White Plains dispensary pays it forward, spends green on legal help

Moises Reynaga wasn't maneuvering the legal system all alone because his employers hired an attorney and spent tens of thousands of dollars on his defense.

Emily Young

Apr 26, 2024, 10:13 PM

Updated 243 days ago

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Moises Reynaga works at Leafology, a dispensary in White Plains, but he has a past he's not so proud of.
"In 2013, I was arrested for possession of marijuana with intent to sell, they sentenced me to probation for five years," he tells News 12.
But he violated his probation when he went to visit his family in Chile without notifying the courts. And this past December, he was sent to Westchester County Jail in Valhalla.
"The strip searches or surprise inspections in your area of living, being handcuffed, being told what to do all day long. Its a pretty bad experience," he said.
He had no idea when he might ever get out.
He wasn't maneuvering the legal system all alone because his employers hired an attorney and spent tens of thousands of dollars on his defense.
"One of the ways we were able to qualify for a license in the state, is that one of our partners was a justice involved individual himself. And so it was always his and us as a team's plan from the beginning to really try and pay it forward as much as we could," said Leafology co-founder, Raphael Bassalobre.
Eight weeks later, Reynaga was a free man. And the generosity continues. Now they want to help others in the same situation as Moises get a second chance.
"There's a lot of individuals that frankly, need proper legal resources to navigate the landscape, to be able, for instance get previous charge taken care of get a previous conviction expunged, were looking forward to looking for two to three individuals a year to try and do this again," said Bassalobre.
"If Leafology hadn't paid for my defense, chances are I would still be sitting in Valhalla right now, without a doubt I'd probably still be in jail," said Reynaga.
To inquire about assistance with legal services, please email info@leafology.com