Charles Parham (Photo courtesy: Wisconsin Department of Corrections)
(WTAQ-WLUK) — A former resident of Keshena and Wausau was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison for drug trafficking in two Northeast Wisconsin tribal communities.
Charles Parham, 42, was indicted in Dec. 2023. He plead guilty and was convicted April 10 for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to a news release, in Sept. 2023, an undercover agent purchased about five grams of heroin from Parham on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena. At the time, Parham was under investigation for selling controlled substances in the Wausau area.
Officials say the agent then communicated with Parham over the next week and a half about buying 20 grams of fentanyl. Parham said it would come from his source in Chicago.
After obtaining a search warrant, law enforcement tracked Parham’s movements as he left the Wausau area and traveled to and from Chicago in Oct. 2023.
Parham agreed to meet the undercover officer at a casino on Ho-Chunk tribal land, outside Wittenberg in Shawano County. He was arrested when he arrived at the casino, and a plastic baggy containing more than 40 grams of fentanyl was recovered from his vehicle.
At sentencing, the judge noted the need to “incarcerate Parham for a lengthy period, given Parham’s three previous felony convictions for drug dealing.”
After his prison sentence is complete, Parham will also spend eight years on supervised release.
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