United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Greenbelt, MD – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm today sentenced Michael Bailey, age 32, of Winchester, Maryland, to 40 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.  Bailey, a previously convicted felon, sold a firearm to a member of the Gregory Butler Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) in Baltimore in exchange for heroin cut with fentanyl.  (Six members of the Gregory Butler DTO are alleged to be part of the NFL criminal enterprise in southwest Baltimore, engaging in a pattern of criminal racketeering activity including acts involving murder, narcotics trafficking and smuggling, illegal firearms possession, bribery, witness intimidation, and witness retaliation.  The term NFL stands for Normandy, Franklin, and Loudon, which are three adjacent streets that run through the Edmondson Village.)

The sentence was announced by Jarod Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Washington Division; Jonathan Lenzner, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Maryland J; Rachel Byrd, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Orville Greene, Assistant Special Agent of the DEA Baltimore District Office; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department.

According to his guilty plea, from at least December 2018 through February 2019, Bailey, regularly traveled to Baltimore to purchase heroin cut with fentanyl from the Gregory Butler Drug Trafficking Organization (the “DTO”). Bailey then transported the heroin to West Virginia, where he sold it.  Bailey admitted that during this time, he purchased more than 80 grams of heroin cut with fentanyl from the DTO.

As detailed in his plea agreement, on about January 16, 2019, Bailey arranged to sell the DTO a handgun equipped with a laser sight, in exchange for heroin. The firearm was a Walther P22 pistol, which Bailey stole from a relative.  Bailey transported the gun from West Virginia to Baltimore to sell it.  Investigators later recovered the firearm from a member of the DTO in Baltimore.  Bailey knew that due to his previous felony convictions, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

SAC Jarod Forget commended the FBI, the Montgomery County, the Baltimore Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney's Office of Maryland for their work in the investigation.  SAC Forget also thanked the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the City of Rockville Police Department; the Baltimore County, Howard County, and Montgomery County Police Departments; the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office; the Maryland State Police; the West Virginia State Police; the Virginia State Police; the Warren County (VA) Sheriff’s Department; the Winchester (VA) and Front Royal (VA) Police Departments; and the Frederick County and Howard County State’s Attorney’s Offices. for their assistance.

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