The Church of The Universe
Baldasaro is a member of the Church of the Universe, where he is commonly known as Brother Michael. The Church has been in existence since 1969, when it was founded by Walter Tucker, who remains active in its operations. Its members use marijuana as a sacrament and previously operated a nudist camp in Puslinch, Ontario, named Clearwater Abbey. In 2004, after selling small amounts of marijuana on multiple occasions to an undercover police officer at their Barton Street, Hamilton residence, Baldasaro and Tucker were arrested and charged with trafficking. In 2007, they pleaded not guilty to the charges but after a lengthy trial, a jury found them both guilty. At their sentencing hearing in April 2008, Baldasaro, who had 12 previous trafficking convictions, was sentenced to a two year penitentiary term while Tucker was sentenced to a one year reformatory term. The Crown also applied to the court to have the property from which they distributed marijuana and their Church forfeited to the federal government as an offence-related property, and the Crown's application was granted.
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