Day 4 of the nuggnotes cannabis prisoner series: Richardo Ashmeade, 55, has been locked in federal prison since 2006 — nearly 20 years — for a nonviolent cannabis offense. His 262-month sentence runs to a projected release date of July 20, 2027, but his daughter Richeda, who earned her law degree to fight for his freedom, refuses to let his story be forgotten.
A Sentence Built on Old Convictions
Richardo Lascelle Ashmeade — register number 34233-083 — pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. He has been in federal custody since 2006.
Prosecutors filed an enhancement under 21 U.S.C. § 851 based on two prior felony drug convictions: possession with intent to distribute more than five pounds of marijuana in Henrico County, Virginia, and possession of marijuana for sale in San Diego County, California. The two priors raised his mandatory minimum to 20 years, and as a career offender his advisory guideline range was 262 to 327 months. The court imposed 262 months — 21 years and 10 months, commonly described, rounded, as a 22-year sentence. A separate 240-month sentence for illegal reentry ran at the same time.
California later reclassified the San Diego conviction from a felony to a misdemeanor under Proposition 64. Ashmeade argued that the change undid the enhancement — a federal court disagreed in 2019, and his later bid for compassionate release was denied and affirmed on appeal in 2022. The sentence stands.
A Daughter Who Was 12 — Then Earned a Law Degree
Richeda Ashmeade was 12 years old when her father was incarcerated in 2006. (The Last Prisoner Project's campaign describes the separation as almost 17 years — measured when its campaign copy was written.) She has spent much of her life since fighting to bring him home.
She did not just wait. She earned her law degree — a Juris Doctor (J.D.) — and now campaigns for his release.
Four children are waiting for him.
Still in Custody at FCI Edgefield
Richardo remains in federal custody at FCI Edgefield in South Carolina, confirmed on the official Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate Locator ahead of this post. The Bureau lists his projected release date as July 20, 2027.
How to Help
Last Prisoner Project — Take Action: Sign the petition and join the letter-writing program through the Last Prisoner Project's Take Action page (lastprisonerproject.org/takeaction). The campaign is listed there as "FREE RICARDO ASHMEADE" — nuggnotes is publishing his name as Richardo, per BOP and court records.
Write to Richardo directly: Richardo Ashmeade #34233-083, FCI Edgefield, Federal Correctional Institution, P.O. Box 725, Edgefield, SC 29824.
Connect on CorrLinks: Federal inmate email runs through the BOP's TRULINCS system, accessed by the public through CorrLinks. Richardo must first add your email address to his approved contact list; once staff approve it, you will receive an invitation from CorrLinks to accept and begin messaging.
Share his story: Share his story through the Last Prisoner Project campaign and the Pen to Right History campaign.
Still Waiting, Still Fighting
Richardo Ashmeade has already lost nearly 20 years to a cannabis sentence. His daughter was 12 when he went in, and she turned that loss into a law degree and a campaign for his freedom.
He is still in prison. His children are still waiting. His projected release date — July 20, 2027 — is still about eight months away.
Until then, the work is simple: sign, write, share, and say his name — Richardo.
Read next
Robert Deals: His Daughter Opened a Legal Cookies Dispensary While He Remains in Prisonarticles · Nov 8, 2026
Kevin Allen: Two $10 Marijuana Sales Led to a Life Sentence in Louisianaarticles · Nov 7, 2026
Ismael Lira: 22 Years in Custody for Cannabis, Still Serving a Life Sentencearticles · Nov 10, 2026
Sources
- Federal Bureau of Prisons — Inmate Locator, register 34233-083 (checked November 9, 2026). Name (listed as Richardo Lascelle Ashmeade), age 55, FCI Edgefield placement, in-custody status, and the July 20, 2027 projected release date.
- Federal Bureau of Prisons — FCI Edgefield facility page (bop.gov). Inmate mailing address: P.O. Box 725, Edgefield, SC 29824 (confirmed on the facility page, November 9, 2026).
- Robinson v. United States, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Case No. 8:19-cv-1466, order filed August 15, 2019 (reproduced in the U.S. Supreme Court docket, No. 20-5417). The guilty plea in Case No. 8:06-cr-366, the § 851 enhancement and the two prior convictions (Henrico County, Virginia; San Diego County, California), the 20-year mandatory minimum, the 262-to-327-month guideline range, the 262-month sentence imposed in the drug case and the concurrent 240-month sentence in the illegal-reentry case (No. 8:08-cr-539), and the denial of resentencing after California's Proposition 64 reclassification.
- USA v. Richardo Lascelles Ashmeade, U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Cir., No. 21-10770 (Feb. 2, 2022). Affirming the denial of compassionate release. Note on the name: federal court records spell the middle name "Lascelles"; the BOP listing uses "Lascelle." The article follows the BOP's current inmate record.
- Last Prisoner Project — Take Action campaign page (lastprisonerproject.org/takeaction) and the Pen to Right History campaign. Richeda's story and law degree, the four children, and the petition and letter-writing routes. Note: LPP spells his first name "Ricardo" on its pages; the article uses the BOP/court spelling, Richardo. LPP's campaign claim that his sentence was made harsher because he took his case to trial is contradicted by the court record (he pleaded guilty) and is not repeated in this article.
- Richeda Ashmeade-Sinclair, first-person account (HuffPost Personal, republished). She was 12 when her father was sentenced; her Proposition 64 advocacy and the family's account.
Cover photo: Richardo Ashmeade with his daughter Richeda, photo via the Last Prisoner Project’s FREE RICARDO ASHMEADE campaign.
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