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San Clemente Man Gets Nearly 22 Years Behind Bars For Marijuana Sales

SANTA ANA (CBS/AP) — A San Clemente man was sentenced to nearly 22 years in federal prison on Monday for conspiring to sell pot out of nine illegal marijuana stores in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

KNX 1070's Ron Kilgore reported that John Melvin Walker, 56, pleaded guilty in an April plea agreement to two felony counts of conspiring to distribute more than a ton of marijuana and maintaining drug-involved premises. He also pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion.

San Clemente Man Gets Nearly 22 Years Behind Bars For Marijuana Sales

Prosecutors said Walker, also known as "Pops," admitted to making about $25 million over six years from the illegal drug sales.

The defendant was ordered to pay $4.2 million in restitution to state and federal governments. He also agreed to forfeit the $25 million in income to the government, which includes more than $500,000 in cash, his multimillion-dollar home in San Clemente, a string of mobile homes in Mammoth Lakes, rental properties in Long Beach, and his interest in two strip clubs.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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