A La Jolla man who operated The Purple Bud Room in Pacific Beach has abandoned his medical marijuana defense and recently pleaded guilty to a federal charge of cultivating marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale in state court.
John Thomas Sullivan, 39, will be sentenced April 16 by U.S. District Court Judge Larry Burns and faces a 40-year maximum federal prison term with a minimum five-year sentence, according to court records. Sullivan will be sentenced May 2 by San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh and faces five years in state prison.
Sullivan was a key target of marijuana raids in 2005 and 2006. Five dispensary shops in Ocean Beach, Midway, Pacific Beach and La Jolla closed their doors. They reportedly sold medical marijuana to people claiming to have doctors’ referrals to use marijuana, which is the criteria of Proposition 215, passed by voters in 1996.
Sullivan was the leader of more than five people in illegal activity, according to federal records. He grew plants at a site within the 2100 block of El Cajon Boulevard, and the Pacific Beach shop he operated was in the 1100 block of Garnet Avenue.
According to prosecutors, co-defendant Daniel Patrick Stansfield, 30, of Pacific Beach, worked for Sullivan weighing and packaging marijuana. Stansfield pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana for sale, and was placed on three years’ probation and ordered to perform 10 days of public service work.
Stansfield was fined $880 and was given credit for one day already served in jail with no further jail time by San Diego Superior Court Judge David Danielsen.
Court records say police seized $9,000 in cash and 15 pounds of marijuana in Sullivan’s residence on La Jolla Boulevard.
Stansfield was asleep at Sullivan’s home when the police began to search it.
Sullivan also pleaded guilty to making a false insurance claim. According to Deputy District Attorney Dana Greisen, Sullivan reported his car was stolen and made a false claim with his insurance company. The car was secretly hidden in a storage shed, but when Sullivan failed to pay rent for storage, it was discovered.
“He’s a major league con artist,” said Deputy District Attorney Robert Hickey, another prosecutor on the case.
Sullivan is self-employed in real estate and remains free on a $250,000 property bond. Attempts were made to reach his attorney, but he was not available for comment.
Despite the passage of state law Proposition 215, it is still illegal on the federal level to possess marijuana, even for medical reasons. The measure allows a patient with a doctor’s recommendation to possess small amounts of marijuana. However, the law does not specify how legitimate patients obtain the substance, nor does it exempt patients from rules regarding its transportation and cultivation.