DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia man will spend at least 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to the illegal purchase of nearly two dozen guns, several of which were recovered from crime scenes.
Darryl Baker, 29, pleaded guilty this week to 23 counts of making false statements on firearms purchase forms and was sentenced to 10-20 years in prison.
Baker bought 19 guns in Bucks County and four in Philly, said prosecutor Tom Gannon. “He then transferred those firearms, in what's commonly called a ‘straw purchase,’ to other individuals—individuals who are precluded from possessing firearms, individuals who had committed acts of violence with those firearms.”
While most of the guns are unaccounted for, eight have been recovered. Some of them are connected with violent crimes in Philadelphia.
“One was recovered while Philadelphia police were executing a homicide warrant,” Gannon explained. “One was at a shooting in which an individual unfortunately passed away, and others were connected to actual shootings and other crimes.”
Pennsylvania has a mandatory minimum of five to 10 years in prison for a second or subsequent straw purchase. The law is named for Plymouth Township police officer Brad Fox, who was shot and killed by a man with an illegally purchased firearm in 2012.
Gannon says those lengthy prison sentences for straw purchases should be a deterrent for anyone thinking it’s an easy way to make money.
“The sentences in these cases are extremely important,” he said, “one to deter individuals from doing this, to ensure the firearms are not in the hands of individuals who are precluded, but also to deter other individuals from attempting to arm people who are precluded from possessing firearms.”