Eau Claire Man Sentenced to More Than 5 Years for Illegally Possessing Firearm and Ammunition

MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Leo Lacey, 48, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was sentenced last week by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 64 months in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Lacey pleaded guilty to this charge on January 5, 2026. The prison term will be followed by a 3-year term of supervised release.

Lacey is prohibited from legally possessing firearms and ammunition due to prior felony convictions. On May 21, 2025, Lacey arranged for codefendant Garrett Waldinger to illegally straw purchase a Taurus 9mm handgun for Lacey. The next day, an individual reported that Lacey had threatened him with a handgun.

Based on the reported gun offense, on May 23, 2025, an Eau Claire police officer attempted a traffic stop on Lacey. Lacey initially pulled over but then fled. Lacey led police on a high-speed chase before ultimately crashing into another vehicle and fleeing from the vehicle on foot. Officers eventually located Haney and recovered the handgun Waldinger had purchased for him.

At the sentencing, Judge Peterson said that Lacey is dangerous, and that the primary goal of the sentence in this case was to protect the public.

Codefendant Garrett Waldinger pleaded guilty to straw purchasing the firearm and is scheduled for sentencing on April 1, 2026.

The charges against Lacey and Waldinger were the result of an investigation conducted by the Eau Claire Police Department and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, which is comprised of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan 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).