BY PAUL CHERRY, GAZETTE CRIME REPORTER JUNE 25, 2014
MONTREAL — A Quebec man who is awaiting his sentence in a case in the U.S. where he pleaded guilty to trafficking in massive amounts of marijuana has support from a pretty heavy hitter.
Jimmy Cournoyer, 34, who has been dubbed The King of Pot by some of the media that have covered his federal case in New York, recently filed his position on his upcoming sentence and it includes a letter of support from UFC champion Georges St-Pierre.
Cournoyer was supposed to be sentenced Friday but the prosecution recently filed for, and was granted, a delay that will push the sentence date back to August. As part of his guilty plea, Cournoyer admitted to taking part in a conspiracy that began in 1998 and continued until his arrest in 2012. During that time, he trafficked in at least 100,000 kilograms of marijuana that was grown in Quebec and smuggled into the U.S. He also dealt in at least 83 kilograms of cocaine and admitted to taking part in money laundering. The prosecution alleged Cournoyer was a well-connected drug dealer who knew several Montreal underworld figures, including Mafia boss Vito Rizzuto (now deceased) and several members of the Matticks clan who have acted as leaders of the West End Gang.
Cournoyer’s lawyer, Gerald McMahon, filed the defence’s position statement recently and asked the judge to sentence him to no more than the 20-year mandatory minimum the case calls for. The prosecution has yet to complete its position statement.
McMahon’s position statement, filed in a U.S. District Court in New York, includes several letters of support from Cournoyer’s family and friends. They describe him as someone whose life was disrupted by his parents’ breakup while he was a teenager. His brother’s letter expresses resentment over what he describes as the media’s exaggerated description of Jimmy Cournoyer’s supposed wealth and celebrity lifestyle in New York before his arrest. The brother asserts that most of Cournoyer’s drug trafficking was done on credit and that he was never “a badass Mafia superhero.”
St-Pierre was reported by New York media as having ties to Cournoyer when his case grabbed attention in the U.S. several months ago. The letter included in the defence’s statement suggests they are close friends.
The letter begins: “My name is Georges St-Pierre, world UFC champion. I am writing this letter regarding my really good friend Jimmy Cournoyer.”
St-Pierre goes on to state that the two first met at a restaurant in 2009 and later travelled together to Ibiza, an island in the Mediterranean Sea, for a couple of days.
“We had the time of our life. Jimmy became like a brother to me. We travelled together, we trained together, we were going to restaurants, clubs and having a lot of fun. Jimmy is a very loyal friend who I respect very much.”
“I’ve never judged Jimmy. Actually, what he was doing (with) his life wasn’t any of my business. We have a very human relationship; we share the same passions, which is sport fitness and martial arts.”
The letter goes on to mention that St-Pierre has visited Cournoyer twice in jail since his arrest.
“His mental toughness will help him go through this very hard ordeal in his life. Jimmy is a very positive and strong person and I am sure he will learn huge lessons about all that. I am giving a lot of support to Jimmy because he deserves it. I told him last time I visited him that when he comes out of jail, I will have a place for him in my surrounding(s),” St-Pierre wrote.
pcherry@montrealgazette.com
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