Chippewa County Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Drug & Gun Crimes

MADISON, WIS. - Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Joshua Stein, 30, Cornell, Wisconsin was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 10 years in federal prison for possessing more than 50 grams of methamphetamine for distribution, and for possessing a firearm in connection with his drug trafficking.   Each of these crimes carries a five-year minimum mandatory sentence, which Judge Conley ordered to run consecutive to one another.   Stein pleaded guilty to these charges on July 14, 2020.

The charges originated from the execution of a search warrant at Stein’s home in Cornell on April 8, 2019 by investigators with the West Central Drug Task Force.  Investigators found over 84 grams of methamphetamine, scales and packaging material, as well as a number of handguns and ammunition. Police had been investigating Stein in the previous months and made a number of undercover purchases of methamphetamine from him during that time, which enabled them to ultimately obtain the search warrant. 

The charges against Stein were the result of an investigation conducted by the West Central Drug Task Force.  The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Anderson.