An Eau Claire jury convicted a UW-Eau Claire junior, March 26, of delivering more than 2,500 grams of marijuana.

Michael P. Leshinsky, 22, a finance and accounting double major, is scheduled for sentencing May 27 in Eau Claire County Circuit Court.

He could face up to 15 years in prison.

Leshinsky was acquitted of two other charges: another for delivering marijuana and one for delivering ecstasy.

Law enforcement officials became aware of Leshinsky’s activities from two different sources, said Sgt. Jeff Wilson, field operations supervisor of the West Central Drug Task Force.

The case originated in late 2001 or early 2002, when officials arrested a then-UW-Eau Claire student on a drug charge, Wilson said.

The informant pointed to Leshinsky as his source for marijuana, making the Eau Claire student the focus of the investigation.

Leshinsky said his conviction essentially came on the word of one individual – the informant.

“I don’t think (the conviction) was a just decision,” Leshinsky said. “I was very surprised I was convicted.”

doesn’t expect to receive a prison sentence in the case. Members of his family will be present at his sentencing.

Leshinsky’s attorney, Carl T. Bahnson, declined comment. District Attorney Jennifer R. Agner did not return a phone call Tuesday.

Authorities raided Leshinsky’s home at 604 Niagara St. in January 2002.

They found only “shake,” or traces of marijuana, Wilson said.

The informant in the case began buying marijuana from Leshinsky during the 2000-01 school year, according to court documents. He began by purchasing 1/8-ounce amounts and gradually worked his way up to buying a full pound of marijuana, the documents show.

In a separate incident, Minneapolis-area authorities contacted Eau Claire police when they found a pound of marijuana at Leshinsky’s father’s house, Wilson said.

Leshinsky’s father, who now lives in Rhode Island, lived in southwest Minneapolis at the time.

That information, however, was not included in Leshinsky’s trial.

According to drug-related notes found in the Minneapolis area, Leshinsky was paying about $24,000 for five pounds of “nugs” – high-grade marijuana, Wilson said.

It was the prosecution’s choice not to include any of the Minneapolis information in Leshinsky’s trial, Wilson said.

While awaiting sentencing, Leshinsky said he is trying to focus on school, but it’s been difficult to concentrate. Thinking about his future with the conviction on his record has kept him up nights.

“It’s been in the back of my head for the past year-and-a-half,” Leshinsky said.

Leshinsky plans to finish college regardless of the outcome of his sentencing.

“I’m not going to drop out of school,” he said. “It could be difficult to get a job now, but I will do the best I can in life.”