Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A Watertown man has been sentenced to nearly 16 years in federal prison for unlawful firearm possession. United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Judge Charles B. Kornmann handed down the sentence to Anthony Thomas Lee Baker, 43, on May 19, 2025.
Baker received a sentence of 15 years and 8 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and forfeiture of the firearm was mandated.
In May 2024, Baker was indicted by a federal grand jury for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He entered a guilty plea on September 30, 2024.
The charges stemmed from an incident where law enforcement stopped Baker while he was driving in Watertown, South Dakota. During the stop, authorities discovered he had a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Due to prior felony convictions, Baker is prohibited from possessing firearms. His criminal history includes at least three prior violent felony convictions, one involving possession of another firearm after a conviction for a crime of violence in Ramsey County, Minnesota, in 2017.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Watertown Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.
Following his sentencing, Baker was immediately placed into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department launched an enhanced violent crime reduction strategy under PSN on May 26, 2021, focusing on fostering community trust and legitimacy, supporting violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
