DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Western District of Wisconsin

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, December 3, 2014
John W. Vaudreuil
, United States Attorney
Contact: Paul W. Connell

Beloit Man Sentenced to 72 Months on Crack Cocaine Charge

MADISON, WIS. -- John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that William Ellis, 28, Beloit, Wis., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge James Peterson to 72 months in federal prison for possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it.  Ellis pleaded guilty to this charge on September 24, 2014.

On May 10, 2014, Ellis was arrested after the car he was riding in was stopped by the police because its driver did not have a valid license.  At the Rock County Jail, Ellis was searched and had approximately 30 grams of crack cocaine hidden in his pants.

Ellis’s conviction in this case was his fourth felony and his third conviction involving narcotics.

The charge against Ellis was the result of an investigation conducted by GROC (pronounced gee-rock), a task force formed through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Violent Crime Initiative, to address gang and drug-related violence in Rock County through the coordination of investigations among local and federal law enforcement agencies.  Its members include the FBI; Rock County Sheriff’s Department; Beloit Police Department; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul W. Connell. 

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St. Paul Field Division