Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Aidan Johnson, 20, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 30 months in federal prison for receiving a stolen firearm. Johnson pleaded guilty to this charge on March 14, 2023. This prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release.
On March 11, 2022, Johnson stole a Glock 19x from another person. Johnson possessed the firearm until June 3, 2022, when he was arrested. Throughout that period, Johnson posted photos and videos on social media of himself with the firearm.
In imposing the 30-month sentence, Judge Peterson balanced Johnson’s youth and potential with the dangers he posed to the community. Judge Peterson described the image that Johnson had been presenting throughout his social media as a “fantasy of this life dealing drugs” and “being a gangster.” In addressing Johnson, Judge Peterson stated that path “is not romantic or a way to have a good life.” Judge Peterson concluded his sentencing with the hope that Johnson finds a “peaceful, kind, and productive way of being in the community.”
The charge against Aidan Johnson was the result of an investigation conducted by the Fitchburg Police Department, the Madison Police Department, the Middleton Police Department, and the Dane County Tactical Response Team. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn E. Ginsberg and Corey C. Stephan prosecuted this case.
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.