Sheboygan Man Faces Mandatory Minimum 15-Year Sentence in Federal Prison After Being Found Guilty of Methamphetamine and Firearm Offenses

Matthew D. Krueger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on October 8, 2019, Ey Lao (age: 34) of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, was found guilty following a jury trial in federal court in Green Bay, Wisconsin, of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine in violation of Title 21 United States Code, Sections 841(a) and 841(b)(1)(A). The jury also found beyond a reasonable doubt that the possession involved 50 grams or more of actual (“crystal’) methamphetamine.  Lao was further convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The evidence at trial revealed that Lao and his girlfriend, Lola Yang a/k/a “Lola Chang,” slid off an Interstate 43 exit ramp into the “gore” area where their vehicle became stuck during a March 1, 2019 blizzard.  A Brown County Sheriff’s lieutenant made contact with the couple and became suspicious when Lao and Yang declined his offer of assistance.  Further investigation revealed that Lau and Yang were in possession of 73.01 grams of actual (“crystal”) methamphetamine, a digital scale, and drug paraphernalia located inside a locked safe.  Following the couple’s arrest, the vehicle was more closely searched and a loaded 9mm Kel-Tec firearm was located in the glove box.    

Yang previously entered a guilty plea in the case.

Lao was convicted in 2015 on state charges of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute for which he was sentenced to a five-year term of imprisonment.  Based on his prior felony drug conviction and the jury’s determination, Lao faces a mandatory fifteen-year term in federal prison and up to a lifetime of imprisonment when he is sentenced by Chief Federal Judge William C. Griesbach in January 2020. He remains incarcerated pending that hearing.   

The case was investigated by the Brown County Sheriff’s Office with the assistance of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rebecca L. Taibleson and Daniel R. Humble.