Madison Man Receives Over 8 Years for Drug Trafficking and Gun Possession

MADISON, Wis. — A federal judge sentenced Joshua T. Tetzlaff, 36, of Madison to 97 months in prison on May 14, 2026, for distributing methamphetamine and illegally possessing a firearm, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Tetzlaff pleaded guilty in the Western District of Wisconsin to one count of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of felon in possession of a firearm. The charges stemmed from multiple controlled purchases in which he sold gram and ounce quantities of methamphetamine to a confidential informant, along with his possession of a loaded handgun recovered during a search.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Madison Police Department jointly investigated the case.

The sentence includes three years of supervised release following imprisonment. Tetzlaff must also forfeit $1,860 in cash seized during the investigation. Prior to sentencing he remained in custody after his arrest in 2024.

The case forms part of a broader enforcement initiative by the Justice Department targeting methamphetamine trafficking networks that supply the upper Midwest. Federal sentencing guidelines accounted for the drug quantity, the presence of a firearm, and Tetzlaff’s prior felony convictions. The new term replaces any previous state custody and begins immediately.

Downstream, the forfeiture order requires transfer of the seized cash to federal accounts within 30 days, while the three-year supervised release term will impose drug testing, travel restrictions, and employment verification upon Tetzlaff’s eventual release in 2033 or 2034 depending on good-time credit.

The conviction also permanently bars Tetzlaff from lawful firearm ownership under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g), a restriction enforced by the ATF through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

This sentencing continues a series of Western District of Wisconsin prosecutions that began after the 2022 surge in methamphetamine seized at the southwest border. The department has pursued similar combined drug-and-firearm charges against at least 14 other defendants in the district since fiscal year 2023, according to public Justice Department releases.

The underlying statutes are 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) for the drug count and 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1) for the firearm count.