Chrystal D. Mueller of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, was sentenced on Mar. 17 to 18 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, according to an announcement by Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin. Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson also ordered three years of supervised release following her prison term. Mueller had pleaded guilty to the charge on September 4, 2025.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address the distribution of fentanyl and related drug crimes in Wisconsin communities.
According to court documents, between January and April 2022, Mueller participated in a scheme where fentanyl pills were sent from California and mailed to residences associated with her. She then distributed the drugs locally and received a discount on the fentanyl as part of her involvement in the conspiracy. Judge Peterson rejected Mueller’s request for probation, noting that she took part in the conduct for nearly two years and involved her then-significant other.
Other individuals involved in the conspiracy have also been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing. Kenneth O. Phillips, identified as the local leader of the group, received a six-year prison sentence on November 21, 2025. Brandon Stevens, who worked as a mail carrier for the United States Postal Service and assisted by picking up parcels containing drugs along his route before delivering them to Mueller, was sentenced on November 20, 2025, to one year and one day in prison. Investigators found that a total of nineteen parcels were mailed from California to Wisconsin during this period; several were intercepted by law enforcement and found to contain fentanyl pills addressed to Phillips, Mueller, and Stevens.
Another co-conspirator, Ames Basham, has pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing on April 7, 2026.
The investigation was conducted by multiple agencies including the United States Postal Inspection Service; Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation; Sauk County Sheriff’s Office; and Wisconsin State Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted the case.
Federal prosecutions involving drugs and firearms are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative led by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protecting communities from violent crime through coordinated efforts such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The sentencing underscores continued law enforcement focus on disrupting drug trafficking networks operating across state lines.
