Reality TV’s increasingly tarnished reputation for failing to carefully vet contestants took yet another hit over the weekend when it was revealed that Adam Jasinski, winner of 2008’s ninth cycle of “Big Brother,” was arrested Massachusetts for trying to sell oxycodone to an undercover fed.
But even worse for CBS and producer Endemol Entertainment, Jasinski had a previous drug-related arrest on his record.
Jasinski was busted in Manhattan back in 2004 for accepting a mailed package containing pot. A search of his apartment also turned up cocaine and Ecstasy.
This previous transgression was dug up and reported in February of last year, when Jasinski caused an uproar on “Big Brother” for referring to autistic children as “retards.”
And Jasinski isn’t the only “Big Brother” alumnus with legal troubles. Prior to appearing on cycles six and seven of the show, Janelle Pierzina had been arrested for driving under the influence — a charge exacerbated by her repeated failures to appear in court and for court-mandated treatment programs.
She also had a mark on her record for shoplifting at Macy’s.
As for Jasinski, the 31-year-old Delray Beach, Fla., resident has confessed to federal investigators of using his $500,000 in “Big Brother” prize winnings to run a drug ring.
He’s accused of flying to Boston’s Logan Airport with 2,000 oxycodone pills with intent to sell them to an undercover fed.
The arrest report said Jasinski showed the agent a sock full of the prescription painkillers before unsuccessfully attempting to flee on foot. If he’s convicted, he faces 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
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