Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Grand Jury Returns Two Indictments
MADISON, WIS. – A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
La Crosse Man Charged with Drug & Gun Crimes
Nickolas S. Fitzpatrick, 49, La Crosse, Wisconsin, is charged with possessing 50 grams of more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, with possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime, and with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The indictment alleges that he possessed the methamphetamine and a handgun on April 3, 2021.
If convicted, Fitzpatrick faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years and a maximum of 40 years in federal prison on the methamphetamine charge. The charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years in federal prison. Federal law requires that any sentence imposed on this charge be served consecutive to any other penalty imposed. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm has a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.
The charges against Fitzpatrick are the result of an investigation by the La Crosse Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Anderson is handling the prosecution.
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