The Sconi

Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Deovion Baker, a 20-year-old from Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced to two years in federal prison. Baker's charges included directing another individual to straw purchase firearms and receiving a firearm while under indictment. He pleaded guilty on November 21, 2024, and May 1, 2025. Following his prison term, Baker will undergo three years of supervised release.

The term "straw purchasing" refers to when an individual lies to a firearms dealer to buy a gun for someone else. This practice is often used because the actual buyer either cannot pass the required background check or wishes to avoid being associated with the gun transaction. Straw purchasing poses a significant threat to public safety by undermining background check laws and contributing to the illegal gun market.

In this case, on September 1, 2023, codefendant Candice Patterson purchased two Glock handguns for Baker. One of these guns was later found in Madison on January 6, 2024, in possession of a convicted felon and equipped with a machinegun conversion device. The other Glock was recovered in Springfield, Illinois on January 10, 2024.

While already under federal indictment for the straw purchase offense, Baker received another firearm: a Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun. It is against federal law to receive a firearm while under indictment. A law enforcement officer seized this weapon during a traffic stop in Madison on November 17, 2024.

Judge James D. Peterson also considered Baker's importation of machinegun conversion devices during sentencing. In July and August of 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted packages addressed to Baker containing four such devices sent from China.

A machinegun conversion device transforms a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic one capable of firing up to fifty rounds in four seconds with one trigger pull.

“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. “Weapons in the hands of those prohibited from possessing them are a direct threat to the public."

Despite Baker's young age at sentencing, Judge Peterson denied his request for probation due to the severity of his crimes and found it likely he would reoffend.

Candice Patterson admitted guilt on September 27th last year regarding making false statements when acquiring two Glocks for Baker; she was subsequently given three years’ probation come January this year by Judge Peterson too.

This investigation involved collaboration between several agencies including Madison Police Department alongside others such as U.S Customs & Border Protection plus Homeland Security Investigations among others within ATF’s local task force which comprises both federal agents along with various state-level counterparts across Western Wisconsin district region where Assistant U.S Attorney Corey Stephan handled prosecution duties throughout proceedings hereunder umbrella Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative aimed reducing violent crime via enhanced cooperation amongst different tiers judicial/law enforcement sectors tackling issues like felons illegally holding firearms/ammunition coupled violent drug-related incidents involving weapons use alike overall coordinated strategy thusly adopted accordingly therein contextually speaking then ultimately moving forward together better results achieved collectively thereafter indeed!