MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Keith L. Harris, 29, of Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced Friday, November 4, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 6 years in federal prison for distribution of over 40 grams of a substance containing both heroin and fentanyl. Harris pleaded guilty to this charge on August 4, 2022. Derrell Bramlett, 31, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for that offense on October 19, 2022. Bramlett pleaded guilty on July 21, 2022.
Beginning in early December of 2021, Harris sold heroin laced with fentanyl to a confidential informant in four controlled buys monitored by police. The final sale arranged by Harris took place near Fordem Avenue in Madison on January 11, 2022, and involved 50 grams of fentanyl-laced heroin. On this occasion, Harris had co-defendant Derrell Bramlett make the delivery to the informant.
At the time of the drug sales by Harris, he was on active federal supervision following his release from federal prison after serving 2 years for possession of stolen firearms. In July 2018, Harris was convicted of possessing firearms that had been stolen in a brazen burglary of PT Firearms in Cross Plains, Wisconsin. During that burglary on October 20, 2017, a group of individuals used a stolen vehicle to ram the front of the firearms store in the early morning hours, gaining access to the store and escaping with 14 firearms.
In sentencing Harris, Judge Conley stated that the offense was aggravated by the fact that Harris chose to commit more serious drug trafficking offenses while under federal supervision for his previous gun offense, as well as directing Bramlett in conducting the final delivery. Conley observed that Harris not only chose to commit the new offenses for his own profit but was callous to the danger of the fentanyl substance he was selling to others.
The charges against Keith Harris and Derrell Bramlett were the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department. The prosecution of this case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert A. Anderson.