Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Garrett Scott Wheelen, a 33-year-old resident of Fresno, has pleaded guilty to charges related to the possession of over 500 grams of methamphetamine. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that on May 1, 2024, Wheelen arrived at the Federal Correctional Institution Mendota wearing a facemask, baseball cap, and hoodie in an attempt to disguise himself. He proceeded to run to the prison fence and throw four packages into the recreation yard. Authorities apprehended him shortly after he attempted to flee. The packages were found to contain more than three pounds of methamphetamine. At the time of this incident, Wheelen was under supervised release following a previous federal felony charge.
The investigation leading to these charges was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Mendota Police Department, and the Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cody S. Chapple and Dhruv M. Sharma are handling the prosecution.
Wheelen is scheduled for sentencing on May 2, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Dena M. Coggins. He faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. However, the actual sentence will be determined by the court based on applicable statutory factors and Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
