Woman Pleads Guilty To Running $14 Million Foxboro-Area Pot Ring

FOXBOROUGH, MA — A Milton woman admitted in federal court Tuesday to running a black market marijuana business out of Foxborough, Milton, Hyde Park, and Canton under the guise of a medical marijuana delivery service.

Deana Martin, 53, pleaded guilty to in U.S. District Court in Boston to tax evasion, conspiracy to distribute marijuana, possession with intent to distribute marijuana and three counts of money laundering. She's scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 1.

Martin owned and managed Northern Herb between 2015 and 2018. The business was a website offering to sell and deliver raw marijuana, pre-rolled joints, and edibles. The company claimed to only provide medical marijuana, but did not require a customer to show their medical card.

Northern Herb also delivered marijuana to people's front doors and hallways, where unknown third parties might have access to it, according to prosecutors. Court documents said the company stored and distributed its marijuana at locations in Canton, Foxborough, Milton, and Hyde Park.

Northern Herb also employed at least 25 workers, including Tatiana Fridkes, 34, of Dorchester, who pleaded guilty for her role as Martin's office manager in September 2020. According to court documents, Martin set up an employee incentive-based program for sales. For example, prosecutors said Martin would reward her employees with incentives for selling more than 10 pounds of marijuana per month.

From May 2016 through July 2018, Northern Herb had total revenue exceeding $14 million, and Martin herself claimed an income of $80,000 per month. Martin controlled numerous bank accounts into which money was laundered. Court documents said she also used several accounts in another person's name to conceal her control over this money and to hide it from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. Martin used money from Northern Herb sales to pay more than $300,000 towards the mortgage on her house and to buy a 2017 Porsche Boxster.

Martin admitted Northern Herb did not withhold or pay taxes on its millions of dollars in marijuana sales. In an email referencing cannabis taxes charged by one state government, Martin wrote: "Zero taxes is still better," court documents said.

The charge provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and no greater than 40 years in prison, a minimum of four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million.