Denver Pot Grower Who Bragged About it Got Busted, Gets Prison

DENVER (AP/KCNC) A suburban Denver pot grower named Christopher Bartkowicz tried to create a federal-state showdown on medical marijuana. Instead, he was sentenced to five years in federal prison before he could make his point.

Last February, federal agents raided his Highlands Ranch home and seized hundreds of pot plants growing in his basement.  Finding the stash was pretty easy; according to CBS affiliate KCNC, the raid came after a Denver TV station interviewed Bartkowicz about how much money he expected to make under Colorado law.

Wrong.

Bartkowicz decided to plead guilty to three drug charges.  The Denver Post reports that Bartkowicz was sentenced Friday after his plea bargain was accepted by a judge.

He's getting five years, but If he had gone to trial, Bartkowicz could have faced a life term because of a previous drug conviction.