Daniel Muessig “Dos”, is a first time non violent cannabis offender facing a mandatory minimum of 5 years in Federal Prison.
He was indicted in July of 2021 and unsealed on in August.
The conspiracy for which he pled guilty to lasted from April to May of 2019 and ended on May 24th of 2019. In said conspiracy he was charged and convicted of trafficking 404 pounds (183KG) of cannabis.
He was present at the stash house on the day of the May 24th raid but was not arrested then.
In the intervening time he walked away from organized criminal activity and renewed his already generous donations to the Jewish Community of Pittsburgh and volunteered for over two years delivering kosher meals to seniors, even doing so during COVID at risk to his own health.
He and his wife, Laura also pursued an adoption which was permanently ended by his charges and conviction.
While he accepted responsibility for what he did and never attempted to elude or evade punishment, he also refused to cooperate in any way with authorities, opting instead to take the punishment for what he did and not shift the consequences to anyone else.
He made a decision to sacrifice years of his life to protect others and he stands on that principle.
His family is devastated. As are his friends. A mandatory federal prison sentence looms with the only relief coming in the form of cooperation which he is morally unable to do.
This is the end result of cannabis policy in America today.
Dos isn’t special. There are thousands currently in the same hellish limbo he will soon enter and hundreds of thousands before him.
But hopefully he is the last. No person and certainly no innocent family should have to endure this.