The Sconi

Johntay L. Johnson, a 40-year-old resident of Wausau, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison for maintaining a drug-involved premises, possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, and distributing cocaine. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley and will be followed by three years of supervised release. Johnson pleaded guilty to the charges on July 1, 2025.

According to information from the Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force, Johnson was identified as a cocaine trafficker operating out of Wausau in December 2023. Between January and July 2024, a confidential informant purchased two ounces of cocaine from Johnson on seven occasions; six of these transactions took place at his home.

On September 10, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Johnson’s residence and found three firearms, cocaine, and marijuana in his bedroom. A fourth firearm was discovered in another bedroom. Officers also seized over $13,000 in cash along with digital scales and other drug paraphernalia. Two of the recovered firearms had previously been reported stolen.

At the time of the search warrant execution, Johnson was arrested on an unrelated outstanding state warrant. He faced state charges for the guns and drugs found during the search but was released on cash bond two days later. While out on bond, he sold an ounce of cocaine to a confidential informant two weeks after his release and did so again in late November 2024.

During sentencing proceedings, Judge Conley stated that several factors aggravated Johnson’s conduct: “Johnson’s cocaine trafficking was aggravated by multiple factors, including his possession of multiple firearms, his quick return to drug dealing after being arrested in the middle of this investigation, and his lengthy criminal record that includes five prior convictions for cocaine trafficking.”

The investigation into Johnson’s activities involved multiple agencies: FBI’s Central Wisconsin Narcotics Task Force (which includes agents from FBI; Wisconsin State Patrol; Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office; Marathon County Sheriff’s Office; Portage County Sheriff’s Office; Mountain Bay Police Department; Wausau Police Department; and Wisconsin National Guard Counter Drug Program), ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force (composed of federal agents from ATF alongside state and local officers), as well as assistance from the Marathon County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative led by the Department of Justice focused on combating illegal immigration-related crime networks and violent crime through coordinated efforts such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).