La Crosse Woman Sentenced to 130 Months for Methamphetamine Conspiracy

MADISON, WIS. – Scott C. Blader, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Roberta Draheim, 51, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced on Friday, February 1 by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 130 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.  Draheim pleaded guilty to this charge on October 23, 2018.

Draheim was responsible for the shipment of more than 35 packages of methamphetamine from California to the La Crosse area over a 15-month period.  Many of those packages consisted of multiple pound-level quantities of methamphetamine.  During sentencing, Judge Conley stated that Draheim used her friends in California to obtain high quality methamphetamine at a low cost so she could supply people in the La Crosse area; she was feeding addictions.  While this was Draheim’s first criminal conviction in over 20 years, the court found that she was an organizer of the conspiracy and sentenced her accordingly. 

Draheim and five other individuals were charged for their roles in this methamphetamine distribution conspiracy.  Five of the six individuals charged in the indictment have pleaded guilty; Draheim is the second to be sentenced.

The charge against Draheim was the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration in Wisconsin and California; Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; La Crosse Police Department; Prairie du Chien Police Department; and Dane County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution of the case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Schlipper.