Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Daniel Taylor, age 41, of Baltimore, Maryland to 80 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a stolen firearm. 

The sentence was announced by Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Jonathan F. Lenzner; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his plea agreement, on September 9, 2019, as BPD detectives patrolled the 600 block of Cumberland Street, detectives observed Taylor with a heavy object on the right side of his pants that caused the pants to bulge. When Taylor noticed detectives, he immediately let go of the object and made an unusual maneuver.

As a detective exited the patrol car to approach Taylor, Taylor fled on foot until he was apprehended at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Baker Street. During the chase, a pursing detective observed Taylor throw a firearm onto a nearby rooftop. After contacting BPD’S Aviation Unit, Foxtrot, for support, law enforcement recovered a 9mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with sixteen rounds of ammunition.

After voluntarily waving his Miranda rights, Taylor admitted to possessing the firearm for protection and that he was not the lawful owner of the firearm. Taylor also agreed that he knew, or had reason to know, that the firearm was stolen at the time of his possession.

Taylor agreed that he committed the offense after sustaining at least two felony convictions for either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense and his civil rights had not been restored.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

Acting United States Attorney Jonathan F. Lenzner praised the ATF and Baltimore Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Lenzner thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia C. McLane and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay DeFrancesco, who prosecuted the case.

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