Omaha Man Sentenced to More Than 19 Years on Methamphetamine Charge

United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced that Philip D. Ausherman, 44, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 18, 2026, in federal court in Omaha for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Chief United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Ausherman to 235 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Ausherman’s release from prison, he will serve a 5-year term of supervised release. Ausherman was found guilty of the conspiracy charge by a federal jury in April. Ausherman was charged because of his involvement with a Mexican source of supply of methamphetamine who supplies the Omaha and Council Bluffs, Iowa, areas. Ausherman was arrested on January 29, 2025, after a Deputy Douglas County Sheriff conducted a traffic stop after observing Ausherman commit a traffic infraction. During the traffic stop, a drug detecting canine was called to the scene and indicated to the odor of narcotics coming from within Ausherman’s vehicle. A subsequent search of his vehicle revealed approximately 8 grams of methamphetamine. During a post-arrest interview, Ausherman admitted receiving more than 17 kilograms of methamphetamine from his Mexican source of supply during the previous six months. This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Omaha comprises agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, USPIS, the IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, and assistance of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska.