Christopher Harter, a 49-year-old resident of Wausau, Wisconsin, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for possessing 40 grams or more of fentanyl with the intent to distribute. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley and will be followed by five years of supervised release. Harter pleaded guilty to the charge.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin, investigators from the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force identified Harter as a heroin dealer in February 2025. They discovered that he frequently traveled to Milwaukee to purchase heroin for resale in Wausau.
On March 7, 2025, law enforcement stopped a vehicle returning from Milwaukee with Harter as a passenger. Authorities found 80.3 grams of a mixture containing fentanyl and heroin in his possession. A subsequent search of his apartment uncovered more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, along with drug paraphernalia including a ledger and digital scale.
During sentencing, Judge Conley commented on Harter’s extensive history of drug offenses and noted his continued negative impact on the community through drug sales: “Harter continued to degrade his community by selling drugs.”
The investigation involved the FBI’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force and received support from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus prosecuted the case.
The prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime through coordinated efforts among Department of Justice resources such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
