Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Deovion Baker from Madison was sentenced to two years in federal prison. Baker directed another individual to straw purchase firearms and received a firearm while under indictment. He pleaded guilty on November 21, 2024, and May 1, 2025. Following his prison term, Baker will be subject to three years of supervised release.
Straw purchasing involves a gun buyer lying to a dealer to buy a gun for someone else. This practice is considered a threat to public safety as it bypasses background check laws and contributes to the illegal gun market.
In September 2023, codefendant Candice Patterson straw purchased two Glock handguns for Baker. One was later found in Madison with a convicted felon and equipped with a machinegun conversion device; the other was recovered in Springfield, Illinois.
While under federal indictment for the straw purchase, Baker received another handgun during a traffic stop in Madison on November 17, 2024. It is illegal under federal law to receive firearms while under indictment.
Judge Peterson also considered Baker's importation of machinegun conversion devices during sentencing. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized packages addressed to Baker containing these devices from China.
“Straw purchases undermine our efforts to keep firearms out of the hands of those legally prohibited from possessing them,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Elgersma.
Despite his young age, Judge Peterson denied probation due to the serious nature of Baker's conduct and noted an aggravating factor when he received another firearm after signing a plea agreement.
Codefendant Candice Patterson pleaded guilty on September 27, 2024, for making false statements when purchasing firearms for Baker and was sentenced to three years of probation on January 17, 2025.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Madison Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Corey Stephan prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims at reducing violent crime through coordination between state and federal prosecutors along with various levels of law enforcement.
