MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Justin Kohl, 31, Waupun, Wisconsin, was found guilty of charges related to a methamphetamine conspiracy following a one-day court trial in U.S. District Court in Madison. Kohl waived his right to trial by a jury, and accordingly, the matter was decided by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley, who announced his verdict on Friday, April 13.
Kohl was convicted of conspiring with Christopher Dutton and Brandon Frank, and with others not named in the indictment, to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The conspiracy operated from November 2016 to March 2017. The evidence presented at trial established that Kohl was fronted large quantities of methamphetamine to distribute. In addition, he conspired to find someone to take over for him when he went to jail in February 2017.
Kohl was also found guilty of two counts of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Kohl was charged with these crimes in an indictment that was returned by the grand jury in June 2017.
Dutton and Frank pleaded guilty in August and September 2017, respectively, to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. They had been charged in an indictment returned by the grand jury in March 2017. Dutton was sentenced on Oct. 24, 2017, to 15 years in federal prison, which reflected his role as the leader of a methamphetamine conspiracy involving at least 10 other people. Frank was sentenced on Nov. 21, 2017, to just over 12 years in federal prison. His role in the conspiracy involved the coordination, payment, and delivery of methamphetamine to Wisconsin from California.
Judge Conley scheduled sentencing for July 3, 2018. Kohl faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison on the conspiracy charge, and 20 years in federal prison on each of the possession with intent to distribute charges.
The charges against Kohl were the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration- Madison, Wisconsin and Los Angeles, California; Dane County Narcotics Task Force; Dane County Sheriff’s Department; Madison Police Department; UW-Madison Police Department; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Sauk County Drug Task Force; Richland-Iowa-Grant Drug Task Force; Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office; State Line Area Narcotics Team; and Rock County Special Investigations Unit. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Diane Schlipper and David Reinhard.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
