Jeramie J. Mason, a 40-year-old resident of Madison, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for illegal firearm possession as a felon and drug trafficking offenses. The sentencing was delivered by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley on September 23, following Mason’s conviction by a jury in April after a three-day trial.
Authorities searched Mason’s bedroom on November 3, 2023, as part of an investigation into a fight at Warner Beach Park two weeks earlier. During the search, police discovered a loaded firearm in a backpack and significant quantities of drugs: over 4,300 counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl, 277 grams of cocaine, and more than 240 counterfeit ecstasy pills with methamphetamine. Analysis from the Wisconsin State Crime Lab linked Mason’s DNA to both the firearm and drug packaging.
At the time of these offenses, Mason was under supervision for a previous conviction involving heroin distribution. Federal law prohibits him from possessing firearms due to this and other felony convictions.
During sentencing, Judge Conley stated that Mason’s actions represented “an alarming escalation” of his criminal behavior. He also noted concern about the presence of a firearm near such large amounts of drugs given Mason’s history of violent crimes.
The case was investigated by the Madison Police Department, Maple Bluff Police Department, and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force with support from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William M. Levins and Aaron Wegner.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and addressing violent crime through coordinated efforts such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
