Vermont Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm and Drug Offenses

BOSTON – A Vermont man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Springfield in connection with illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition and possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Jeffrey Baird, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.  U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for April 4, 2024. Baird was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2022. 

In December 2021, law enforcement stopped Baird’s vehicle travelling north on Route 91 in Northampton. Baird had a fake paper license plate taped to his back window and had been driving without any valid driver’s license. Baird was taken into custody. During a subsequent search of Baird’s vehicle, a revolver and five rounds of ammunition were found along with 207 grams of methamphetamine in a Ziplock bag – which carried a street value of between $6,000 and $10,000. Additionally, three more rounds of ammunition were found on Baird’s person inside his Hell’s Angels vest. 

Baird is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to prior convictions for firearms offenses. 

The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine provides for a sentence up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and John E. Mawn, Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla, Chief of the Springfield Branch Office, is prosecuting the case.