Repeat Offender Sentenced to 7 Years for Methamphetamine Trafficking

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Devin A. Lewis, 38, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 7 years in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.  Lewis pleaded guilty to this charge on August 9, 2023.

In February 2023, Lewis was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by a La Crosse police officer for a traffic violation.  During the stop, Lewis jumped out of the vehicle and attempted to flee.  After being caught, Lewis physically struggled with an officer to resist arrest.  Retracing Lewis’s path, officers found a bag containing over 200 grams of prepackaged methamphetamine and a smaller amount of fentanyl.  Text messages on Lewis’s phone indicated he was intending to sell these drugs.

Lewis has a lengthy criminal history involving the trafficking of controlled substances, including a number of prior convictions where he has tried to run from law enforcement and resist arrest.  Lewis’s convictions also include causing substantial injury to an officer and armed robbery.

Judge Peterson acknowledged that Lewis’s conduct was the last link in a chain of criminality and that this activity degrades the community.  Judge Peterson also noted that the volume of Lewis’s drug dealing extended beyond the level of supporting personal use.

The charge against Lewis was the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anita Marie Boor and Steven Ayala prosecuted this case.