Joe Baker

Sentence: 10 years
Offense: Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine
Priors: Possession of methamphetamine (2000)
Year sentenced: 2004
Age at sentencing: 36
Projected release date: Jan. 30, 2013

Joe was born and raised in Fostoria, Ohio. His parents divorced when Joe was just seven, leaving his mother to provide for three children. After high school Joe enlisted in the army and served for four years before being honorably discharged. He returned to Ohio, married, and became the proud father of a son. Though he and his wife later divorced, Joe remained an active parent in his son’s life.

In 1997, Joe graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Hearing Science & Communication Disorders, making him the first in his family to attend college. Two years later, he earned his master’s degree in Audiology. After graduate school, Joe was hired by a hearing aid manufacturer and soon promoted to lead a branch office. Unfortunately, the company suddenly went bankrupt, leaving Joe unemployed with child support obligations and over $60,000 in student loans. After weeks of no response from potential employers and hundreds of calls from collection agencies, Joe became frantic. He had used methamphetamine recreationally in the past and began selling the drug to make ends meet, promising himself he would only sell enough to pay off his debts. However, Joe’s casual use escalated into a daily methamphetamine habit that turned his short-term fix into a full-time job selling four to six ounces of meth per week. In December 2000, Joe was stopped with 1.2 grams of methamphetamine and cash in Washington. He was sentenced to 240 hours of community service and a fine in March 2001.

The arrest jolted Joe back to reality. He decided to sever his ties with the drug business but agreed to pick up one last quantity of methamphetamine from Canada for a pleading customer. On May 29, 2002, U.S. customs inspectors seized $56,990 from a man they stopped at the Washington-Canadian border. The man told authorities he had received the cash in exchange for delivering drugs to Joe. Officers arrested Joe at his home in San Francisco, where they found 1.4 kilograms of methamphetamine, small amounts of ecstasy and drug paraphernalia, along with $37,000 in the house and $21,000 in a safe deposit box.

Joe pled guilty and forfeited the cash to the government. He was released on bail for a year and a half before sentencing and worked full-time as an administrative assistant, attended drug treatment and counseling, and achieved sobriety. Despite his judgment that the mandatory minimum in Joe’s case was unfairly harsh, Judge William Alsup was forced to sentence him to 10 years in federal prison.

Today, Joe has served six years in prison with a spotless disciplinary record and excellent work reviews. He became a certified paralegal and earned a master’s degree in Business Administration in order to secure a job upon his release. Joe has also dedicated his time to serving others, teaching GED courses, resume writing, and interview skills. He is currently seeking a commutation of sentence from the President. In his commutation petition, Joe cites his son, now a college freshman, as his biggest reason for seeking early release. He writes,

I know what I did was wrong, not just illegal. Drugs were never a part of my life in any form before this short period…My friends and family were stunned to learn what I’d been doing…Thinking back it is still difficult for me to reconcile my actions with the person I’ve always been. I have apologized to my family, especially my son, profusely. I can say with certainty that I will never again involve myself with drugs…I am committed to following the rules in and out of prison. I am confident that should you approve my commutation, mine will be a story of redemption and success.