Illinois Man Sentenced to 72 Months for Possessing Methamphetamine for Distribution

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Leroy D. Hampton, 32, Champaign, Illinois was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 72 months for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  Hampton pleaded guilty to this charge on May 9, 2023. 

On November 12, 2020, a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper stopped a car on Interstate 90/94 in Juneau County, Wisconsin for illegally tinted windows and an obstructed Illinois temporary license plate.

During the interview with the driver, later identified as Hampton, the trooper smelled the odor of marijuana coming from inside the car.  When asked, Hampton admitted to possessing a personal use amount of marijuana in his backpack.  The trooper searched Hampton’s car and found a cell phone, as well as seven individually packaged bags of methamphetamine.  The Drug Enforcement Administration Laboratory tested the methamphetamine and determined it weighed 418 grams and was 99% pure.

Agents from the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation searched Hampton’s cell phone pursuant to a search warrant and found text messages consistent with drug distribution. 

The charge against Hampton was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin State Patrol, Juneau County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and Drug Enforcement Administration.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Chadwick M. Elgersma prosecuted this case.