Randy Bull, Methamphetamine Distribution, Illinois 2023

An Alton man has been sentenced to 222 months in prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution ring, as well as for a conspiracy to escape from the Sangamon County Jail.

Randy Bull, 41, was sentenced on December 13, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Colleen R. Lawless.

According to the government, Bull sold over 72.6 grams of ice methamphetamine in July of 2020. After he was taken into custody, Bull and three others conspired to break him and inmate James Russwinkel out of the county jail by breaking a cell window.

Bull pleaded guilty to both cases on May 25, 2023. He was originally detained as part of the distribution case on August 12, 2020.

The statutory penalties for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine are fifteen years to life imprisonment and a $20,000,000 fine. The statutory penalties for conspiracy to escape and conspiracy to possess contraband are not more than five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Illinois State Police Central Illinois Enforcement Group investigated the defendant’s distribution case. The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office investigated the attempted escape. Assistant United States Attorney Tanner K. Jacobs represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Bull is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.

Bull was found responsible for an additional 11,453.12 grams of methamphetamine, along with the 72.6 grams he had sold.

U.S. District Court Judge Colleen R. Lawless specifically noted that Bull’s long history of violence and the need to protect the community warranted the extended prison term.

Bull will be followed by 10 years of supervised release after serving his prison term.

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