Lake in the Hills man gets prison for growing pot inside home

A 52-year-old cab driver accused of having about $150,000 in marijuana in his Lake in the Hills home last year was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison after admitting guilt to a felony drug charge.

Salvatore Scianna, of the 1100 block of Pine Street, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of cannabis plants as part of a deal with prosecutors in which a pair of more serious charges were dismissed.

The charges stemmed from a June 26, 2009, raid in which McHenry County Sheriff's police said they found 39 marijuana plants growing in Scianna's basement, along with 37.5 pounds of marijuana, packaging material and equipment needed to grow plants indoors.

He initially faced a charge of possession of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana with intent to deliver, a Class X felony punishable by a mandatory six to 30 years in prison.

Defense attorney Philip Prossnitz said Scianna is a single dad who in a "moment of misjudgment" turned to growing pot as a way of dealing with financial problems.

"Times were really, really tough and he thought this was a soft way to make a buck," Prossnitz said. "This was not as lucrative an operation as some might think. I think my client would advise others against doing this. The benefits were low, the costs were high."

Scianna's plea deal comes after he unsuccessfully challenged the legality of the police search, claiming that a confidential informant used by investigators had never been in his home to see the pot-growing operation.

With time already served and likely good time credit in prison, Scianna could be free in about six months.