Grand Jury Returns Indictments
MADISON, WIS. - A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today. You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Fitchburg Man Charged with Gun Crimes
Ka’toine Richardson, also known as “Kado,” 19, Fitchburg, Wisconsin, is charged with receiving a firearm knowing that he was charged with a felony, receiving and possessing a stolen firearm, and with possessing a loaded firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The indictment alleges that on March 18, 2022, Richardson possessed a stolen semiautomatic handgun. The indictment further alleges that from March 22 to March 23, 2022, Richardson possessed a loaded semiautomatic handgun in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.
Richardson previously was charged with these offenses in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court on April 8. The complaint and affidavit allege that Richardson was the subject of an armed robbery investigation that occurred in Fitchburg on March 18 and following his arrest on March 23, a semiautomatic handgun was found in the vehicle he had been driving. Richardson has been held in the Dane County Jail since his arrest.
If convicted, Richardson faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison on the charge possessing a firearm while under indictment for a felony offense, a maximum penalty of 10 years on the charge of possessing a stolen firearm, and a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years on the charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Federal law requires that any penalty imposed on the charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed.
The charges against Richardson are the result of an investigation by the Fitchburg Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Madison Police Department. U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea is handling the prosecution.
Madison Man Charged with Two Gun Crimes
Kishaun J. Brooks, 20, Madison, Wisconsin, is charged with being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm and with possessing a loaded firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The indictment alleges that from March 18 to April 1, 2022, Brooks possessed a loaded semiautomatic 9mm handgun, and that on April 1, he did so in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime of possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.
If convicted, Brooks faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on the charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years on the charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Federal law requires that any penalty imposed on the charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed.
The charges against Brooks are the result of an investigation by the Fitchburg Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Madison Police Department. U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea is handling the prosecution.
The indictments of Richardson and Brooks have 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.
