Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Firearms, Silencers and IED
RICHMOND, Va. – A Farmville man was sentenced yesterday to nearly eight years in prison for the illegal possession of 40 firearms and 23,000 rounds of ammunition by an unlawful user of controlled substances.
“An armed drug user presents grave dangers to our community and to law enforcement officers sworn to protect us,” said G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Robert Baldwin was in possession of numerous extremely deadly weapons, devices, and ammunition, and opened up his home to juveniles to use and abuse illicit drugs. Simply put, the combination of drug use and possession of firearms is a recipe for disaster.”
According to court documents, on April 23, 2018, officers of the Farmville Police Department and the Virginia State Police executed a search warrant at the residence of Robert Baldwin, 50, on complaints that he was regularly using that residence for the consumption of marijuana by himself, his juvenile son, and students at Longwood University. In addition to marijuana and smoking devices, officers also recovered three illegal firearms silencers, 23 rifles, eight shotguns, six semi-automatic pistols, three revolvers, various gun parts, an improvised explosive device, more than 23,000 rounds of ammunition, tactical armor, and radios and computer equipment belonging to the Virginia State Police.
On July 26, 2019, Baldwin pleaded guilty in July and admitted that he was an illegal drug user and that he knowingly possessed each of the seized firearms.
G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Washington Field Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen W. Miller and Kenneth Simon prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:19-cr-83.
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