Pryor man gets probation in synthetic marijuana case

TULSA — A former Pryor convenience store owner indicted in the sale of synthetic marijuana was sentenced to probation Thursday after pleading guilty to a reduced charge.

John Chilton Gates, 72, will serve a one-year probated sentence as part of a plea agreement with federal prosecutors that called for him to forfeit $143,651 in seized funds linked to the sale of synthetic pot.

A prosecutor urged a magistrate during the sentencing hearing Thursday in federal court in Tulsa to accept a plea agreement, noting Gates’ age and “other circumstances.”

Gates attorney echoed the request, citing his compliance with bond requirements while his case was pending.

“I think that Mr. Gates has proven to the court that he is an ideal candidate” for probation, said Julia O’Connell.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Depew said Gates’ health issues related to methamphetamine use and uncooperative witnesses contributed to the decision to offer the plea agreement.

A grand jury named Gates June 12 in a sixcount indictment, charging him with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, one count of mail fraud and four counts of money laundering.

Federal prosecutors filed a superseding indictment Nov. 6, that dropped three money laundering counts and added two counts of unlawful monetary transactions.

The superseding indictment alleged Gates sold synthetic marijuana products from the Gates Drive-Thru convenience store that he owned at 401 S Mill Street in Pryor.

Pryor Police seized the products from his store in 2011 and provided Gates with an Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control notice warning that the sale of the synthetic marijuana was illegal in Oklahoma, the indictment alleges.

However, according to the indictment, Gates continued until about May 2013 to sell synthetic pot that carried names such as “Scooby Snax,” “Funky Monkey,” and “Cool Beans.”

In his plea agreement, Gates admitted to conspiracy to commit violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, a misdemeanor.

Gates, in a written statement, admits to purchasing products that were falsely labeled as “potpourri,” “incense” and “not for human consumption.”

“I purchased those products for resale in my store in Pryor, Oklahoma, which I knew were not potpourri or incense and were intended for human consumption,” Gates wrote, in a statement.

Synthetic marijuana is often referred to as K2 or spice.

Chemical compounds designed to mimic the active ingredient in marijuana are produced in powdered form and dissolved in solvents such as acetone, which is then sprayed on dry plant material and packaged for retail distribution, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Abuse of synthetic marijuana has been attributed to hospitalizations and even deaths.