Dylan Harrison and John Shealey, the head honchos behind Mr. Nice Guy, one of the largest synthetic-weed operations, received reduced prison sentences on Wednesday.
Both men were facing serious time after being charged for unlawful distribution of controlled substance analogs.
Just a few months ago, Harrison agreed to a plea deal where he gave up $2 million in assets and serve up to five years in jail.
Instead, Dylan, 32, will serve a year and a day, while Shealey, 40, will serve 18 months.
See also: - The Fake-Pot Industry Is Coming Down From a Three-Year High - Did Mr. Nice Guy's Relaxinol Synthetic Pot Kill Aaron Stinson?
The men were busted after making millions shelling out synthetic weed they called Mr. Nice Guy out of a nondescript industrial area in West Palm Beach.
Feds took down Harrison and Shealey as part of "Operation Log Jam," a full-force national takedown of the fake-weed industry.
Their harrowing tale was told in an exclusive New Times feature in 2012.
In their plea deals, the Mr. Nice Guy dudes originally agreed to plead guilty to a count of conspiring to break federal laws and to turn over $2 million.
But on Wednesday, their attorneys argued that the men's prior attorneys advised them their product was legal.
The Kratom Lab, where the men operated, used chemicals to make their product. When the feds declared a specific chemical illegal, the lab would destroy that chemical.
The main problem for prosecutors and the judge in this case has been the hazy laws on chemicals in the state. That, and the fact that Harrison and Shealey were otherwise clean citizens, forced the decision to reduce the sentences.
As part of their plea deals, Shealey agreed to forfeit $745,000 in cash and give up two sports cars and two SUVs. Harrison, meanwhile, agreed to forfeit $2 million in assets, including a home he bought on the Intracoastal Waterway.
Both will remain out on bond for the next two months.
Their prison sentences are scheduled to begin October 18.
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