Pot grower gets five years in federal prison

ANCHORAGE — A Mat-Su Valley man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after a jury convicted him for growing 190 marijuana plants.

Corey Gresham, 31, received his sentence last week. A co-conspirator, Malcom Elliot Brooks, got the same sentence previously and yet a third accomplice, Gresham’s girlfriend Victoria Scheuner, is still awaiting trial.

According to court filings, the case began in February 2010 with an anonymous tip to federal agents regarding Gresham.

In October of that year, Alaska State Troopers drug investigators tailed Gresham as he went shopping. He went to Weld Air and then made a stop at Far North Garden Supply. Weld Air carries carbon dioxide.

“Carbon dioxide is often used by manufacturers of marijuana, as marijuana plants require large amounts of carbon dioxide for proper growth,” assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Warner wrote.

Drug investigators followed Gresham to his Fairview Loop home. Scheuner’s name was on the lease and on the utility records.

“The records revealed a constantly increasing use of electricity since Scheuner signed the lease,” Warner wrote. “By November 2010, the house was using 141 kW of power per day, resulting in a monthly charge of $549 for power.”

Officers said they also smelled marijuana outside of the house and paid attention to the winds to make sure it was definitely coming from the house and not anywhere else.

All of that was enough for a search warrant, which was served at the end of November 2010, and which turned up 190 plants, $2,064 cash and two guns — a pistol and a shotgun.

Federal prosecutors described the operation as a high-quality and expensive one, using high-intensity lighting systems, carbon dioxide cylinders, a sophisticated air circulation system, chemicals and fancy soils.

At trial, Gresham was convicted of conspiring to manufacture marijuana and of manufacturing marijuana. He was acquitted on a federal gun crime relating to using a gun to further a drug crime. But when asked if he should be able to get the guns back, the jury said he shouldn’t.

Warner wrote in his filings that Gresham has a troubling history that demanded a stiff sentence.

“Defendant was involved in a running gun battle after a vehicular dispute with another driver. The defendant was not charged with this incident, but he admitted accosting the other party and it was clear from the evidence that he fired his weapon in anger,” Warner wrote.

Other incidents from his past include reports he’d beaten his ex-wife with a belt and fought with the cops after not telling them he had a gun on him. He also has convictions for not telling officers about guns and for pepper-spraying a woman.

“The defendant has a history of creating dangerous situations that cannot be overlooked,” Warner wrote in asking for a five-and-a-half-year sentence.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.