Merrill Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Trafficking Methamphetamine

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Matthew White, 37, Wausau, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 14 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.  White pleaded guilty to this charge on March 14, 2022. 

The investigation revealed that White received a total of three pounds of methamphetamine from his co-defendants Levi Bagne and Cory Freyermuth between July 23 and August 10, 2020, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.  In addition, on July 28, 2020, a confidential informant purchased three ounces of methamphetamine from White in Wausau.  On the day of his arrest, officers seized $32,400 in drug proceeds belonging to White.  Those funds will be forfeited to the United States.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Peterson described White as living a lifestyle full of drugs and drug dealing and noted his multiple prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and violence.  Judge Peterson also concluded that a significant sentence was warranted because White “stepped up to the big leagues” by being extensively involved in a large-scale interstate drug trafficking organization.  Finally, Judge Peterson found it was an aggravating factor that White led police on a high-speed car chase prior to his arrest in the case. 

The charge against White is the result of a joint investigation by the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, Lake Winnebago Area Metropolitan Enforcement Group, 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.