James L. Santelle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced today that Anthony V. Brown (age 38), Robert J. Brewer (29), Mark K. Waukau, Jr. (31), Marlin F. Basina (54), Francisco L. Mendoza (25), Laurie Mendoza (31), and Miguel Mendoza (30) have been sentenced by District Judge William C. Griesbach for distribution of cocaine on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Brown was sentenced to 43 months prison, Brewer was sentenced to 18 months prison, Waukau was sentenced to 12 months prison consecutive to a 180 day tribal sentence, Basina was sentenced to 40 months prison, Francisco Mendoza was sentenced to 6 months prison, Manuel Mendoza received 34 months prison, and Laurie Mendoza received a two-year probation term.

These cases stem from a year-long drug investigation conducted by the Native American Drug Gang Initiative (NADGI) including representatives from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Menominee Tribal Police Department that culminated in the execution of search and arrest warrants for these individuals in September 2011. An eighth individual, John Mendoza (24), has also pled guilty as a result of this investigation. He is scheduled for sentencing before Judge Griesbach on May 10, 2012.

According to United States Attorney Santelle, “The United States Department of Justice has made the security and protection of those residing in Indian country a top priority. People who traffic in controlled substances on our reservations and elsewhere undermine public safety and our fundamental right to live and work in secure and comfortable environments. This investigation demonstrates that those who sell illegal drugs, even in small quantities, will be arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned for terms that reflect the seriousness of their offenses.”

The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney William Roach.

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