As you may remember, Peter McWilliams' house was raided on December 17, 1997 by federal agents.  The DEA seized his computer and an entire book-in-progress about medical marijuana, "A Question of Compassion - An AIDS Cancer Patient Explores Medical Marijuana."
(See: "The DEA Wishes Me a Nice Day" http://www.marijuanamagazine.com/toc/052298-7.htm)

This was shortly after McWilliams took out a two-full-page ad in Variety Magazine directed at the entertainment industry that was very critical of the DEA's war on medical marijuana patients.
(See "Would You fight A Hollywood Blacklist If There Were One Today?"
http://www.marijuanamagazine.com/toc/openlet.htm)

McWilliams was never charged with any crime following the December raid, until the indictments described below were issued yesterday.

Todd McCormick was previously indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of manufacturing (cultivating) marijuana.  That previous grand jury found no evidence that Todd had been cultivating marijuana for distribution.

But if at first the feds don't get the indictment they want, they can try, try again.

This escalation of the federal goverment's war against patients must be countered by strong public protest.  Your letters of outrage can be sent to the California media, using the list below to cut and paste into the Blind Carbon Copy (Bcc:) field of your email program.

More targets for your outrage can be found at:
http://www.levellers.org/toddact.htm

For background on the trials of Peter McWilliams and Todd McCormick, see:
http://www.marijuanamagazine.com/toc/toc.htm
http://www.freecannabis.org
http://www.levellers.org/toddtoc.htm

Send copies of your letters to:
Peter McWilliams <peter@mcwilliams.com>
Todd McCormick <todd@a-vision.com>
COHIP <cohip@levellers.org>
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Write LETTERS TO THE EDITOR of these California newspapers.  Express
outrage at the persecution patients in California.  Tell them to STOP THE
WAR ON SICK PEOPLE!!  For help on letter-writing, see the Media Awareness
Project at http://www.mapinc.org.

California Newspapers (compiled by Jim Rosenfield: jnr@insightweb.com)
cctletrs@netcom.com(Contra Costa County Times Calif.)
chronletters@sfgate.com(San Francisco Chronicle)
feedback@smctimes.com(San Mateo Times)
letters@blk.com(BLK, LTE's)
letters@examiner.com(San Francisco Examiner)
letters@latimes.com(Los Angeles Times)
letters@link.freedom.com(The Orange County Register)
letters@modbee.com(Modesto Bee)
letters@news.latimes.com
letters@sfbayguardian.com(San Francisco Bay Guardian)
letters@sjmercury.com(San Jose Mercury News)
letters@TheReporter.com(Vacaville Reporter)
letters@uniontrib.com(San Diego Union Tribune)
mail@newtimes-slo.com
opinion@bakersfield.com
opinion@sacbee.com
pdletters@aol.com(Santa Rosa Press Democrat)
triblet@angnewspapers.com
tribletter@aol.com
viewpoint@asucla.ucla.edu(Daily Bruin UCLA Viewpoint)
voice@villagevoice.com
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LOS ANGELES, July 23, 1998
Two men were arrested Thursday on charges of engaging in a conspiracy to grow more than 6,000 marijuana plants and to distribute the drug throughout Southern California.

Five other defendants previously arrested, and two people who are fugitives, were also named in a superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles.

The nine-count indictment alleges that marijuana was grown at four locations in Los Angeles County in an operation that received funds through a publishing company run by one of the defendants.

On one of the four sites, 4,116 marijuana plants were being grown, according to federal prosecutors.

Those arrested Thursday were Peter McWilliams, 48, of Los Angeles, who owns Prelude Press, and David Richards, 25, of Lancaster.

Also indicted, but previously arrested, were: Todd McCormick, 27, of Bel-Air; Kirill Dyjine, also known as Hermes Zygott, 33, of Hollywood;  Andrew Scott Hass, 34, of Malibu and Bellingham, Wa.; - Christopher Carrington, 32, of Manhattan Beach; - and Gregg Collier, 25, of Van Nuys and Bellingham.

The two fugitives were identified as Aleksandra Evanguelidi, 24, and Renee Boje, 28, both of Los Angeles.

The indictment charges all nine defendants in a conspiracy to grow marijuana, with possessing the drug with the intent to distribute it, and with distributing marijuana.

McWilliams allegedly financed the growing operation, which was located at his Laurel Canyon home and at other residential properties that had been leased, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Fernando Aenlle-Rocha.

He is also charged with attempting to negotiate contracts to sell harvested marijuana grown by McCormick and Hass, who allegedly planned and created sophisticated indoor and outdoor growing centers.

McWilliams' Century City-based attorney, Harland Braun, said his client is one of the most prominent advocates for the medicinal use of marijuana in the country and is not a criminal.

"The government is trying to make medicinal use of marijuana a criminal conspiracy," he said. "You might not like what he's doing, but he's doing what he believes is right."

Braun said his client would use a federal trial to "educate the public."

He was released on $250,000 bail and is due back in court for arraignment on Monday.

McWilliams, a self-publisher whose books include "How to Survive the Loss of a Love" and "How to Heal Depression," describes himself as an AIDS and cancer patient and "outspoken advocate" of medical marijuana use and Proposition 215.

He contends he uses marijuana to ease the nausea caused by the "cocktail" of drugs he takes to sustain his life.

The indictment alleges that McWilliams and McCormick - who was arrested last July 29 for growing more than 4,000 marijuana plants at his rented Bel-Air mansion had an agreement regarding the cultivation of the drug.

The indictment further alleges that:

- McWilliams provided McCormick and other defendants with more than $100,000 during 1997;

- McCormick used a Prelude Press credit card to purchase materials used to cultivate and process marijuana;

- McCormick cultivated and distributed marijuana at his $6,000-a-month rented home in Bel-Air;

- the defendants attempted to sell marijuana to the Los Angeles Cannibis Buyer's Club;

- and that McWilliams stated that he wanted to become the "Bill Gates of medical marijuana."

McCormick and Dyjine were previously indicted on charges of manufacturing marijuana, and that indictment was superseded by the nine-count complaint unsealed Thursday.