A Cass County felon has been hit with a 20-month prison sentence following a straw purchasing scheme that involved a crooked buy at a Walker gun store. The news, broken by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, details how the man was also slammed with three years of supervised release after his incarceration.
Donald Duane Armstrong, Jr., who at 36 years old, was previously convicted on felony charges, walked into a Federal Firearms Licensee last May with another individual. The plan fell apart when they bought a Glock model 23 G5, 40 caliber semi-automatic pistol for Armstrong who couldn't legally own it. After filling out the ATF Form 4473, dishonestly claiming he was the actual buyer, the co-conspirator tried to dodge the truth – that the gun was meant for Armstrong. Law enforcement, having executed a search at Armstrong's residence, discovered the purchased firearm among 14 others on June 14, 2023.
In a court proceeding presided by U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel, Armstrong pleaded guilty to making a false statement during a firearm's purchase. His sentence was handed down today, ending a case bolstered by extensive investigations from various agencies.
The conviction was a collaborative win for law enforcement, with the case being brought to a close by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and locale forces like the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force and the Cass County Sheriff’s Office. The government's case was spearheaded by Assistant U.S. Attorney Evan B. Gilead, according to the official announcement.
