Joseph Harrison, a 36-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley after Harrison pleaded guilty to the charge on June 11, 2025.
According to court documents, on April 9, 2024, Harrison pointed a loaded handgun at a woman during an argument and threatened her before fleeing in another woman’s car. At the time of the incident, Harrison was under state supervision for a previous criminal offense. Law enforcement officers tracked his movements using GPS monitoring and arrested him following a traffic stop. A search of the vehicle led officers to find a loaded Beretta .22 caliber handgun under the seat that Harrison had occupied. Due to his prior felony convictions, Harrison is legally prohibited from possessing firearms.
During sentencing, Judge Conley commented on Harrison’s lengthy history with the criminal justice system: “Harrison had spent approximately 17 years in and out of jail or prison and was on a ‘disastrous path for everyone, society most of all.'” Judge Conley also noted that “Harrison had a history of violence, particularly toward women.” He said that he found “a substantial sentence of 6 ½ years was necessary to protect the public.”
The case was investigated by the La Crosse Police Department and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force. This task force includes federal agents from ATF along with state and local law enforcement officers throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Ginsberg, Jennifer Remington, and Corey Stephan prosecuted the case.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide effort coordinated by the Department of Justice aimed at addressing illegal immigration, eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and combating violent crime through collaborative initiatives such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
