A Wisconsin Rapids man, Bradly Rosenthal, 42, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for methamphetamine trafficking and illegal firearm possession. U.S. District Judge William M. Conley handed down the sentence after Rosenthal pleaded guilty to possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possessing two loaded firearms as a felon.
In February 2024, Rosenthal sold methamphetamine three times to a confidential informant. On March 13, 2024, law enforcement responded to a report of suspected drug activity at a car wash in Nekoosa, Wisconsin. Officers found Rosenthal at the scene and discovered 266 grams of methamphetamine, two loaded firearms, a Taser, $2,000 in cash, and drug distribution paraphernalia in his vehicle following a K9 alert.
Rosenthal's previous felony conviction prohibits him from legally possessing firearms. At sentencing, Judge Conley highlighted concerns over Rosenthal’s “repeated serious crimes,” citing prior offenses related to drug trafficking and firearms and his ongoing “endangerment of others.”
The investigation was carried out by the FBI Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force along with the Wisconsin Rapids and Nekoosa Police Departments. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force also contributed to the case. This task force includes federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from local agencies such as the Dane County and Clark County Sheriff’s Offices and police departments from Fitchburg, Madison, Sun Prairie, and La Crosse.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Remington and Megan Stelljes prosecuted the case under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative by the U.S. Justice Department aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration between state and federal prosecutors and law enforcement.