Evergreen Reporter

Patrick Bishop, a 30-year-old resident of Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison, according to an announcement by United States Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin. Bishop was sentenced by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley for possessing 100 grams or more of heroin intended for distribution and for possessing a firearm as a felon. Bishop had pleaded guilty to the charges on February 10, 2025.

On July 31, 2024, Bishop was involved in a confrontation with police that resulted in him breaking into an occupied apartment and climbing onto the roof of the building. After a standoff lasting over an hour, he agreed to come down.

Authorities reported finding a bag with Bishop that contained approximately 169.4 grams of heroin, $28,000 in cash, 18 bindles of heroin, five bindles of cocaine, and a loaded Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun equipped with a 22-round extended magazine and a machine gun conversion device. The device converts a semi-automatic firearm into a fully automatic machine gun, making it extremely dangerous due to its rapid-fire capability, capable of discharging 50 rounds in four seconds.

Bishop is legally barred from owning firearms or ammunition due to a prior felony conviction. During the sentencing, Judge Conley highlighted the severity of the offense, particularly the combination of drug trafficking and possession of an automatic weapon.

The Madison Police Department and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force carried out the investigation leading to these charges. The task force includes federal agents from the ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies across the Western District of Wisconsin. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Lennon.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Justice Department initiative aimed at reducing violent crime. The initiative focuses on collaboration between state and federal prosecutors, as well as law enforcement at all levels, in tackling gun crimes, particularly those involving felons illegally possessing firearms and violent and drug-related offenses involving firearms.