Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Alexander Jefferson-Cooper, 29, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 60 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. This prison term will be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release.

The Fitchburg Police Department began its investigation into Jefferson-Cooper after he was named the suspect in a shooting that occurred in Fitchburg on September 29, 2021. The victim of this shooting, a former girlfriend of the defendant, reported her car had been shot after an online argument with the defendant. During the course of this investigation, officers executed a search warrant at a residence in Oregon, Wisconsin on October 5, 2021, where Jefferson-Cooper was residing at the time. Officers located a number of firearms in the residence, including a Walther 9mm handgun. Through ballistics testing, officers determined the Walther 9mm handgun had been used to commit the September 29 shooting. Further, a review of the defendant’s cellphone and public Facebook posts revealed that he had posted photos and videos of himself holding this handgun on September 7, 2021.

Jefferson-Cooper was charged in connection with the September 29, 2021 shooting in Dane County Case 2022CF811. He was sentenced in that case to 6 months in jail on November 29, 2022.

At the time of the offense in this case, Jefferson-Cooper was prohibited from possessing firearms as a result of multiple felony convictions, including a 2016 conviction for keeping a place of prostitution.

The charge against Jefferson-Cooper was the result of an investigation conducted by the Fitchburg Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus prosecuted this case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.