Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

MADISON, WIS. – Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Bounmee Thor, 33, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on August 30 by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to six years in federal prison for possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.  Thor pleaded guilty to the charge on June 28, 2019. 

In the fall of 2018, the West Central Drug Task Force received information from the Drug Enforcement Administration in Minnesota that Thor was bringing methamphetamine from St. Paul, Minnesota to an individual in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.  In October 2018, law enforcement agents obtained a warrant to place a GPS tracker device on Thor’s vehicle and confirmed that Thor was making multiple trips between St. Paul and Eau Claire. 

On November 27, 2018, Thor was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Eau Claire Police for speeding.  He initially provided a false name, but eventually admitted his real identity.  He was arrested on an outstanding probation warrant and searched.  The search revealed 58 grams of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.  Thor provided a post-Miranda confession confirming that the majority of methamphetamine he possessed was for re-delivery to another person whom he would not identify.  At sentencing, the Court found that Thor was responsible for possessing and distributing a total of 285 grams of methamphetamine in October and November 2018.  At the time, Thor was on state probation for felony drug distribution.

Despite Thor’s unwillingness to name the person he was delivering methamphetamine to on November 27, 2018, law enforcement agents were able to identify that individual as Sylvia M. Erickson, of Eau Claire.  On March 13, 2019, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin returned a seven-count indictment against Erickson, charging various drug and gun-related offenses.  On August 16, 2019, Erickson pleaded guilty to distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in January 2019.  Her sentencing is scheduled before Judge Conley on October 29, 2019.

The charges against Thor and Erickson were the result of an investigation conducted by the West Central Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Eau Claire Police Department, with assistance from the Eau Claire County District Attorney’s Office.  The prosecution of both cases has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith P. Duchemin.