Fitchburg man sentenced to 37 months in federal prison

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A Fitchburg man was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison today for unlawfully possessing a loaded firearm as a felon, according to the United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin Scott C. Blader.

Deonte Turner pleaded guilty to this charge on December 27, 2019 after he was arrested in possession of a loaded Glock .45 caliber handgun in August of that year.

According to a statement released by Blader, Turner was outside of a local hotel with a drug dealer with the gun in his duffle bag. Police were looking to arrest the drug dealer.

Based on Turner’s criminal history and nature of his crimes – he was convicted of felony armed robbery in 2014 and of felony bail jumping in 2017 – the federal sentencing guidelines recommended a range between 37 and 46 months of imprisonment.

All of Turner’s felony convictions were in Dane County and the longest sentence he has previously served was 10 months.

According to the statement, Turner’s request for a sentence of 12 months and 1 day was rejected by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson. Judge Peterson ruled that as Madison and surrounding communities are experiencing an uptick in gun violence, possession of a loaded firearm presents “a very real danger.”