Brian Bairos was already opening a cannabis cultivation facility in Warwick in 2018 when he decided to try and expand into the retail market in Massachusetts.
Testifying in federal court in Boston earlier this month, Bairos recalled that he set his sights on Fall River, setting up a meeting with then-Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia and his chief of staff at City Hall where Bairos pitched his “seed-to-sale” operation called Giving Tree Health Center.
On the stand, Bairos described himself as a cannabis cultivator in Rhode Island. (At the time of his meeting in Fall River, Rhode Island was not allowing any more cannabis dispensaries to apply for licensure.)
Through a middleman, Bairos ultimately agreed to pay a $150,000 bribe to the Fall River mayor in exchange for a letter of non-opposition and host community agreement from the city, which were both required in Massachusetts prior to the licensing process with the Cannabis Control Commission.
Read more at wpri.com.