Hardest hit: Seven years after leaving the game, community leader Anthony Alegrete is captured

The authorities will get you even if you’ve been out of the game for years. Such was the case of Anthony Alegrete, who served 24 months in federal prison and an additional 24 months of house arrest for his involvement in a cannabis operation. The bust ensnared many other people, including Evelyn LaChappelle and Anthony’s good friend Corvain Cooper. The latter would be sentenced to life imprisonment for a drug offense in the third strike.

The old accusations that come back hurt Alegrete and his wife Loriel even more. Anthony was in college. The two had built a successful local charity in the Las Vegas area. To make matters worse, her third child and first daughter were on the road.

Alegrete was determined not only to rebuild his own life, but to bring Corvain home so the two of them could continue giving back to the community.

Years away with a new life, the Feds are calling

Alegrete and Cooper have been friends for almost 30 years. When the two met at Hollywood High School in Los Angeles in 1994, they had a close bond. But in 2005, they began to go in different directions on friendly terms as their careers blossomed after selling cannabis. By 2008, the two hadn’t interacted much in years, with Cooper owning a fashion business while Alegrete moved to Las Vegas and enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Photo credit: Emily Eizen

Like Cooper, the Alegretes were focused on community efforts. They created a charitable program for the city dedicated to tackling childhood obesity, Jump For Joy.

“After getting into so much trouble when I was young and moving to Vegas, I was given a life sentence for community service,” he said.

Within months, the program bragged hundreds of campers. Two years later it had three to 4,000 visitors. The program would work with schools and organizations such as the YMCA and the Boys & Girls Club of America. As the school and program flourished, Alegrete found his way and devoted his skills to community service.

Then his past came back in the form of federal agents.

Charges surfaced seven years later

Seven years without any illegal cannabis activity, Alegrete was stunned to see that he was back in the crosshairs of the law. In previous experiences, he had been convicted of operational charges. In one case, he was convicted of providing ID to someone caught selling cannabis. Another charge arose over the handling of cannabis funds. He thought he paid for his crimes.

Alegrete faced no life imprisonment for a third misdemeanor like Cooper, whose three charges were directly related to drug charges. Not facing a mandatory life sentence, coupled with his ongoing schooling and community service, Alegrete was able to receive a lighter sentence than he might have received. He praised the fruitfulness of the support he has received from the community.

He recalled that a trial hearing, which usually lasted 15 minutes, became “a four-hour miniature trial of my character and the man I became after the crime”. He added, “I’ve flown people out. I had doctors and Ph.D. Prof.

The courts would postpone his sentence for two years to allow him to finish college. Instead of taking the next steps in his career after graduation, the Outstanding Student Graduate Award winner would sit in prison for two years.

Photo credit: Emily Eizen

The prison has put both Anthony and Loriel to the test. He would do his best to educate himself and read frequently. Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom and all of Malcolm Gladwell’s works were favorites. The most impactful book was Gregory David Roberts’ 2003 novel Shantaram, the story of an escaped Australian convict who lives in the slums of India, providing free medical care to the community while engaging in illegal operations such as the mafia.

While Anthony waited for freedom, Loriel served as the sole breadwinner for herself and her three children. She was experienced in such a predicament. At 13, she played a similar role in her family when her brother was arrested and tried.

Despite the challenge, the two stayed together. “She really stayed down, man,” Anthony said of Loriel, calling her a beautiful woman. “It is my duty, no matter what, even if we part ways, to always see that she is taken care of,” he said.

Anthony was released from prison on May 14, 2015.

A return to community giving

Alegrete spent the next two years rebuilding what he had lost. That included restoring his reputation, career, and finances. After jail, he didn’t want to be a grunt. He wanted to blossom again. First he got a job at a logistics company, where he received equity and processed 1,500 deliveries a day. “I learned the logistics business, then slowly got back into the entrepreneurial spirit,” he recalls.

The mutual legal experience with Cooper revived their friendship. Upon his release, Alegrete would call Cooper regularly while he was serving his life sentence. The two talked like old friends while contemplating how Cooper might deserve his release. These conversations eventually led to the creation of a brand with a social impact, advocating for people like her in the system. The endeavor would also aim to ensure that children do not follow their path. They eventually agreed on 40 tons as a name and acknowledged the amount of cannabis authorities that Cooper had accused of trading.

“We learned our lesson,” said Alegrete. “We want to keep the next Corvain Cooper from taking this route,” he said. In addition to the education of children, the endeavor also aims to support prisoners through monetary donations, scholarships, career fairs and other support offers.

Cooper had started to gain significant support from various advocates and groups for the rights of cannabis prisoners by this point. After connecting the groups with Alegrete, a collective effort began to take shape.

The Alegretes would put 40 tons on the market to ensure Cooper doesn’t harm his current reputation by getting involved in a cannabis operation. Part of the company’s commitment to the criminal justice system is its collection of shirts featuring past and current prisoners, including Cooper. All proceeds from the sale of inmate-centered shirts go directly to the featured inmate.

On January 20, 2021, Cooper was pardoned by then-President Trump. Upon his return, Cooper joined 40 Tons as an attorney and brand ambassador. Cooper is not involved in the company’s cannabis or accessories line under its terms of sentence. He focuses on advocacy and clothing options for the company.

40 Tons is now starting to become profitable. At the same time, the Alegretes continue to advocate the release of non-violent cannabis offenders. A major focus is on stopping relapses, prisoners who become offenders again after being released. An upcoming career fair is set to help with resumes, make careers in the field, and help offenders clear their records. The Alegretes hope their efforts are just one of many helping to provide more resources to prisoners and families affected by the prison system.

Today Alegrete describes herself as “the type of citizen our government wants”. He describes himself as a contributor and finds that he has invested in the community while abiding by the law as a taxpayer citizen.

“I had to go through the fire to get out the other side,” he said.