Lee Smith

Was Brotherhood Member Brenice Lee Smith a Felonious Monk?

Why is Brenice Lee Smith Still Behind Bars, Awaiting Trial?

Nick SchouBrenice Lee Smith at his first court hearing​A man accused of of membership in the so-called "Hippie Mafia"--and who has spent the past three decades living a peaceful, possession-free life in a Nepalese monastery--has now been languishing in jail for more than a month.Brenice Lee Smith ... More >>

Lawyer for Jailed Brotherhood Figure Demands Dismissal of Case

Brenice Lee Smith: Welcome Home, Now go to Jail.​Wow, that was fast.Yesterday I blogged that a judge denied a request by Gerardo Gutierrez, the lawyer for Brenice Lee Smith, the onetime member of the Brotherhood of Eternal Love who has spent the past three decades living in a Nepalese monastery, t ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

Brenice Lee Smith: Welcome Home, Now go to Jail.​Wow, that was fast.Yesterday I blogged that a judge denied a request by Gerardo Gutierrez, the lawyer for Brenice Lee Smith, the onetime member of the Brotherhood of Eternal Love who has spent the past three decades living in a Nepalese monastery, t ... More >>

Forty-Year-Old Fugitive Monk/'Hippie Mafia" Case Gets More Goofy

Brenice Lee Smith and Friends circa 1972​Orange County Sheriff's Department inmate number 2537327, better known as Brenice "Brennie" Lee Smith--or Dorje to his family and fellow Buddhist devotees--has been behind bars for almost two months now thanks to a pair of nearly 40-year-old hash smuggling ... More >>

Fugitive Buddhist Monk Pleads Guilty, Goes Free Tonight, Brotherhood Case Finally Closed!

Lorey JamesBrenice Lee Smith and his family in Kathmandu, circa 2000Brenice Lee Smith, the last remaining fugitive from the once-infamous 1972 Brotherhood of Eternal Love case, will be set free from Theo Lacy Prison tonight, having pleaded guilty this morning to transporting hashish from Afghanistan ... More >>

Distant Karma Catches Up With the Brotherhood's Brenice Lee Smith

Lorey JamesBrenice Lee Smith and his family in Kathmandu, circa 2000Brenice Lee Smith, the last remaining fugitive from the once-infamous 1972 Brotherhood of Eternal Love case, will be set free from Theo Lacy Prison tonight, having pleaded guilty this morning to transporting hashish from Afghanistan ... More >>

OC's Cannabis Planet Inspired by Weed-friendly OC Weekly

In case you didn't already notice, yesterday, December 10, was a big day for the OC Weekly and weed. First of all there was our feature story, "Distant Karma" about Brotherhood of Eternal Love fugitive Brenice Lee Smith, the cover artwork of which prominently included the familiar green leaf. Then t ... More >>

Letters From OC Weekly Readers

In case you didn't already notice, yesterday, December 10, was a big day for the OC Weekly and weed. First of all there was our feature story, "Distant Karma" about Brotherhood of Eternal Love fugitive Brenice Lee Smith, the cover artwork of which prominently included the familiar green leaf. Then t ... More >>

[Year In Review] OC Weekly's News Blog, Navel Gazing, Gazes Back at 2009

In case you didn't already notice, yesterday, December 10, was a big day for the OC Weekly and weed. First of all there was our feature story, "Distant Karma" about Brotherhood of Eternal Love fugitive Brenice Lee Smith, the cover artwork of which prominently included the familiar green leaf. Then t ... More >>