Pubdate: Thu, 26 Jun 2014
Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU)
Copyright: 2014 Postmedia Network Inc.
Contact:  http://www.montrealgazette.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274
Author: Paul Cherry
Page: A8

'KING OF POT' WINS ST-PIERRE'S BACKING

Former UFC Champ Writes Letter

Cournoyer, Awaiting Sentencing for Drug Trafficking, Is a 'Really Good Friend'

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 in 
the media who have covered his federal case in New York, recently 
filed his position on his upcoming sentence and it includes a letter 
of support from Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar Georges St-Pierre.

In December, the former mixed martial arts champion announced he was 
taking an indefinite leave from fighting.

Last year, media in New York reported that Cournoyer led a lavish 
lifestyle in New York before he was arrested in his current case. The 
reports claimed Cournoyer moved in celebrity circles that included 
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and St-Pierre. The letter, filed as 
part of a package intended to highlight other aspects of Cournoyer's 
life besides drug trafficking, more than confirms his association 
with the world-famous fighter.

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.

Cournoyer was supposed to be sentenced Friday, but the prosecution in 
the U.S. case was recently granted a delay that will push the 
sentence date back to Aug. 20. 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 grown in Canada 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 his client to no 
more than the 20-year mandatory minimum. The prosecution has yet to 
complete its position statement.

McMahon's position statement, filed in a U.S. District Court in 
Brooklyn, includes several other 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. A summary 
included as part of the statement describes how Cournoyer, who was 
born in Laval, was drawn to a life of crime.

He dropped out of high school to help support his family after his 
father left. He worked odd jobs like installing swimming pools and on 
an assembly line at a candy factory.

In 2001, when he was 21, Cournoyer was caught in a sting operation 
where he paid $65,000 to purchase 10,000 ecstasy pills from a man in 
Toronto who turned out to be an undercover police officer. Three 
years later, on Nov. 15, 2004, Cournoyer was driving a Porsche 
Cayenne on Highway 15, in Piedmont, when he lost control of the car 
and it flipped over. His friend, a passenger, was ejected from the 
vehicle and died.

Cournoyer ended up serving a sentence that combined the 30-month 
sentence he received for trying to purchase the ecstasy and a 
42-month sentence for reckless driving causing death. The 
marijuana-smuggling conspiracy he is currently being sentenced for 
continued while he was serving time in a federal prison in Canada.

A letter from Cournoyer's brother expresses resentment over what he 
describes as the media's exaggerated description of Cournoyer's 
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."
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