A co-owner of a $13 million alleged illegal marijuana grow said he once spoke to former Gov. Paul LePage about the business.
Randall Cousineau, 73, testified Thursday that he gave tours of his businesses to LePage, and talked to him about the marijuana growhouse he co-owned with Lucas Sirois but did not take him to the Farmington building that was later raided by federal law enforcement.
Cousineau’s testimony came during day two of the federal trial of Lucas Sirois, who is accused of leading the multimillion-dollar black market marijuana operation. His father, Robert Sirois, is also accused of being involved in the illegal grow. Their six-day jury trial started Wednesday morning in U.S. District Court of Maine in Bangor.
Someone — no name was used in Cousineau’s testimony — also tried to get Cousineau to bring Gov. Janet Mills to the property, but Cousineau said he never attempted to ask her. He said his lawyer is Mills’ brother, Peter Mills, which meant Cousineau probably could have asked her to take a tour.
No date was provided for when LePage’s tours of Cousineau’s businesses happened or when Cousineau was asked to bring Mills to the Farmington facility.
The FBI raided properties in Farmington and Avon in July 2020. Around 2,900 marijuana plants and numerous pounds of processed marijuana were seized from both properties, according to court testimony.
Cousineau said he started to realize “something was wrong” with the marijuana grow when he started seeing out of state license plates on cars that came to the property.
The wide-spread conspiracy became public in October 2021 when Cousineau was the first person to plead guilty. He pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to illegally cultivate and sell marijuana. He was the primary financier and 50% partner in a facility in Farmington.
Before becoming Lucas Sirois’ business partner, Cousineau said he talked to lawyers who had no issues with the marijuana business. However, Cousineau said he gave up his shares of the Farmington building where the marijuana was allegedly grown because he learned it was “being illegally done.”
“They were growing marijuana there that was not legal,” Cousineau said.
There were “millions of dollars” of marijuana grown at the Farmington building, Cousineau said.
Lucas Sirois is alleged to be the leader of the conspiracy. He was licensed to grow medical marijuana in Maine and is charged with conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana; conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and impede and impair the Internal Revenue Service; bank fraud; and tax evasion.
Robert Sirois is charged with one count each of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. He is banned from handling marijuana because he is a convicted felon.
Marijuana was what was grown, not hemp, at the two properties, Cousineau and another business partner testified. Their testimony contradicted a defense theory that Lucas Sirois was growing hemp.
“I never heard the word hemp,” Cousineau said.
William Brey, 53, became a 50-50 business partner with Lucas Sirois through Spruce Valley LLC, which operated another marijuana grow in Avon, starting around early 2014.
“We never had any discussion about growing hemp,” Brey said.
Brey was given immunity by the federal government in exchange for truthful testimony about his marijuana business he operated with Lucas Sirois.
By 2018, Brey and Lucas Sirois were each running their four grow rooms in the building, Brey said. His rooms produced about 10 pounds of marijuana a week and he said he believed Lucas Sirois was producing a similar amount.
“Our goal was to get the most amount we can out of a plant,” Brey said. “We were going for a pound a plant. That was our goal.”
Brey said he was paid by Lakemont LLC, and multiple checks showing those payments were entered into evidence. Lakemont was created by Lucas Sirois and Cousineau to grow marijuana in Farmington, Cousineau said.
There were nine checks for roughly $80,000 paid to Brey by Lakemont and 10 checks worth “multiple thousands of dollars” were paid to an LLC owned by Brey and his wife, he testified.
The trial is scheduled to continue Friday.
