MADISON, WI—John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that today Charles Evans, 40, Beloit, Wis., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 12 years in federal prison for distributing heroin, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Evans pleaded guilty to this charge on March 18, 2015.

At the plea hearing, the prosecution presented a summary of evidence showing that on July 30, 2014, Evans sold heroin to an individual who was cooperating with law enforcement authorities. Evans admitted selling the heroin.

In addition, Evans participated in a conspiracy to intimidate a witness against him. On August 22, 2014, when a drug customer (referred to here as “the victim”) failed to pay Evans for previously-purchased heroin, Evans assaulted the victim and broke the victim’s jaw. Shortly after the assault, the victim paid the drug debt to Evans. In September 2014, while incarcerated at the Rock County Jail for violating his probation by assaulting the victim, Evans directed Tiana Williams, 25, Beloit, to persuade the victim to change his testimony. Williams drove to the residence of the victim and attempted to meet with him in an effort to convince him to change his testimony. Williams pleaded guilty on March 26 to conspiring to intimidate a witness. She will be sentenced in June.

Evans is one of seven persons convicted, and one of 15 persons to be charged, with a federal drug or gun crime in the past year as the result of investigations by G-ROC, a task force formed through the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Violent Crime Initiative. Its members include the FBI; Rock County Sheriff’s Office; Rock County District Attorney’s Office; Beloit Police Department; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The prosecution of Evans was handled by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Sinnott.