Nebraska man convicted for possession of firearms following HSI, law enforcement partner investigation

OMAHA, Neb. – Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Kansas City Taekuk Cho and Acting United States Attorney Susan T. Lehr announced that Senior United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard has sentenced Donald Greuter, Jr., 57, of Upland, Nebraska on June 29 to a term of 114 months’ imprisonment following his conviction for being a felon in possession of firearms. After he completes his prison sentence, Greuter will also serve three years on supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

In December of 2019, Greuter was on parole for a felony drug distribution conviction. As a convicted felon, Greuter was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition. On January 8, 2020, police and parole officers went to Greuter’s home in Upland to conduct a parole search of his property. At the time, Greuter resided with his significant other, Tricia Easley. While at Greuter’s home, investigators learned that he also owned the next door house. Greuter acknowledged that he owned that property and gave investigators the keys to make entry. Once inside, officers noticed several containers of live ammunition in various calibers. In the same room, officers saw a large combination safe that was locked. Between the safe and the wall, officers found two 12-gauge shotguns inside a gun case.

Investigators obtained a search warrant for both properties and recovered 30 firearms, including eight pistols, eight shotguns, 16 rifles, and several thousand rounds of ammunition. Among the firearms located in the safe was a short shotgun, a defaced rifle, two stolen guns, a 50-caliber rifle, and three semiautomatic rifles with high-capacity magazines. In total, investigators located 32 firearms and more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition.

Four of the firearms recovered by investigators were found to have been purchased at a Grand Island pawn shop. Easley said she purchased these firearms at Greuter’s request and transferred the firearms to him. Greuter provided her with the money to pay for the guns and told her to pick them up from the pawn shop. Greuter was present during more than one of these gun purchases. Pawn shop employees, who were familiar with Greuter, observed him handle at least one of the firearms purchased. A special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives examined the guns and ammunition and determined that they were manufactured outside Nebraska. For her part, Easley pleaded guilty to transferring a firearm to a prohibited person and is set to be sentenced on August 2, 2023.

This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Trident Drug Task Force, which is made up of officers from Homeland Security Investigations, the Grand Island Police Department, Hall County Sheriff, Hastings Police Department, Adams County Sheriff, Kearney Police Department, Buffalo County Sheriff, Nebraska State Patrol, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

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