Former Terrapin basketball player Lonny Baxter will plead guilty to a federal felony charge for illegally shipping four guns from Texas to Maryland last July.

Richard Finci, Baxter’s attorney, said Baxter will enter a plea letter agreed to by the prosecution in an effort to avoid a prison sentence. According to the charging documents, Baxter sent two Glock .40-caliber pistols, a .45-caliber pistol and a Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle without letting Federal Express know the guns were being shipped in the package.

Finci said the charge is related to an incident from August 16 last year, when Baxter pled guilty to firing a gun from a vehicle two blocks from the White House. According to Finsi, one of the guns from the package Baxter sent was the one he used in the White House incident.

“I think like any person, he was disappointed to be prosecuted, especially having been prosecuted once before,” Finsi said.

Baxter was sentenced to 270 days in prison, a $2,500 fine, 200 hours of community service and 18 months probation for firing the gun near the White House. The judge in that case, Associate Judge Craig Iscoe, allowed Baxter to serve 60 days, with the other 210 being suspended.

“The hope is that the judge will not believe it’s necessary when sentencing Lonny to give him any more jail time,” Finci said.

Baxter, a member of the 2002 national championship team, was drafted in the second round of the NBA draft in 2002 by the Chicago Bulls. He spent this past season playing for Montepaschi Siena in Italy, where he helped Siena win the championship.

Siena had just signed Baxter last year when he was charged in the White House shooting incident. Baxter missed the team’s preseason camp while serving his sentence.

“They accepted the reality of the situation and still honored their contract,” Finci said. “Lonny returned from Italy two or three weeks ago and has been serving his community service.

Baxter averaged 13.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.64 blocks in 138 career games with the Terps as a forward/center. He was named second team All-ACC his senior year and was an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American.

Contact reporter Jeff Amoros at sports@dbk.umd.edu.