Chippewa Falls Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearms and Ammunition

MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Michael A. Raskie Jr., 43, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, was sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 7 years in federal prison for possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon. Raskie Jr. pleaded guilty to this charge on March 20, 2026.

On January 14, 2025, law enforcement searched Raskie Jr.'s house and found multiple firearms, including seven privately manufactured firearms, and more than 200 rounds of ammunition. He also had silencers, high-capacity magazines, and parts to assemble firearms.

Raskie Jr. is prohibited from legally possessing firearms or ammunition because of prior felony convictions; including a 2018 federal conviction for possessing firearms as a convicted felon.

At the sentencing, Judge Conley considered Raskie Jr.'s drug abuse history and prior federal sentence for firearms possession. Judge Conley expressed great concern over the aggravated nature of Raskie Jr.'s escalating behavior, particularly his decision to create an "arsenal" of firearms and high-capacity magazines.

The charge against Raskie Jr. was the result of an investigation conducted by the Lake Hallie Police Department, Chippewa County Sherriff's Office, and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF and state and local agents throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lennon prosecuted this case.

Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).