Andrea Sanderlin, N.Y. mom charged in marijuana-growing operation, to be released on $500,000 bond

(CBS/AP) NEW YORK - Andrea Sanderlin, a suburban New York mom charged with growing thousands of marijuana plants worth millions of dollars, is being released from prison.

PICTURES: N.Y. mom accused of running massive pot operation

Sanderlin is being released on $500,000 bond. She pleaded not guilty last week in Brooklyn federal court.

The charges sound like a real-life version of the Showtime series "Weeds," which chronicled a California woman's decision to grow pot to support her family.

Sanderlin's attorney has said it was not a case of art imitating life. He says she's a mother of three children who should be presumed innocent.

Federal prosecutors have compared the woman to a Colombian drug lord. Officials say a warehouse connected to Sanderlin had more than 2,800 pot plants inside. Authorities say the plants were worth $3 million on the street.

Complete coverage of Andrea Sanderlin on Crimesider