The Rise and Fall of Colorado's "Scarface of Marijuana"

Scott Pack was one of the most flamboyant marijuana entrepreneurs in Colorado — a handsome, stylish charmer with seemingly inexhaustible wealth and a way with words that was catnip to individuals looking to cash in on an industry growing at a breakneck pace.

But then, just over three years ago, Pack's world slowly but inexorably started going to hell. In the spring of 2017, a lawsuit accused him of being a ripoff artist and, mere months later, he found himself at the center of what was touted at the time as the largest marijuana fraud indictment in state history. Following trial testimony that accused him of aspiring to be the Scarface of Colorado weed, Pack was convicted of multiple felonies this past February and, in July, sentenced to twelve years in prison — and now, he's been ordered to pay nearly $2.5 million in restitution to former investors bilked as part of his elaborate scheme.

Attorney Henry Baskerville represents Pierre and Christoph Raygot, the plaintiffs in the aforementioned suit, who are slated to receive $299,935 and $199,935, respectively, from Pack as part of the restitution order. "We were pleased with the jury’s verdict last spring," Baskerville notes. "We also are pleased that the Court rejected Mr. Pack’s argument that restitution is inappropriate. We understand that Mr. Pack has already appealed the verdict and intends to appeal this order, too. My clients look forward to this eventually being resolved.”

Pack had reached out to Westword shortly before his July sentencing and encouraged us to contact Gary Lozow, his attorney, for proof supporting his contention that he did nothing wrong. Lozow has not responded to our inquiries.

The Raygots are both foreign nationals (Pierre is from Thailand, Christophe is based in Portugal), and in a previous interview, Baskerville pointed out that the main events covered in the amended suit occurred in 2015, when non-Colorado residents weren't allowed to put money directly into a cannabis concern in Colorado. The law was changed the following year.

The suit maintains that Scott and his father, Michael Pack, a well-heeled San Diego real estate developer, formed two enterprises named SMP Properties LLC — one in Colorado, the other in Nevada — that were intertwined with Harmony & Green, a focus of both the criminal and civil cases. According to Baskerville, the Colorado branch of SMP Properties "owned a facility in which a grow was operating in Denver and a facility in which a grow was operating in Colorado Springs. There were a number of times Scott represented over Facebook Messenger that they were obtaining new grows and looking for money to purchase a new facility — but it appears that those representations were not true."

In addition, Baskerville said during an earlier interview, "it appears that the money was funneled directly into the marijuana business, and we believe it was used to repay other investors or funneled into the Packs' pockets."

During the trial, DEA agent Michael Marshall specifically referenced Scott and Michael Pack, as well as alleged co-conspirator Rudy Saenz, as financiers of a grow in Elizabeth where authorities found and seized more than 2,500 pounds of marijuana, worth an estimated $5 million, in 2016. Ray Padilla, a drug task-force officer, also said that both father and son were identified to him as investors.

A third witness, Skytyler Chavez, testified that Scott was "always with his dad" when he met with him. He also stated that he never saw Scott Pack growing marijuana because "he was there for a different reason. He was there to pass out money. He was there to be a gangster...to try to be a gangster."

"To be an investor?" Pack's attorney asked.

"One in the same if you are dealing with that kind of process," Chavez replied. "Trying to be. Didn't say you were. You acted like it, that's for sure."

Also testifying was Michael Stonehouse, who pleaded guilty for his role in the Pack-related drug ring. During his time on the stand, Stonehouse said, "Scott came out from San Diego wanting to be the Scarface of the marijuana world. He had crews that he wanted to bring out, he had the best growers in the world, and he was going to make this ten times better than I can make it, blah-blah-blah-blah."

On February 14, Pack was found guilty of six felonies: "two counts under the Colorado Organized Crime Control Act (COCCA) — pattern of racketeering and conspiracy; a first-class drug felony; conspiracy to cultivate marijuana; and two counts of securities fraud," according to the 18th Judicial District DA's office. In July, Arapahoe County Court Judge Michael Spear sentenced Pack to twelve years in stir, and earlier this month, he issued the restitution order. In addition to the amounts earmarked for the Raygots, investor James Hay-Arthur is supposed to receive $1,050,000, with $950,000 going to Kyle Kolb.

George Brauchler, 18th Judicial District DA, issued this statement on the order: "It is fitting that Pack’s insatiable greed and disregard for Colorado’s laws has now resulted in the law divesting him of much of his ill-gotten gains. This is a significant amount of money to pay in restitution, even for a rich California kid who lives at his parents’ property. I am pleased the victims will be provided some of what was taken from them."

Of course, there's no telling if and when the investors will actually get their money, since Pack has not yet admitted defeat. After all, that's not the Scarface way.

Click to read Pierre Raygot and Christophe Raygot v. Scott Pack, et al., and the Scott Pack restitution order.