Stephen Loewe, 43, of Springfield, Vermont, has been sentenced to 45 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to straw purchasing 19 firearms and admitting to robbing three banks. The sentencing took place on August 29, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Christina Reiss.
According to court records, Loewe purchased the firearms at a store in New Hampshire between December 2023 and May 2024. He falsely claimed the weapons were for his own use but instead transferred them to another individual. Eighteen of these firearms were handguns provided to his drug dealer in exchange for crack cocaine. At the time of the transactions, Loewe knew that his drug dealer was legally barred from possessing firearms due to prior criminal convictions.
Law enforcement later recovered one of these trafficked guns during a search at a drug den in Springfield, Vermont. Another was found at the scene where a police officer was shot in Springfield, Massachusetts. Loewe was initially arrested on July 31, 2024, after stealing a vehicle and leading police on a chase. After being released from state custody, he committed robberies at Claremont Savings Bank and M&T Bank in Springfield on August 13, 2024, as well as M&T Bank in Putney on August 14. Following his arrest for these bank robberies, Loewe admitted using the stolen money to buy crack cocaine.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher stated: “The straw-purchasing of firearms and intentional provision of them to drug traffickers is an exceedingly serious crime. A key aspect of federal firearm background checks is to confirm the person purchasing the firearm is the intended recipient. Straw-purchasing intentionally circumvents this safeguard by allowing prohibited people to possess guns, and arming criminals with firearms that cannot be traced back to them as purchasers.”
Drescher recognized investigative efforts by multiple agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Vermont State Police, Springfield Police Department (Vermont), Chester Police Department, Weathersfield Police Department, Bellows Falls Police Department and Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Corinne Smith and Jonathan Ophardt prosecuted the case while Assistant Federal Defender Steven Barth represented Loewe.
