Matthew Leshinsky, a New York scientist, was sentenced Wednesday to four years imprisonment and five years of supervised release for operating a meth lab, prosecutors said, Newsday reported.
Suffolk County prosecutors had requested Leshinsky be sentenced to eight years in prison for his lab they said was reminiscent of the popular “Breaking Bad” television show, according to the outlet. (RELATED: Police Seize Meth, Coke Worth More Than $1M Stashed In Ritzy NYC Apartment)
Leshinsky had pleaded guilty to nine felonies, including unlawfully producing methamphetamine and illicitly disposing of methamphetamine laboratory material back in Feb. 15, the outlet reported.
Authorities found more than 100 pieces of laboratory equipment, chemicals and other substances resulting from the production of methamphetamine. https://t.co/tL5YdEY7OW
— Newsday (@Newsday) March 21, 2024
The unconventional scientist had unwittingly revealed his illicit operation in when he called the police on June 7 about a break-in at his lab that led to an investigation that catalogued over 100 items being used in unlawful drug production, $40,000 in cash and various drugs like methamphetamine and ecstasy being discovered, according to Suffolk County prosecutors.
“This defendant was operating a Breaking Bad-style drug lab and tried to conceal it under the guise of a legitimate business. He then inadvertently turned himself in when he reported that a burglary occurred at that same business,” Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney was quoted as saying in a press release.
David Besso, Leshinsky’s lawyer, told Newsday his client was merely researching drug addiction and never sold meth from his laboratory. “From the inception of this case, they looked at Matt Leshinsky as a drug dealer when there was no evidence that he sold drugs to anybody,” Besso told the outlet.
Besso acknowledged that his client was working without proper certification at the time of his arrest but claimed he had applied for the proper licensing, Newsday reported.