| Photo: Anna Hewson/KUSA |
| Chris Bartkowicz: “They have won. I will be entering a guilty plea tomorrow.” |
A Highlands Ranch, Colorado man charged with growing marijuana in his home has said he will plead guilty, and has scheduled a change of plea hearing in federal court for Friday.
Chris Bartkowicz, a medical marijuana patient and provider, had maintained that all his cannabis was for medical purposes and was legal under Colorado law. Marijuana is illegal for any purpose under federal law.
“They have won,” Bartkowicz posted on his Facebook page Wednesday night. “I will be entering a guilty plea tomorrow.”
“If the judge accepts it after a pre-sentence report is done then I will be sentenced to 5 years in FEDERAL prison,” Bartkowicz posted. “I am sorry for tapping out. I give up and can no longer fight the fight. They have broken me.”
| Graphic: Facebook |
”Forgive me all for what I am about to do,” he posted. “I thank you all for supporting me through this. I love all of you people and hope this impacts no one but myself.”
The change of plea hearing was scheduled after Bartkowicz’s attorney, Joseph St. Veltri, told the court that a disposition had been reached in the case, reports Rick Sallinger at CBS 4 Denver.
Normally, that means the defendant has agreed to change his plea to guilty. Bartkowicz will be given an opportunity to do that at Friday’s hearing.
A federal judge had previously denied Bartkowicz’s defense that he grew the marijuana after reading memos from U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. Those memos indicated federal agents would not pursue medical marijuana patients and providers in states where pot is legal for medicinal purposes.
Bartkowicz was raided by federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents just hours after he appeared in a TV interview showing off his large grow room in the basement of his luxury home.