Batavia man gets 16 years in prison after $2.7 million pot bust
As the economy crumbled in 2007 and 2008, so did Richard Ecklund's flooring business and his ability to pay his mortgage.
So the 50-year-old Batavia man turned to dealing marijuana, transporting hundreds of pounds in each of 37 car trips from Arizona to the Chicago suburbs.
"I knew it was wrong, but I was trying to save my company and my home," a tearful Ecklund told a Kane County judge Tuesday, adding he was threatened by his supplier if he stopped.
"I made a deal with the devil. I wanted to get out and there was no way to get out," he continued. "I'm a guy who got caught up in the wrong situation."
Ecklund and four others were arrested in November 2012 after authorities made simultaneous arrests in Aurora and Sugar Grove, seizing 594 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of $2.7 million.
Ecklund pleaded guilty to cannabis trafficking earlier this year and faced between 12 and 60 years in prison Tuesday.
Judge Susan Clancy Boles gave him 16 years and fined him the $2.7 million, plus about $3,600 in court costs and fees.
Kane County Assistant State's Attorney Scott Schwertly pushed for a 20-year sentence, arguing Ecklund was the leader of the group and the 30-plus trips to the Southwest could have brought more than 21,000 pounds of marijuana to the suburbs over a 3½-year span.
"This is the boss," Schwertly argued. "This is the person who roped in other people who were under financial duress. Being the one in charge means you are the one who takes the brunt of the punishment."
Defense attorney Sheldon Sorosky argued for the minimum 12 years, saying society's views toward marijuana have changed and more and more states are making it legal for medicinal and even recreational use.
Ecklund can be out of prison in about six years. He gets credit for two years served at the Kane County jail while his case was pending, and under state law, can have his sentence cut in half for good behavior while behind bars.
Four other people arrested with Ecklund all have pleaded guilty and were sentenced to prison.
Ecklund's wife, Mary Nunez, 59, of Batavia, was sentenced to three years in prison.
Matthew A. Westerlin, 30, formerly of Elburn and now of Earlville, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. His wife, Crystal, 31, was sentenced to three years in prison.
Dean Dziuba, 56, of Darien, was sentenced to four years in prison.