trial, but was caught out lying on the stand, bringing out the judge’s wrath. He was convicted by a jury and will be sentenced in December. Cody is scheduled for sentencing next month.
The New York Daily News has the STORY.
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