Deonte L. Turner, a 32-year-old resident of Madison, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for illegal firearm possession. Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson issued the sentence following Turner's guilty plea on September 4, 2024. After serving his prison term, Turner will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The case against Turner stemmed from an incident in September 2023 when law enforcement discovered a loaded Sig Sauer handgun and an extended magazine with 21 rounds of ammunition in a parked vehicle's backpack. Although Turner initially denied any connection to the vehicle or the backpack, surveillance footage captured him exiting the vehicle, and DNA testing further linked him to the firearm. At that time, Turner was already on supervised release after a previous federal conviction in 2020 for illegal firearm possession.
During sentencing, Judge Peterson voiced his disappointment over Turner's failure to leverage federal probation resources for rehabilitation and noted his quick reoffense with a similar crime. The judge highlighted the risks posed by Turner's illegal gun possession to himself, his family, and the broader community—risks exacerbated by Turner's involvement in drug dealing while armed.
The investigation leading to Turner's charge involved collaboration between multiple law enforcement agencies under the Madison Police Department and ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force umbrella. This task force includes federal agents from ATF alongside Task Force Officers from local entities such as Dane County and Clark County Sheriff’s Offices and police departments from Fitchburg, Madison, Sun Prairie, and La Crosse.
United States Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Stelljes prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is a U.S. Justice Department initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through coordination among state and federal prosecutors and various levels of law enforcement focused on gun-related offenses involving felons illegally possessing firearms or engaging in violent or drug-related crimes using firearms.