Allan Shaw, a 36-year-old resident of Baltimore, has pleaded guilty to federal charges of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a prohibited person. The announcement was made by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Special Agent in Charge Charles Doerrer of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department (BPD).
According to court documents, on December 31, 2024, BPD officers used Citi-Watch camera surveillance in the 300 block of Monroe Street. Officers observed Shaw offering controlled substances to people on the street and entering his red Dodge Ram truck several times.
During surveillance, law enforcement saw Shaw conduct what appeared to be a hand-to-hand drug transaction using an orange pill bottle from his coat. After seeing him drop pills into a customer’s hand and accept money in return, officers arrested Shaw. A search revealed an orange prescription bottle with 18 oxycodone pills.
Officers also searched Shaw’s vehicle and found cocaine base along with a tan-and-black Polymer80 9mm semi-automatic handgun without a serial number and about four rounds of 9mm ammunition. Due to a previous felony conviction, Shaw is barred from possessing firearms or ammunition.
At the time he was taken into custody, Shaw was already on supervised release for another federal conviction related to possession of firearms and ammunition by a prohibited person. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted that committing another federal crime violated the terms of his supervised release.
Shaw has agreed with prosecutors that if the Court accepts his plea agreement, he will face between five and eight years in federal prison. Sentencing before U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson is set for January 5, 2026.
The case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which coordinates law enforcement agencies at various levels to reduce violent crime and gun violence within communities nationwide. The Department strengthened PSN’s approach in May 2021 by focusing on building community trust, supporting organizations that work to prevent violence before it starts, prioritizing targeted enforcement efforts, and tracking outcomes through data-driven measures (https://www.justice.gov/psn).
U.S. Attorney Hayes recognized both ATF and BPD for their investigative work and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Levin for prosecuting the case.
Additional information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office is available at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md as well as https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
