MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Van Williamson, 43, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to eight years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. Williamson pleaded guilty to this charge on Dec. 10, 2019.
At sentencing, Judge Peterson found that Williamson was the leader of a heroin conspiracy that was responsible for distributing 1,000 to 3,000 grams of heroin in a six-month period in the Madison area. He reasoned that given the large amount of heroin involved in the conspiracy, an eight-year sentence was necessary to protect the public from the significant detrimental impact of heroin trafficking. Judge Peterson stressed that the defendant exploited the illness of others and contributed to a public health epidemic for his own profit.
Co-defendant Cortez Jackson is scheduled for sentencing in front of Judge Peterson on March 23, 2019.
The charge against Williamson was the result of an investigation conducted by the Dane County Narcotics Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The prosecution of the case has been handled by United States Attorney Scott Blader and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Reinhard.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
