La Crosse Man Sentenced to 5 Years for Possessing Firearm as a Felon

MADISON, WIS. - Timothy M. O'Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Shane Tucker, 30, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 5 years in federal prison for possessing a firearm as a felon. Tucker pleaded guilty to this charge on January 22, 2024.

On July 20, 2023, La Crosse police officers responded to a reported domestic incident involving Tucker. The reporting party said that Tucker was carrying a handgun in his backpack, and another witness to the incident said that Tucker threatened to "shoot this whole place up." When officers contacted Tucker, they found a loaded .22 caliber silver handgun in a backpack that he had been carrying but tried to hide. Tucker has two prior felony convictions for drug trafficking and is legally prohibited from possessing firearms.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson was concerned that the firearm could cause great harm and noted that Tucker had an established pattern of domestic violence. Judge Peterson remarked that because Tucker's conviction in this case was related to his long history of domestic offenses, a substantial period of incarceration was necessary to protect the public and send a message to Tucker. Tucker was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.

The charge against Tucker was the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case.

This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department's program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.