The Warren County couple found growing marijuana in the basement of their home avoided prison time and were both sentenced Tuesday to short stays in the county jail. Edward Pilla received 10-year suspended prison sentences to run concurrently on separate felony charges for production and intent to distribute marijuana. He was ordered to serve 90 days in the jail and was placed on probation for five years. Circuit Judge Keith Sutherland scheduled Pilla to begin his sentence Tuesday, Dec. 14. Juli Pilla, who was facing a lone count for production and had a notably lesser involvement, received a suspended imposition sentence and was ordered to spend 20 days in the county jail. Her jail time will begin once her husband is released. She also was placed on five years’ probation and was ordered by Sutherland to perform 50 hours of community service within a six-month period. Warren County deputies confiscated more than 60 marijuana plants and over 140 bags containing marijuana at the Pillas’ residence when a search warrant was executed Oct. 22, 2009. The marijuana seized from the home was estimated to have a street value of approximately $50,000, according to testimony from Tuesday’s hearing. In October, the couple each withdrew their prior not guilty pleas and pleaded guilty to the felony charges. Prior to sentencing Edward Pilla, Sutherland acknowledged factors for a harsher sentence, such as the time, money, travel and work to set up the operation. But he also noted that consistency is not always what the court settles for in determining a sentence. “Everybody is different,” Sutherland said. “The charges may be the same, but every person is different.” He later added, “Factors in this case lead me to believe a conviction as opposed to an s.i.s. is appropriate, but a suspended execution of sentence with some shock time is probably the most appropriate sentence in this case.”  Prosecutor Mike Wright said he was disappointed in Sutherland’s ruling, saying it wasn’t consistent with other cases where individuals had received prison time. Wright had recommended an eight- to 10-year prison sentence for Edward Pilla and five years for Juli Pilla. “It’s not about whether he’s a good person or a bad person,” Wright told The Record. “It’s the difference between right and wrong. It’s about being fair and consistent. This was a big operation.” The arrests of the Pillas shocked many residents as the couple had been well known in the Warrenton community. They owned Spudmaster ColossalChips, described as the “world’s largest, most unique, gourmet potato chip.” The company was headquartered in Bellflower. The Pillas previously owned Spudmasters and Yesterday’s, two restaurants previously located in the same building at 201 E. Main in Warrenton. The building currently houses the Gibson Grill restaurant. Many family members and friends of the Pillas attended Tuesday’s sentencing hearing in support of the couple. A large stack of letters also had been forwarded to Sutherland asking for leniency in the case. “He has lived an exemplary life, a charitable life,” said Scott Rosenblum, who represented Edward Pilla, prior to the sentencing being announced. Wright didn’t dispute past civic involvement, but said a crime was still committed. “If he’s not sent to the penitentiary, what type of message are we sending to the community?” he said. “That you can buy your way out of it. That you can be a great person and do good things, but if you go out and commit some type of crime, we will look the other way? “This isn’t something that was done in a heat of passion or heat of the moment. This was a well thought out operation.” After a search warrant was executed at the Pillas’ residence, located at 28107 Rangeline, off Sunnyside Road west of the Warrenton city limits, Sheriff Kevin Harrison described the indoor operation as an “elaborate and sophisticated” setup. During Tuesday’s sentencing hearing, DEA special agent James Catalano testified that the operation at the Pilla home was “moderately sophisticated” for this area and noted that authorities normally don’t find this type of structure and discipline from growers. “He was a very good student of the growing process,” Catalano said. Deputies found almost 9 pounds of marijuana inside the residence that was either harvested and packed in individual bags by the ounce or was in the process of growing. Authorities also found that six more grow lights had been purchased, to go with the two already in their home, to presumably expand the illegal operation. Catalano testified that the additional lights would have increased production or the quality of the marijuana being grown. If the additional lights were set up similar to the existing operation, it could have generated approximately $250,000 annually, he said.  When questioning Catalano, Rosenblum argued that Pilla had the finished marijuana that was in individual baggies stacked on top of one another in the basement because he didn’t know what to do with it. He further stated that there was no evidence showing that the Pillas had sold any of the marijuana. Detectives began investigating the Pillas in June 2009 when the sheriff’s department was tipped off to the couple purchasing equipment normally associated with an indoor growing operation. Edward Pilla admitted to police he began growing marijuana to pay off some of his debts.