In the News

Federal Jury Acquits Man of Possession of 2,800 Pounds of Marijuana

January, 21 2008

On Friday, after a 3-day trial, a federal jury in Topeka acquitted Louis Chouloute of illegally possessing 2,800 pounds of marijuana.

On September 14, 2007, a semi-truck was stopped in Shawnee County by a Kansas

Highway Patrol trooper. A search revealed 2,800 pounds of marijuana in the trailer.

Louis Chouloute, 34, from Brooklyn, New York, and Fritz Denis, 30, also from Brooklyn, were in the truck. Choulute was the driver.

Both were indicted in federal court for possession with intent to distribute the marijuana. The Kansas Highway Patrol estimated the value of the marijuana to be $5.7 million.

Fritz Denis pled guilty to a lesser charge and agreed to testify against Chouloute. According to Chouloute's lawyer, Chris Joseph, of Joseph & Hollander P.A., the government did not prove its case. "The government's case was based on the testimony of Denis."

According to Joseph, "Denis was caught on cross examination in a number of lies and the jury did not believe his testimony."