Deovion Baker, Firearms Straw Purchase, Wisconsin 2025

MADISON, WIS. – Deovion Baker, 20, of Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced to two years in federal prison for directing another individual to straw purchase two firearms and for receiving a firearm while under indictment. Baker pleaded guilty to these charges on November 21, 2024, and May 1, 2025. The prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release.

“Straw purchasing” is when a gun buyer lies to a firearms dealer to purchase a gun for someone else. Most often straw purchases occur either because the straw buyer can pass the required background check and the actual buyer cannot, or because the actual buyer wants to avoid having their name associated with the gun transaction. Straw purchasing is a serious threat to public safety because it undermines background check laws and contributes to the illegal gun market.

On September 1, 2023, codefendant Candice Patterson straw purchased two Glock handguns for Baker. One Glock was later recovered in Madison on January 6, 2024, in the possession of a convicted felon. The handgun was equipped with a machinegun conversion device. The other Glock was recovered on January 10, 2024, in Springfield, Illinois, also in the possession of a convicted felon.

While Baker was already under federal indictment for the straw purchase, he received a Glock 23 .40 caliber handgun. It is a violation of federal law to receive a firearm while under indictment. A law enforcement officer recovered the firearm from Baker during a traffic stop in Madison on November 17, 2024.

As part of Baker’s sentencing, Judge Peterson also considered Baker’s importation of machinegun conversion devices. In July and August of 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized suspicious packages addressed to Baker. The packages were sent from addresses in China and contained four machinegun conversion devices. An analysis of prior packages showed that Baker had received 19 similar packages from China.

A machinegun conversion device is an illegal after-market device that converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully functioning machinegun. A handgun with a machinegun conversion device is extremely dangerous, even for experienced firearms users, because it is difficult to control and is capable of firing 50 rounds in four seconds with a single pull of the trigger.

“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. This is particularly true when those weapons are converted into machineguns. I commend our law enforcement partners in this case for bringing defendant’s conduct to light.”

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwi/pr/madison-man-sentenced-2-years-straw-purchase-firearms-and-illegally-receiving-firearm