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Press Release

Oxycodone Distributor Sentenced to 72 Months in Prison

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Wisconsin

Matthew D. Krueger, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced today that on January 4, 2019, Lee Hueckstaedt, (age 32) of Rhinelander was sentenced in federal court to 72 months in prison for conspiring to distribute oxycodone and using a firearm in furtherance of that conspiracy.  Hueckstaedt had previously pleaded guilty to both of those charges. 

The investigation revealed that from 2015 through 2016, Hueckstaedt traveled from Rhinelander to Milwaukee to pick up approximately 2,900 oxycodone 30 mg pills that had been prescribed by medical professionals earlier in the chain of supply.  Hueckstaedt then distributed those pills in northern Wisconsin.  Hueckstaedt asked his oxycodone customers to refer to him as “Mr. White” or “Ghost.”  The evidence also showed that Hueckstaedt actively recruited oxycodone customers. 

While sentencing Hueckstaedt, United States District Court Judge Pamela Pepper emphasized that the offense was very serious because of the many problems, such as overdose deaths and addiction, that opioids cause in Wisconsin communities.  In a related case, seven other defendants have pleaded guilty to offenses regarding prescription opioids that were obtained in the Milwaukee area and distributed in northern Wisconsin.  See United States v. Orvin Kay, Case No. 17-CR-16.

“Whether swallowed as a pill or injected through a needle, opioids are highly addictive,” said U.S. Attorney Krueger.  “This lengthy sentence reflects that trafficking in prescription opioids is just as serious as other drug trafficking.  This case also reflects extraordinary partnership by all levels of law enforcement—federal, state, and local—to combat the opioid epidemic.”   

The following agencies participated in the investigation: the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office; the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office; the Wisconsin Department of Justice—Division of Criminal Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration – Milwaukee (Tactical Diversion Squad); the Minocqua Police Department and the Rhinelander Police Department; and the Northcentral Drug Enforcement Group (“NORDEG”).  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary J. Corey. 

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For Additional Information Contact:

Public Information Officer Kenneth B. Gales 414-297-1700

Updated February 5, 2019