Gregory Tischuk, Straw Purchasing Firearms, South Carolina 2024

Grimy Times Exclusive: York County Man Pleads Guilty to Straw Purchasing Firearms

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Gregory Tischuk, a 66-year-old man from York County, has pleaded guilty to straw purchasing firearms. This crime is a serious threat to public safety, and we are glad that justice is being served.

According to the evidence obtained in the investigation, Tischuk was trafficking guns from Fort Mill to Baltimore, Maryland, through a gun trafficker operating in Charlotte, North Carolina. The gun trafficker could not legally own or purchase firearms, but Tischuk knowingly sold him multiple firearms, including Glock 27 pistols.

Text messages revealed that the gun trafficker asked Tischuk for a Glock 27 pistol for the trafficker's wife. Tischuk indicated that he did not have one but one could get one. The trafficker then agreed to sell the undercover agent a Glock 27 pistol. On March 21, 2024, the undercover agent bought 10 guns in Maryland from the gun trafficker, including a Glock 27. The Glock 27 was traced back to Tischuk.

Tischuk made a false declaration when filling out the ATF Form 4473. Investigators interviewed Tischuk after the execution of a search warrant at his home. Tischuk admitted he knew the gun trafficker and had sold him multiple firearms, specifically more than one Glock 27. He admitted he straw purchased the Glock 27 with the intent to immediately sell it to the subject for profit.

As a result of the investigation, investigators seized more than 100 firearms during the search of Tischuk's home. Tischuk faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. He also faces restitution and three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Tischuk after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/york-county-man-pleads-guilty-straw-purchasing-firearms