MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Larry D. Williamson 36, Waunakee, Wisconsin was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 12 years in federal prison for possessing 500 or more grams of methamphetamine intended for distribution. Williamson pleaded guilty to this charge on June 18, 2024. The prison term will be followed by 8 years of supervised release.
On the evening of February 8, 2024, Williamson and his codefendant Corvalis Stewart landed a rented Cessna 172 aircraft at the Middleton Municipal Airport, in Middleton, Wisconsin. Williamson was a private pilot who had rented the aircraft to fly to Phoenix, Arizona, to pick up drugs. Stewart was the passenger.
Federal and state law enforcement received information about the flight and about Williamson and Stewart’s suspicious behavior in Arizona. Law enforcement tracked the aircraft as it returned to Middleton and landed at approximately 10:55 p.m. Williamson and Stewart got out of the airplane and walked to the parking lot. Stewart was carrying three bags which he put in the back of his vehicle. Law enforcement detained the men and searched the bags.
Two of the bags contained 19 pounds of methamphetamine, and in one were travel receipts from a recent trip that Williamson took. The third bag contained approximately 200,000 fentanyl pills known on the street as M30’s, which are counterfeit Oxycodone pills. This was the largest fentanyl seizure in Dane County, with an estimated street value of $2,000,000.
“This was a brazen effort to introduce a large quantity of methamphetamine and thousands of deadly fentanyl pills into our Dane County community,” said Timothy M. O’Shea, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin. “I commend our federal and state law enforcement partners for their coordinated efforts to quickly identify the suspicious flight and apprehend the individuals involved.”
“The sentencing of these drug traffickers is a decisive victory in our fight against organized crime. Their brazen attempts to evade justice by crossing state lines in an airplane only highlight their disregard for the law. This outcome underscores our unwavering commitment to dismantle such networks,” said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald. “The success of this operation was made possible through the tireless efforts and cooperation of local law enforcement agencies. Together, we have shown that no matter the lengths criminals go to escape justice, they will be held accountable.”
At sentencing, Judge Peterson characterized the amount of fentanyl involved in the case as staggering. Noting the large quantity and the especially dangerous nature of fentanyl, Judge Peterson determined that a significant sentence was warranted. Judge Peterson also found that Williamson was an active courier who solicited drug trips to make more money.
Williamson’s co-defendant, Corvalis Stewart, pleaded guilty on September 11, 2024, to possessing 400 or more grams of fentanyl intended for distribution. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 4, 2024, and faces a minimum of 10 years in prison.
The charges against Williamson and Stewart were the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, and the Middleton Police Department, with the assistance of the Air Marine Operations Center in Riverside, California. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.
