MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Marcus Payton, 38, Beloit, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 6 years in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, for distributing crack cocaine. Payton pleaded guilty to this charge on October 4, 2022. The Court also found, at sentencing, that Payton violated the terms of his supervised release in a prior drug trafficking case and sentenced him to 24 months in prison concurrent to the six-year sentence.
In January 2022, a police informant told law enforcement agents that Marcus Payton was distributing crack cocaine in the Beloit area. The informant, while under police supervision, then bought crack cocaine from Payton on two occasions, totaling six grams. At the time of the offense Payton was on federal supervised release for a 2014 conviction for distributing heroin.
In sentencing Payton, Judge Conley emphasized that a 6-year sentence was warranted because Payton returned to drug dealing while under the Court’s supervision on a prior drug trafficking case. He further highlighted that, in addition to the drug trafficking convictions, the defendant had a significant criminal history involving battery; felony bail jumping; 2nd degree recklessly endangering safety; and armed robbery.
The charge against Payton was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Beloit Police Department, and Rock County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Reinhard prosecuted this case.