MADISON, WIS. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Wisconsin, Western), published as received.

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Juana Armenta Mora, 28, Madison, Wisconsin pleaded guilty and was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 15 months in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine.  The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.

On April 4, 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration task force, through a confidential informant, purchased one kilogram of methamphetamine from Armenta Mora in Madison.  On April 14, agents executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence in Madison and found prerecorded buy money from the April 4 transaction in a safe in the defendant’s bedroom.

During post-arrest interviews, Armenta Mora admitted to selling some kind of illegal drugs.  She explained that she was approached at her home by two individuals she knew from Mexico, and they asked her to distribute drugs for them.  While she did the April 4 drug transaction, she refused to do any more deals that the men requested. Armenta Mora told investigators that this was the first and only time she had been involved with drug dealing.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson said that Armenta Mora was culpable for getting involved in drug trafficking, and she bears responsibility for taking money from the proceeds of the transaction.  He noted however, that the defendant had a minimal role, and that she was unaware of the type of drugs she was delivering.  Judge Peterson considered that the defendant ultimately said no to continuing to engage in drug trafficking.

The charge against Armenta Mora was the result of an investigation conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jefferson County Drug Task Force, and Madison Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven P. Anderson and Kathryn E. Ginsberg prosecuted this case.