Thfire.com Everyday news that matters 
Annie Dookhan, former state chemist who mishandled the evidence in drug cases that ultimately ended with the state’s criminal justice system giving out wrong judgements has pleaded guilty.
Annie Dookhan pleaded guilty in Suffolk Superior Court and was sentenced to three to five years in prison.
“You plead guilty here because you are guilty?” Judge Carol S. Ball said as she explained the rights Dookhan was giving up because of her guilty plea.
“Yes, Your Honor,” Dookhan said meekly.
Dookhan’s falsification of drug tests, in an attempt to look like a highly productive employee, prompted the release of hundreds of convicts, raised questions about thousands of cases, and forced the state to spend millions to address the problems
Ball, who found that Dookhan had entered her plea “freely, willingly, and voluntarily,” also sentenced Dookhan to two years of probation.
Dookhan, in handcuffs, spoke briefly with her lawyer before she was escorted out of the courtroom.
During the hearing, she looked straight at a prosecutor, showing no emotion, as the prosecutor went over the facts of the case and described the impacts of her actions.
Prosecutors had requested a five-to-seven-year sentence for Dookhan. Her defense attorney had argued for a maximum sentence of one year.
