OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - The man behind a national chain of stores that provide supplies to medical marijuana growers and who has been called the "Wal-Mart of Weed" and a "gangapreneur" is expected to receive probation following his conviction on charges that he defrauded an Oakland grant program.
The Oakland Tribune reports that 29-year-old Dharminder ``Dhar'' Mann will be sentenced next month. He pleaded no contest on Friday to five felony counts of defrauding the city.
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Mann was indicted in 2010 of pocketing Oakland redevelopment funds he received to help renovate some of his properties.
His attorney, James Brosnahan, says Mann made the building repairs, but had serious problems with paperwork.
Brosnahan says the judge has indicated he will sentence Mann to five years of probation and order him to repay $44,000.
Mann is also facing a lawsuit from the city.
From his first store in Oakland, Mann grew to become a national figure, expanding weGrow across the country. He was featured in “Green Rush,” a 2011 National Geographic documentary. But as federal raids threaten to topple the quasi-legal marijuana industry in California, Mann’s Midas touch in Oakland has lost its luster.
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NBC Bay Area's staff and the Center for Investigative Reporting contributed to this report.
