MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that TJ Myers, 33, Merrill, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 137 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Myers pleaded guilty to this charge on January 26, 2022.
On June 8, 2020, an officer from the Merrill Police Department attempted a traffic stop of a Jeep Patriot driven by Myers. Myers stopped the vehicle and fled on foot. Officers searched the Jeep and found approximately 400 grams of methamphetamine inside the center console. The government’s investigation revealed that Myers had received the methamphetamine from his co-defendant, Levi Bagne, who lived in Arizona.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Peterson described Myers’ criminal history as “unrelenting” and noted his multiple felony convictions for methamphetamine trafficking. Judge Peterson also concluded that a substantial sentence was warranted because Myers played a significant role in a large-scale drug trafficking organization. Judge Peterson also noted it was an aggravating factor that Myers had been released from prison for less than two months at the time of his arrest in Merrill.
Bagne has signed a plea agreement and has a plea hearing scheduled before Judge Peterson tomorrow.
The charge against Myers is the result of a joint investigation by the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Unit, and Merrill Police Department. The investigation was conducted and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a multi-agency task force that coordinates long-term narcotics trafficking investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner is handling the prosecution.