Dane County Man Sentenced to Over Four Years for Illegal Firearm Possession

MADISON, WIS. – Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Cordero Coker, 38, Fitchburg, Wisconsin, was sentenced on September 23, 2026, by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 52 months in federal prison for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Coker pleaded guilty to this charge on June 8, 2026.

On November 13, 2025, law enforcement arrested Coker in Madison, Wisconsin, for driving a stolen vehicle. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and found various controlled substances in tied-off bags, and a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun inside Coker’s coat pocket. Two minor children were also present in the vehicle. In an interview with police, Coker admitted the gun belonged to him. Coker is prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition because of previous felony convictions, including armed robbery.

At sentencing, Judge Conley found Coker posed a danger to the community given his firearm possession, polysubstance abuse, poor decision making, and failure to embrace treatment. 

The charge against Coker was the result of an investigation conducted by the Monona Police Department, Dane County Sheriff’s Office, and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Ayala prosecuted this case. 

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies.

Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.