BANGOR, Maine — An Aroostook County man described by a federal prosecutor as “one of the most prolific drug smugglers in Maine” for nearly four decades was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to eight years in prison on drug and money laundering charges.
Paul Corbin, 55, of St. David pleaded guilty in February to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to engage in money laundering.
By pleading guilty, Corbin admitted that between 2005 and 2010 he conspired with others to distribute more than 837 pounds of marijuana and to launder more than $165,000 of the proceeds of the drug trafficking conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Although Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Casey, who prosecuted the case, has said that Corbin’s marijuana smuggling operation lasted much longer, the statute of limitations in federal cases is five years.
“Mr. Corbin, you must have seen this day coming for a long, long time,” U.S. District Judge John Woodcock told Corbin shortly before imposing the sentence. “You know because you’ve lived your whole life in the St. John Valley that there are no secrets in the St. John Valley. And it has been no secret that you have been a marijuana dealer for many years.
“You are now 55 years old,” the judge continued. “You’ve been playing a young man’s game for a long time. It’s time, Mr. Corbin, for you to stop. It’s past time to stop.”
In imposing the sentence, Woodcock said he wanted to send a strong message to St. John Valley residents that the kind of illegal activity in which Corbin engaged would be punished harshly.
“I am confident that the sentence I issue today will resonate throughout the St. John Valley and deter other Paul Corbins from following in your footsteps,” the judge said.
More than half a dozen family members attended Corbin’s sentencing to support him. His sister, Joan Corbin of West Hartford, Conn., described her brother as a “good person with a big heart.” Paul Corbin wept as she spoke about how he helped her get back on her feet after being laid off from her job about 12 years ago.
Corbin, who had two legitimate businesses — snowplowing and gravel sorting — through which he laundered his drug money, apologized to the court, the prosecutor, investigators and his family. He asked to be sent to a federal facility where he could obtain vocational training.
“I’ve made some really bad choices and dishonored my family,” he told Woodcock. “I hope when my time is served to do the same type of work to show I can earn my money legally.”
Corbin has been held without bail since his arrest in January.
In addition to prison time, Woodcock sentenced Corbin to four years of supervised release.
As part of the plea agreement, Corbin also agreed to forfeit to the government more $105,000 in cash, a property on the Sawmill Road in Madawaska, a bucket loader, bulldozer, dump truck, snow bucket, pickup truck and 16 guns.
Corbin faced up to 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million. Under the prevailing federal sentencing guidelines, he faced between seven years and three months and nine years in prison.
Defense attorney Daniel G. Lilley urged the judge to sentence Corbin to the bottom of the guideline range. Casey recommended Corbin be behind bars six months longer than the sentence Woodcock imposed.
Let me say it before any one else does….. Legalize. People will most likely post many comments here on how pot should be legalized. Save tax payer money, create revenue, victimless crime, etc. But… there’s only one way pot will get legalized…boat loads of cash delivered into politicians pockets. And that’s the snag that no one wants to deal with. Nobody wants to pay to make pot legal, they all just want itto happen. Sorry, but that’s not the way it works folks. You’ve got to grease a few palms in Augusta. Pay off a few doctors to say how good it is for you. Run some TV ads about the health benefits of pot smoking. Then, form a committee, paid with big salaries, hire some high priced lawyers, and get it put on a ballot. Then, it will become legal. If those that want pot legalized don’t want to bank roll legalization, it will never happen. Money makes things legal, not public desire.
True enough. Booze, ciggs and lotto tickets are legal because “they” found a way to make good money off of them.
The only message that will resonate with the St. John Valley is to secede and join Canada. Stupid law ruining lives. What a waste of our tax dollars. Sanctimonious bastards sucking down their Martinis.
If they’d join Canada they’d also have health insurance.
The humble Farmer
It would be legal in a second if someone could come up with a screening test that would differentiate whether a driver smoked immediately before an accident, if the smoker was in a situation and charged with an oui. I truly believe this is why it’s not legalized.
That’s more than likely a part of it too. If you’re going to legalize pot, but try to regulate it like booze, then you need a test so you can “collect revenue” from it like OUI.
They already have so-called drug recognition experts that are trained to determine if you are OUI on any kind of drug…not just booze…even your prescription meds. Watch out!
And it took 40 years?
I guess I don’t know what prolific means?? 8 years and 100k business must not have been that good
I’m sure nobody in The Valley is going without smoke. Somebody has already taken his place. Just more tax dollars down the drain. There is no shortage of tax dollars when it comes to prohibition.
Gaw June des grennes de mariwinn…Je vas poingnee il ti moudit, il vend son mariwinn mais j’ai trouvay des grennes comme j’arrette chose l’autre journay…Eb bien tabanak la batterie est a terre, mon cb marche pas.
English please
You have obviously have no idea about this case, Paul Corbin or the St, John Valley. so you should troll somewhere else…
we know he is a drug dealer….a CONVICTED DRUG DEALER!!
Yeah we all know…
the main fact here is english is the spoken and written language of the USA. not bologna
asking for a translation is more then you can handle?
THE ONLY FACT THAT MATTERS IS THIS JERK IS GUILTY AND GOING TO PRISON TO BAD NOT LONG ENOUGH
I hope the state took all his assets to defray all the legal costs.
It would be nice if they could get they guy that was growing here in Washington County off Rt. 9 near Weasly. Nothing was even down with that. I for one am for the legalization. However, this drug dealer along with the one on Rt 9 were growing for others….to include kids
Reading the judge’s comments tells me just how bad the justice system is in Maine. They treat criminals like precious children. What a mess.
Actually, they treat EVERYONE as if they were a criminal. It’s a revenue game.
Anyone who smuggles drugs for 40 years is a fool, because you can obviously retire with what you can earn at it in a year.
The humble Farmer
What a way to retire. I know many who would like or would have liked to retire at 55. Age to pull out from a 401k. 8 years in jail, old enough to take from an IRA account, and partial social security, and almost old enough to collect full social security, and almost old enough for Medicaid? Almost perfect time to get caught, and stay warm in the winter and fed, and get healthcare.
Don’t be too harsh now.
You always hate to see a long time, established business go under…
/login BDN nobodies account. /logout
Seems like the boys in Washing County know all about the St. John Valley. Go pick blue berries. Gaw Percy, les ti kaliss de downstate la son t’apres me tannay avec le ti posting saw gazette. Il pense qui sais toute, il parle comme il y ons jamais fait un erreur dans la vie. Son plende merde les ti kriss…Vas temps back a Washing County puis vas faire de doe…
Taberoitte, your french makes me laugh!! And I needed to laugh today….You write as you speak…wish I knew who you were….”son plende de merde”, “les petits kaliss”….thanks for the laugh….
Glad I could help. Les anglais de downstate son pas mal deplaisant avec les comments qui aime pas mon francais. J’ecris comme on parle comme les gahs de Grand Isle.
Paul Corbin is a piece of work, But I believe that 8 years is retarded. Marijuana should be legalized for everyone not just people with medical problems.