HELENA - A man who admitted pawning a firearm after having been convicted of a felony was sentenced today to 26 months in prison and three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif Johnson said.
Daniel Wayne Baker, 52, a transient, pleaded guilty on Sept. 22, 2020 to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon presided.
In court documents filed in the case, the prosecution said that on Dec. 2, 2019, Baker possessed and pawned a.357 revolver at a pawnshop in Helena. On Jan. 15, 2020, a woman from the Helena area reported Baker’s possession of the revolver to the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office because he still owed her money from the pawn of the firearm. A deputy confirmed with the Montana Department of Corrections that Baker was on state supervision for a 2013 felony conviction. Baker told law enforcement that he took the firearm from the woman because it caused her distress and acknowledged he could not possess firearms because he was a convicted felon.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette Stewart prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Montana Department of Corrections’ Probation and Parole and the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
This case is part of Project Guardian, a Department of Justice initiative launched in the fall of 2019 to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Through Project Guardian, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Montana is working to enhance coordination of its federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement partners in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes. In addition, Project Guardian supports information sharing and taking action when individuals are denied a firearm purchase by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for mental health reasons or because they are a prohibited person.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
