WI Woman Gets 18 Months in Fentanyl Ring

⏱ 3 min read

Chrystal Mueller, 41, of Reedsburg, Wisconsin, is starting an 18-month federal sentence after admitting she helped pump fentanyl into the state. From January to April 2022, Mueller was a key link in a trafficking ring that shipped the deadly opioid from California, distributing it locally for a cut.

Federal prosecutors say Mueller wasn’t just a courier. She actively participated in the scheme, receiving 19 packages mailed from California to addresses connected to her. Judge James Peterson wasn’t swayed by attempts to avoid jail, citing Mueller’s nearly two-year involvement and the fact she brought her boyfriend into the operation.

The bust started with a mail carrier. Brandon Stevens, 40, of Wisconsin Dells, already got a year and a day in prison for intercepting fentanyl packages on his route and hand-delivering them straight to Mueller. Kenneth Phillips, 40, also of Wisconsin Dells, ran the local end of the operation and walked away with the longest sentence – six years, handed down last November.

Another player, Ames Basham, has pleaded guilty and is set to be sentenced on April 7, 2026. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin, working with the Wisconsin Department of Justice, brought down this piece of the fentanyl pipeline, but the crisis, of course, continues.