MADISON, WI – Messiah A. Fleming, 21, is headed to federal prison after a brazen disregard for the law landed him a 48-month sentence. Fleming was sentenced Friday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson for possessing a firearm as a felon and trafficking fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid ravaging communities nationwide. The sentence is followed by four years of supervised release.
Federal investigators uncovered Fleming’s operation in late 2022, intercepting communications revealing he was regularly ordering hundreds of counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl from a Madison drug trafficker. The pills, designed to mimic legitimate pharmaceuticals, were allegedly being distributed throughout the city. This wasn’t a small-time hustle; Fleming was moving significant quantities of a substance known to kill with a minuscule dose.
The bust went down November 24, 2022, when a Madison Police officer spotted a vehicle with mismatched plates parked at a grocery store. When Fleming, the driver, stepped out, the officer immediately detected a strong smell of marijuana and a wad of cash at his feet. Things escalated quickly. As the officer attempted to detain Fleming, fearing he’d flee, Fleming physically resisted, ordering his brother to grab a bag and the car keys. The brother complied while Fleming struggled with police.
A search of the vehicle revealed a loaded Glock 9mm handgun in the glove box – complete with an extended magazine and a round chambered. Alongside the weapon, officers found multiple unlabeled pill bottles brimming with fentanyl pills, additional magazines, and over $6,000 in cash. Forensic analysis confirmed Fleming’s DNA was on the firearm. To add insult to injury, Fleming was already on probation for a prior state conviction involving a machine gun and narcotics possession. That probation was promptly revoked, and he received a one-year state prison sentence *before* this federal case.
Judge Peterson didn’t mince words at sentencing, pointing out that Fleming had been given a second chance with probation in his previous case and immediately squandered it. He emphasized that the sentence was necessary to protect the public from Fleming’s dangerous combination of fentanyl dealing and illegal gun possession. The case was a collaborative effort involving the Dane County Narcotics Task Force, Madison Police Department, United States Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted the case, which is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). The program aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence by fostering trust between law enforcement and communities and focusing on strategic enforcement. Fleming’s case serves as a stark reminder that those who traffic deadly drugs and illegally possess firearms will face serious consequences.
Related Federal Cases
- Jonathan C. Copeland, Heroin and Fentanyl Trafficking, WI 2024 · Wisconsin
- Ulysee Sams Jr., Meth Trafficking and Gun Possession, GA 2023 · Alabama
- Derrick Russell Hoff, Gun and Meth Trafficking, Wisconsin 2023 · Wisconsin
- Lenard Monroe, Purple iPhone Trafficking, West Allis WI, 2023 · Texas
- No Defendant, Human Trafficking Conference, Milwaukee WI, 2024 · Illinois
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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