Two Madison Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fentanyl Trafficking
MADISON, Wis. — Timothy M. O’Shea, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that two Madison men have been sentenced in connection with fentanyl trafficking.
Tysean J. Pollard, 22, of Madison, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 24 months for distributing fentanyl. Pollard pleaded guilty to this charge on Dec. 20, 2023.
In June 2023, the Madison Police Department conducted two undercover buys of fentanyl pills involving Pollard. During the two controlled buys, Pollard assisted with selling an undercover officer fentanyl pills weighing 52.8 grams and 50.7 grams. At Pollard’s sentencing, Judge Peterson noted his youthful age and the minor role he played in distributing fentanyl.
In a related case, Judge Peterson sentenced Steven P. Dixon, 30, of Madison, on March 12, to 122 months in prison for distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl and possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Dixon pleaded guilty to these charges on Dec. 18, 2023. The prison sentence will be followed by a six-year term of supervised release.
From late April to early June 2023, Madison Police Department conducted five undercover buys of fentanyl pills from Dixon. During the last buy, which also involved Pollard, Dixon sold an undercover officer 500 fentanyl pills weighing a total of 50.7 grams. Officers arrested him on June 28, 2023. Contemporaneously with his arrest, officers searched Dixon’s bags and found fentanyl pills weighing a total of 911.2 grams, 2 digital scales, drug packaging material and 8 unfired 9mm cartridges.
At Dixon’s sentencing, Judge Peterson observed that fentanyl presented a serious public health concern and that Dixon had contributed to that concern with his large-scale drug dealing. Judge Peterson acknowledged that Dixon was not a king pin but found that he was more than a street-level dealer and that he had benefited financially from his dealing. Judge Peterson also noted that the defendant had a history of violence and of resisting arrest, including in this case.
The charges against Pollard and Dixon were the result of an investigation conducted by the City of Madison Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anita Marie Boor and Louis Glinzak prosecuted this case.
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