DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Western District of Wisconsin

For Immediate Release

Thursday, June 4, 2015
John W. Vaudreuil
, United States Attorney
Contact: Stephen Sinnott

Beloit Woman Sentenced to Two Years for Conspiring to Intimidate Witness

MADISON, WIS. -- – John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Tiana Williams, 25, Beloit, Wis., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to two years in federal prison for conspiring to intimidate a witness in connection with a federal heroin investigation. Williams pleaded guilty to this charge on March 26, 2015. Williams also admitted that she was involved with Charles Evans in a conspiracy to distribute heroin, and she was sentenced as if convicted of the drug conspiracy.

In August 2014, Evans was the subject of a federal grand jury investigation. On August 22, 2014, when a drug customer (referred to here as “the victim”) failed to pay Evans for previously-purchased heroin, Evans assaulted the victim and broke the victim’s jaw. Shortly after the assault, the victim paid the drug debt to Evans.

Evans was on state probation at the time of the beating. Based on the reported beating, the state probation office took Evans into state custody in the Rock County Jail on a probation violation. While Evans was in jail, he directed Williams to persuade the victim to change his testimony. On September 19, 2014, Williams drove to the residence of the victim and attempted to meet with him in an effort to convince him to change his testimony.

Evans pleaded guilty on March 18 in federal court to distributing heroin, and was sentenced on May 22 to 12 years in federal prison.

Williams is one of more than 15 individuals who have been charged with a federal drug or gun crime in the past year as the result of investigations by G-ROC, a task force formed through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Violent Crime Initiative. Its members include the FBI; Rock County Sheriff’s Office; Rock County District Attorney’s Office; Beloit Police Department; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of Williams and Evans was handled by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Sinnott.

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St. Paul Field Division