Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Madison Man Sentenced to 6 Years for Drug and Gun Offenses
MADISON, WIS. -- Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Derrick W. Johnson, 22, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William Conley to six years in federal prison for possessing hydrocodone with intent to deliver and carrying a loaded firearm in furtherance of that drug crime. Johnson pleaded guilty to the drug charge but went to trial on the gun charge and was convicted of that crime by a jury on February 6, 2018.
Johnson was arrested on an outstanding warrant by Madison Police Department officers on June 17, 2017, outside of a bar on the 600 block of University Avenue. When contacted, Johnson tried to flee from the officers and actively resisted arrest. Officers searched him and found five individually packaged tablets of hydrocodone, a black face mask, approximately 40 gem packs which commonly are used to package drugs for sale, two cell phones, and a loaded Smith & Wesson M&P9 semiautomatic handgun. A search warrant was executed on one of his phones leading investigators to electronic messages that confirmed Johnson was a drug dealer.
The charges against Johnson were the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corey Stephan and Julie Pfluger.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that has been historically successful in bringing together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has made turning the tide of rising violent crime in America a top priority. In October 2017, as part of a series of actions to address this crime trend, Attorney General Sessions announced the reinvigoration of PSN and directed all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to develop a district crime reduction strategy that incorporates the lessons learned since PSN launched in 2001.
# # # #