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A Lakewood man pleaded guilty on Thursday to possessing more than 5,000 grams of marijuana and was sentenced to four years of probation and agreed to forfeit nearly $270,000 in cash.
Carl Ciampanelli, 29, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana, a Class 1 felony.
In exchange for his guilty plea of a more serious charge of unlawful possession of more than 5,000 grams of marijuana with intent to deliver, a Class X felony, was dismissed. Had he been convicted on the Class X charge, he could have been sentenced to between six and 30 years in prison.
As part of his probation, he is required to undergo a drug evaluation and follow any recommendations, submit to random drug testing. Should he have a positive test, it would be reported to the McHenry County State’s Attorney, Judge James Cowlin told Ciampanelli.
He also is ordered to pay $5,526.30 in court fines and assessments.
In November of 2020, McHenry County Sheriff’s Office said police discovered more than 900 grams of THC cartridges, more than $67,000 in cash and a Springfield XDS .45-caliber handgun in Ciampanelli’s home.
Police determined the marijuana located in the basement of the home where he lived had a street value of more than $250,000, according to a verified complaint for forfeiture in the McHenry County courthouse.
The owner of the house said Ciampanelli paid $400 a month to live in the basement and did not have a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, according to the complaint.
The $67,063 found in his home, in addition to money investigators found in Ciampanelli’s name in various bank accounts, was subject to forfeiture by the state because it was earned while committing a crime, according to the complaint.
Cowlin asked Ciampanelli whether he agreed to “giving up any claim or interest in” the money and he replied yes.
Police were alerted to the existence of the bank accounts after hearing a recorded jailhouse phone call three days after Ciampanelli’s arrest between him and an unidentified male.
Ciampanelli is heard telling the man to bring $15,000 cash to the county jail, the amount he needed to get out of jail on his $150,000 bond.
The man on the other line is heard saying, “I know you have bank accounts, I understand that. You need to be quiet,” according to the complaints.