A Cass County man with a felonious past has entered a guilty plea in a firearms conspiracy case, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. Donald Duane Armstrong, Jr., 36, has admitted to his part in a straw purchasing scheme, a process in which an individual buys a gun on behalf of someone else who is legally barred from purchasing the weapon themselves.
Armstrong’s sketchy dealings came to light when, on May 26, 2023, he stepped into a gun shop with a partner in crime. Armstrong's accomplice purchased a Glock model 23 G5, 40 caliber semi-automatic pistol from a licensed dealer, falsely asserting he was the actual buyer on federal paperwork, said U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger. The truth was the firearm was destined for Armstrong, a man who, burdened by prior felonies, had lost his right to bear arms.
Law enforcement, having caught wind of the illegal transaction, raided Armstrong's residence on June 14. The search yielded a trove of 14 firearms, among them the Glock bought under false pretenses the previous month, the office reported. Armstrong's guilty plea was entered in the U.S. District Court before Judge Nancy E. Brasel for conspiring to make a false statement during the purchase of a firearm, a decision yet to be followed by a sentencing hearing.
The unraveling of Armstrong's conspiracy was not a solitary effort. The ATF, alongside the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office collaborated in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead is leading the charge in the prosecution of the case. With a date for sentencing still in the air, Armstrong awaits to face the consequences of conspiring to subvert the safeguards meant to keep the public safe from the potential harm of firearms in the hands of felons.
