Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, has announced the sentencing of Curtis White III, a 21-year-old from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. White was sentenced to four years in federal prison by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson for illegal possession of a firearm after pleading guilty on February 13, 2025.
On September 30, 2024, Fitchburg, Wisconsin police were alerted by a call reporting White’s possession of a gun. Officers located White a short distance from the apartment complex where the call originated. Following his arrest, White admitted to possessing a firearm near the caller’s apartment, suggesting his fingerprints would be found on it. He falsely informed officers he disposed of the gun near Williamsburg Way and Whitney Way in Fitchburg, wrapped in a sweatshirt.
The day after the arrest, officers reviewed White’s jail phone calls and discovered he had given directions to someone on where to find the firearm. Acting on this information, officers discovered a loaded black Sarsilmaz 9mm handgun in a stairwell basement of an apartment building in Fitchburg, wrapped in a black sweatshirt.
White's criminal history includes eight prior felony convictions in Dane County, involving burglary and bail jumping.
During the sentencing, Judge Peterson described White as "a very dangerous person" with an "unrelenting pattern" of criminal actions. Judge Peterson highlighted White's deceit regarding the firearm's location and his recent assaults on two inmates while awaiting sentencing as factors justifying the four-year sentence, intended to protect the public from his violent conduct.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a U.S. Justice Department initiative aimed at reducing violent crime. The program focuses on collaboration between state and federal prosecutors and law enforcement to address gun crime, particularly among felons.
The Fitchburg Police Department led the investigation, with assistance from the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner prosecuted the case.