To sum up the good posts made from this thread:
Don't steal power, that is a #1 cardinal rule in my book. Just pay the massive power bill, don't attract any attention to yourself, and the power company will be more than happy to take your money. That is, after all, what they do as a business.
Tell your friend not to drop a ton of money on a lawyer - yet. Go with the public defender long enough to get the discovery and see what all the charges are, and what he's really up against. See what the PD has to say, and at that point he may or may not want to drop the big bucks on an ace canna lawyer, depending on circumstances and strength of their case. If it's anything like my county, they may throw a plea bargain his way very early in the process to try and avoid plugging up the courts... This first plea bargain is often a shitty fucking deal, especially if they feel their case is strong...
First offense, in CA, he's got a shot at staying out of prison. But the concerning things are the plant numbers, and theft of services. Another concerning factor; the trimmers. I hope they are a solid bunch, but, I have to assume (due to the fallibility of our fellow man) that at least some of them are not. A worst case scenario - If the judge and DA are feeling like making your friend out to be an example, they may pressure the trimmers into writing a statement against your friend, portraying him as some sort of criminal mastermind, to reduce or dismiss their charges in exchange for royally fucking your friend.
He's at least going to go down a road of huge financial burden - pretty much no matter how this pans out. I hope the best for your friend, and this should be a reminder to everyone to please be careful, and smart about what you do. I care immensely about every peaceful grower on the planet, and hate to see anybody get locked in a cage.
Just don't steal any friggin power.