Madison Felon Sentenced to 24 Months for Illegal Gun Possession
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Dwayne Peeples, 42, Madison, Wisconsin was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 24 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm as felon. This prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release. Peeples pleaded guilty to this charge on June 15, 2022.
On July 24, 2021, officers with the Madison Police Department stopped a car in which Peeples was a passenger after officers observed Peeples conduct a hand-to-hand drug deal in Penn Park. When a canine officer altered officers to the presence of controlled substances, officers searched the car and located a 9mm firearm along with a loaded magazine in a bag belonging to Peeples. The magazine contained five rounds of hollow-point ammunition.
Peeples is prohibited from possessing a firearm as a result of multiple felony convictions, including a 2006 conviction for distributing crack cocaine in the Western District of Wisconsin. He was released from prison in that case in 2016 and completed supervision in 2019.
In sentencing Peeples, Judge Conley noted that Peeples possessed the firearm under extremely suspicious circumstances, and that the type of ammunition in the magazine can cause extensive damage. Judge Conley stated a custodial sentence was also warranted because of Peeples’ non-compliance with pre-trial supervision during the pendency of the case.
The charge against Peeples was a result of an investigation conducted by the Madison Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of this case has been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor L. Kraus.
This case 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, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
