Johntay L. Johnson, a 40-year-old resident of Wausau, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for maintaining a drug-involved premises, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and distributing cocaine. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley and will be followed by three years of supervised release. Johnson pleaded guilty to the charges on July 1, 2025.
Authorities began investigating Johnson in December 2023 after identifying him as a cocaine trafficker operating out of Wausau. From January to July 2024, a confidential informant purchased two ounces of cocaine from Johnson on seven occasions; six of these transactions took place at his home.
On September 10, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Johnson’s residence and found three firearms, cocaine, and marijuana in his bedroom. A fourth firearm was discovered in another bedroom. Officers also seized over $13,000 in cash, digital scales, and other drug paraphernalia from the home. Two of the recovered firearms had previously been reported stolen.
Johnson was arrested during the search on an unrelated outstanding state warrant. He faced state charges related to the guns and drugs found in his residence but was released on cash bond two days later. While out on bond, he sold an ounce of cocaine to a confidential informant two weeks after his release and again in late November 2024.
At sentencing, Judge Conley highlighted aggravating factors such as Johnson’s possession of multiple firearms during his trafficking activities, his immediate return to dealing drugs after being arrested mid-investigation, and his extensive criminal history that includes five prior convictions for cocaine trafficking.
The investigation into Johnson’s activities involved several agencies: the FBI’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force (which includes agents from multiple local sheriff's offices and police departments), the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force (a partnership between federal agents and local officers), as well as assistance from the Marathon County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration-related crime, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protecting communities from violent offenders by leveraging resources from programs like Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
