Greenbrier County Man Pleads Guilty to Violating Federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Justin Charles Baker, 35, of Smoot, pleaded guilty today to failure to provide information related to interstate travel as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

According to court documents and statements made in court, Baker was required to comply with the provisions of SORNA because of his conviction for sexual battery in North Carolina on July 19, 2021. Baker traveled from Covington, Virginia, to the area of Smoot, West Virginia, where he resided and worked from August 2022 until November 29, 2022, and failed to register as a sex offender in West Virginia in violation of the requirements of SORNA.

Baker is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9, 2023, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Marshals Service (USMS).

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is prosecuting the case.

SORNA is part of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 and provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs, in part by requiring registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:22-cr-226.

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