By Jennifer Champagne
Managing Editor
Judge Beth A. Gibson imposed prison sentences June 15 in Alger County’s 11th Circuit Court in two unrelated criminal cases involving Upper Peninsula residents.
Maxwell Lundquist of Grand Marais was sentenced to 130 months in prison after pleading guilty to aggravated child sexually abusive activity and multiple counts of capturing an image of an unclothed person.
In a separate case, Luann Jossens of Baraga was sentenced to 51 months in prison after pleading guilty to delivery/manufacture of methamphetamine.
Following the sentencings, Alger County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Steinhoff said the cases reflect ongoing efforts to hold offenders accountable and protect communities from child exploitation and drug trafficking.
Lundquist sentenced
According to the Alger County Prosecutor’s Office, the charges against Lundquist stemmed from a search of electronic devices that revealed child sexually abusive material, including content involving an unidentified prepubescent victim.
Court records show Lundquist was charged in Alger County in 2014 with attempted first-degree home invasion, eavesdropping and surveilling an unclothed person. Following a preliminary examination, the case was bound over to Circuit Court.
Steinhoff said his office sought the highest sentence permitted under Michigan’s sentencing guidelines because of what he described as an escalation in Lundquist’s conduct.
“The reason we chose to seek the maximum sentence allowable under the sentencing guidelines in this case is because of the escalatory nature of the conduct,” Steinhoff said. “Mr. Lundquist had been in trouble for these types of crimes before, such as surveilling an unclothed person. But now we’re seeing a situation where the defendant has engaged in conduct that is very nefarious, far more nefarious under the law.”
Steinhoff said the sentence reflected what he viewed as an escalation from Lundquist’s prior conduct involving the surreptitious recording of unclothed individuals, which he described as a serious invasion of privacy.
Separately, Steinhoff said the aggravated child sexually abusive activity conviction involved conduct that ranks among the most serious offenses prosecuted under Michigan law.
“These are some of the most heinous crimes in our criminal justice system,” he said. “The law penalizing it as a 25-year felony is one of the most severe under the criminal code, but it can never be enough to account for the damage that’s been done in such crimes.”
Following the sentencing, Steinhoff said he believes the outcome provides an opportunity for healing within the Grand Marais community.
“As it relates to the impact on the community of Grand Marais, this is a good time for healing,” he said. “I think that the citizens are going to take advantage of this time to grow as a community and be free from these types of safety risks.”
Steinhoff said investigations involving child sexually abusive material often extend beyond local jurisdictions because the victims and source material may originate outside the United States.
“The vast majority of child sexually abusive material cases, the victim is what we call unascertainable,” he said. “That being an individual child victim from outside of the United States generally.”
He said the material is often shared through international online networks, creating challenges for investigators trying to identify victims and trace its origins.
Steinhoff credited the investigation to cooperation between the Alger County Sheriff’s Office and the Michigan Department of Corrections following a probation compliance check.
“I think that these sentences were the results of really tenacious prosecution and, frankly, really sound law enforcement work,” he said.
Lundquist’s attorney, Karl Numinen, said the sentence of 130 months was expected and fell within the sentencing guidelines.
“We were prepared for that sentence,” Numinen said. “It was within the sentencing guidelines, and we were advised ahead of time that that was the likely recommendation, the likely sentence he would receive.”
He said Lundquist accepted responsibility from the outset of the case and cooperated throughout the proceedings.
“Mr. Lundquist admitted his responsibility from the very beginning of this case and has cooperated fully during the case,” he said.
Numinen identified Lundquist’s mental health challenges as a mitigating factor and said his client hopes to receive treatment while incarcerated.
He also noted that Lundquist entered into a plea agreement that resulted in the dismissal of several original charges while accepting responsibility for the remaining offenses.
Jossens sentenced
In a separate case heard the same day, Jossens was sentenced to 51 months in prison after pleading guilty to delivery/manufacture of methamphetamine.
According to the Alger County Prosecutor’s Office, the case originated from a July 2025 traffic stop in which Michigan State Police troopers discovered approximately 55 grams of methamphetamine concealed in Jossens’ waistband. Prosecutors said Jossens admitted the methamphetamine was destined for sale near her home in the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community.
According to court records, Jossens pleaded guilty March 20 to delivery/manufacture of methamphetamine. As part of the plea agreement, a fourth-degree child abuse charge and a second-offense habitual offender enhancement were dismissed. Court filings also show the plea agreement included a 51-month sentencing cap.
Steinhoff said the amount of methamphetamine recovered was consistent with trafficking-level quantities.
“I would say there’s a threshold of methamphetamine amount that indicates trafficking. In this case, the amount of methamphetamine was right in the center of that range,” he said. “The other evidence in the case completely supported that conclusion.”
Steinhoff said investigators also considered travel patterns and other evidence collected during the investigation.
“These individuals drove from Baraga to Detroit, stopped at a house and came back 45 minutes later,” he said. “To say that is an unusual trip would be an understatement. It’s what we call a trafficking trip.”
During sentencing, Steinhoff referred to Jossens as “a cartel in her own nation.” Asked about the remark, he said his concern centered on the impact of methamphetamine trafficking on tribal communities.
“Everybody who knows me in my 10 years as prosecutor knows that I have tremendously close ties to our Native American community, who are extraordinarily susceptible to these particular crimes,” Steinhoff said. “It’s incumbent upon all of us to protect all aspects of our community.”
Steinhoff said he was particularly troubled by allegations that methamphetamine was being transported into a tribal community, while also acknowledging the support Jossens received from members of her community during sentencing.
“There was a tremendous outpouring of support for Miss Jossens from her community,” he said. “I think that is a real testament to the community that they have there.”
Steinhoff said that despite the prison sentence, he believes Jossens has an opportunity to rebuild her life after serving her sentence.
“There’s light for her and her family at the end of this tunnel, once her debt is paid,” he said.
Steinhoff said his office distinguishes between individuals struggling with addiction and those involved in drug trafficking.
“Those individuals that seek to make the problem worse, they go into a different category,” he said.
The prosecutor said the arrest resulted from a drug interdiction effort and pointed to continued cooperation among local, state and regional law enforcement agencies, including the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team.
“Our office has a great reputation for being an office that Michigan State Police and local authorities turn to interdict drugs,” Steinhoff said. “Law enforcement knows Alger County is not the place to peddle drugs.”
Steinhoff said both cases were the result of what he described as tenacious prosecution and strong investigative work by law enforcement agencies.
Mary Lou Jossens, Luann Jossens’ mother, faces a separate pending felony case in Alger County Circuit Court involving charges of delivery/manufacture of methamphetamine and fourth-degree child abuse. According to the Alger County Prosecutor’s Office, Luann Jossens is expected to testify in the case against her mother. Court records show Mary Lou Jossens’ case remains pending, with a motion hearing scheduled for June 23 and a jury trial currently scheduled for August.
Lillian Harmon, Jossens’ attorney, declined to comment for this story.