Madison Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

MADISON, WIS. - Timothy M. O'Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Deonte L. Turner, 32, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 63 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. Turner pleaded guilty to this charge on September 4, 2024. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

In September 2023, law enforcement found a loaded Sig Sauer handgun along with an extended magazine containing 21 rounds of ammunition in a backpack in a parked vehicle. Turner initially denied riding in the vehicle or possessing the backpack, but surveillance video showed Turner getting out of the vehicle, and Turner was further connected to the gun through DNA testing. At the time of this offense, Turner was on supervised release following a 2020 federal conviction for illegally possessing a firearm.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson expressed his disappointment that Turner had not used the resources afforded by federal probation to turn his life around and had quickly reoffended by committing a highly similar crime. Judge Peterson also noted the danger Turner's illegal firearm possession posed to Turner and his family, as well as the community, amplified by the fact that Turner possessed the gun while dealing drugs.

The charge against Turner was the result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consisting of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers (TFOs) from local agencies including the Dane County and Clark County Sheriff's Offices and the Fitchburg, Madison, Sun Prairie, and La Crosse Police Departments. United States Attorney Timothy M. O'Shea and Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Stelljes prosecuted this case.

This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department's program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.