Joseph D. Charlesworth (Photo courtesy: Wisconsin Department of Corrections)
(WTAQ-WLUK) — A Fox Valley man was sentenced to prison Tuesday for drug and firearm offenses.
Joseph D. Charlesworth, 35, will spend 10 years in prison and seven years on supervised release after pleading guilty to possession fentanyl with intent to distribute and possession firearms as a convicted felon.
Officials say in August 2023, agents with the Lake Winnebago Area Metro Drug Unit and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) investigated Charlesworth for distributing fentanyl, possessing firearms as a convicted felon and dealing firearms without a license.
During a traffic stop, agents arrested Charlesworth on outstanding warrants. Authorities say he was in possession of fentanyl he intended to distribute and a 9-mm pistol with a loaded magazine in his waistband.
Charlesworth had previously been convicted of felonies, including distribution of heroin. He is also facing additional charges in state court for distributing the fentanyl used in two overdose deaths. Those cases are pending in Outagamie and Waupaca counties.
According to a news release, Charlesworth obtained the 9-mm pistol from 28-year-old Tyler A. Lamers, who purchased it from a Fox Valley gun dealer at Charlesworth’s request in exchange for drugs.
Lamers bought the pistol by falsely claiming on the federal-background-check form that he was buying it for himself when in fact, he was buying it for Charlesworth, who was prohibited by state and federal law from possessing firearms as a convicted felon.
Lamers was convicted in April and sentenced to 15 months in prison for making false statements to a federally licensed firearms dealer.
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