DAVID MARTIN BERGER, 59, of Spanaway, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to five years in prison and five years of supervised release for Conspiracy to Manufacture Marijuana. Due to the number of plants and his previous convictions, BERGER faced a mandatory minimum five years in prison. At sentencing U.S. District Judge Franklin D. Burgess told him, “it’s time to face the music and get this behind you.”

According to a plea agreement signed on March 28, 2008, BERGER built three indoor marijuana grows in Pierce and Thurston Counties. When Pierce County Sheriff’s Deputies served search warrants in October 2006, they found BERGER had built and maintained two of the grows with more than 300 mature plants and more than 100 starter plants. The third grow of 20 plants was built by BERGER at the request of his sister. BERGER had been prosecuted twice in Pierce County Superior Court for manufacturing marijuana, and had served sentences in Washington State prison. Since those prison terms appeared to have little deterrent effect, the case was adopted for federal prosecution.

The case was investigated by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, and was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Douglas Hill. Mr. Hill is a Deputy Pierce County Prosecutor, specially designated to prosecute drug cases in federal court.

For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110.

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