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Feds release Helios Dayspring on $50,000 bail

August 26, 2021

By KAREN VELIE

Marijuana mogul Helios Dayspring of San Luis Obispo surrendered to federal authorities during his arraignment on Wednesday afternoon, and was then released shortly afterwards on $50,000 bail.

As part of a plea agreement, Dayspring admitted to paying thousands of dollars in bribes to former-San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Adam Hill for favorable votes on his cannabis business interests. Several months after an FBI raid on the supervisor’s home, Hill committed suicide.

Federal prosecutors charged Dayspring with one count of bribery and one count of filing a false tax return on July 28, 2021. Dayspring agreed to plead guilty to both felony offenses, pay $3.4 million in restitution to the IRS and cooperate in the government’s ongoing corruption investigation.

Dayspring is expected to plead guilty at his next hearing, though a hearing date has not been set.

In 2016, CalCoastNews first reported allegations Hill was asking marijuana business owners to pay bribes in return for favorable votes. For years, CalCoastNews exclusively reported about Dayspring’s alleged bribery, tax evasion, illegal cannabis sales and property fraud.

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Helios Dayspring, Nick Andre, Quinn Brady, and Megan’s Organic Market rigged the dispensary selection process in the City of San Luis Obispo to make sure they would get more points, and it’s a fact that MOM INC aka Megan’s Organic Market is a front for Helios Dayspring. The City of SLO let MOM SLO LLC get away with falsifying the initial permit application which hid Helios Dayspring’s $1 million dollar convertible note/future controlling ownership. Obviously this was utilized to hide his attempts to monopolizing of the local industry.


Then in Feb 2021 the City allowed MOM SLO LLC to transfer ownership to MOM USA LLC which was formed to add an extra layer of ownership to hide the actual owners of newly formed MOM INC a Delaware Corporation with Nick Andre, Tara Graves, Megan Souza, Eric Powers, and Mark Cardona as its board of directors. The shareholders of MOM INC were never disclosed because Helios Dayspring is the majority owner. The original MOM SLO LLC permit application was intentionally fraudulent and the subsequent list of owners was fraudulent going so far as to list Mark Cardona’s wife rather than Mark to appear more female owned.


Why Delaware you ask? Because the shareholder information of Delaware Corporations are secret unless there is a law enforcement investigation. The City of SLO doesn’t want more egg on its face so they are refusing to investigate or admit their oversight.


On another note – unless Helios, Eric Powers, and Nick Andre all have had sex changes – the MOM’s advertising that they are 100% Women Owned is blatant false advertising.


And here’s the latest – https://m.newtimesslo.com/sanluisobispo/dayspring-claims-he-bankrolled-other-slo-cannabis-dispensaries-companies-and-city-push-back/Content?oid=12792214&fbclid=IwAR3MEkx1dRGM-6yhTuYAtjbS1_v_cJ5J1Yva0G-_hshvKB2SpmmPB_8BEW0


0

I have heard from multiple sources that Helios has a 90% interest in Megan’s Organic Market and was responsible for securing the license from Heidi.


4

You mean bribing Heidi to secure the license?


3

I guess we’re just throwing the word “mogul” around for dramatic effect? He’s a tubby, low level pot grower who threw out a few grand to any county supervisor who wanted to play out a fantasy of abusing what little power they had. Please.


27

If this were true I’d give to to you but he is clearly a mogul at this point; he owns 20 farms in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara, 4 brick and mortar stores (Grover Beach, Lemoore and Morro Bay, with a SLO Location on the way) with his name on it, plus he in reality owns the lion’s share of Megan’s Organic Market, a move he deliberately made to create the appearance that he was not the sole weed czar in the area and had some competition. He has a complete monopoly on an entire section of California, and he is apparently so powerful, that when he is busted for bribery, he’s allowed to just give the business to his girlfriend and let it run as normal. Imagine any other small business owner getting to just hand a business over to their girlfriend that they founded on completely illegal means through bribery. Look at “Jennxxx620” ‘s comment on this article, he has a TON of money.


https://calcoastnews.com/2021/08/dayspring-pursued-orcutt-dispensary-permit-after-signing-plea-deal/


18

I prefer the term “dirtbag drug dealer”.


5

What intrigues me is how does IRS accept 3.4 million in money that cannot be banked legally and is considered to be laundered money .On top of that the money being used hasn’t had any income tax paid on its earning to begin with….How does a person give 3.4 million in cash to IRS ?? ….Will IRS audit Helios’s girlfriend next tax year to see if the 3.4 million was taxed ??? Its like a childhood game of Ring Around the Rosie


25

I think people who commit such crimes should have to give up their businesses.


This is kinda like if an athlete got busted for PEDs and then got to keep all the medals and continue competing, after just paying a fine.


34

Give up the whole business, perhaps.


However the SLO city license should absolutely be rescinded as the special selection process led by our mayor is obviously suspect at this point.


If the rumor’s of Daysprings involvement in Megan’s organics is true, that license must be reviewed.


14

When does he start singing like a happy little songbird?


31

$50,000 Bail ??? What a joke. Just gives him more time to move his garbage around. How about locking this scumbag up and revoking bail until he is sentenced.


38

You don’t think… maybe… he’s the type of guy who would use some of his money to bribe more people into making things smooth and comfortable for him, even in this situation.


No… not Helios. He’s a good guy just trying to help old people with their cancer!


Again, I encourage everyone to read the comment by “Jennxxx620” which I think a lot of the readers here missed:


https://calcoastnews.com/2021/08/dayspring-pursued-orcutt-dispensary-permit-after-signing-plea-deal/


We’r dealing with a brazenly corrupt and immoral individual, and all the authorities seem to be pretty powerless to do anything about him considering the amount of things he’s gotten away with scot-free.


This publication has reported about him for about 4 years and dude still gets in basically no trouble for anything even considering everything he’s done.


Only sensible answer to that is that people are still getting paid off.


40

That seems very light considering everything he’s done.


48