Arizona Woman Sentenced to 30 Months on Methamphetamine Trafficking & Money Laundering Charges

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Krista Sparks, 28, Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 30 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and money laundering.  Sparks pleaded guilty to these charges on May 24, 2022. 

The government’s investigation revealed that Sparks worked with her boyfriend, Levi Bagne, and others to mail and transport methamphetamine from Phoenix to Wisconsin.  On November 12, 2019, and again on February 15, 2020, Sparks mailed packages containing methamphetamine from Arizona to co-defendant Cory Freyermuth’s residence in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  The packages were seized by law enforcement and subsequent searches of the packages revealed a total of six pounds of methamphetamine. 

The investigation also revealed that Sparks used her bank accounts and her mother’s bank account to launder drug proceeds for Bagne.  After selling methamphetamine in Wisconsin, Freyermuth needed to return drug proceeds to Bagne in Arizona.  Bagne devised a plan that allowed Freyermuth to deposit cashier’s checks into Sparks’ bank accounts.  The investigation revealed that Sparks played an active role in setting up the bank accounts and withdrawing the proceeds. 

A total of six individuals, including Bagne, have pleaded guilty to participating in this methamphetamine distribution scheme.  Bagne’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for September 13, 2022, at 10:30 a.m.

The charges against Sparks are the result of a joint investigation by the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan unit, and Merrill Police Department.  The investigation was conducted and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a multi-agency task force that coordinates long-term narcotics trafficking investigations.  The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner.