April 20, 2025 – SACRAMENTO, CA – Xiu Ping Li, 48, residing in Skillman, New Jersey, was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta to five years in prison and four years of supervised release for three counts of manufacturing marijuana, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

Image by Ray Shrewsberry • Ray_Shrewsberry from Pixabay 

According to court documents, Li operated multiple residential marijuana grows in Sacramento and Placer Counties that yielded more than 8,000 marijuana plants and 21.4 pounds of processed marijuana found during the execution of search warrants in 2016 and 2017. Li also acknowledged using proceeds from a marijuana grow to buy another property to continue growing marijuana.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Elk Grove Police Department, the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sacramento Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Roger Yang prosecuted the case.

Source: DOJ Release