BOSTON (AP) The winner of the CBS reality television show
''Big Brother 9,'' accused of trying to sell a powerful
prescription painkiller, is again asking to be released on bail
until his trial.
Adam Jasinski was charged last month with attempting to sell
2,000 pills of oxycodone, which is the main active ingredient in
OxyContin and other painkillers and can produce a heroin-like high
if crushed and then swallowed, snorted or injected.
Jasinski, of Delray Beach, Fla., has been held without bail
since a federal agent testified he told the agent he'd been selling
thousands of the pills every month in Florida, Massachusetts,
Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
At a hearing Friday, defense lawyer Valerie Carter asked
Magistrate Judge Leo Sorokin to release Jasinski, 31, to his
parents' custody in Cherry Hill, N.J. She said Jasinski's parents
are willing to put up property they own for his bond. She also said
he would agree to electronic or GPS monitoring and to mental health
and substance abuse counseling.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Ricci said prosecutors believe
Jasinski should be held without bail until his trial. She said
living with his parents and wearing a monitoring device will not
guarantee he will show up in court for his trial or ''prevent his
drug activity.''
The judge said he expected to make his decision early next week.
The ''Big Brother'' series seals strangers inside a makeshift
house on a soundstage for the chance to be the last remaining
houseguest and win a $500,000 grand prize. In recent seasons,
contestants including Jasinski have been heavily criticized for
remarks made inside the house. Jasinski was fired by a nonprofit
autism organization because he used the word ''retards.''
(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)