St. Paul Man Pleads Guilty In Illegal Gun Buying Scheme

ST. PAUL, MN —A St. Paul man pleaded guilty in federal court Wednesday for his role in an illegal gun buying scheme that involved one of the firearms used in a 2021 mass shooting at a St. Paul bar, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lugar announced.

Gabriel Lee Young-Duncan, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make a false statement in the purchase of a firearm, according to court records. No sentencing date has been set.

According to court documents, between May 11, 2021 and Oct. 17, 2021, Young-Duncan and a co-conspirator worked together to illegally acquire firearms by making false statements to Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) throughout the Twin Cities area.

In the scheme, according to court records, the co-conspirator would purchase the firearms, stating on the ATF Form 4473 that the co-conspirator was the actual buyer. The co-conspirator then would transfer the firearms to Young-Duncan.

Young-Duncan would keep the firearms or further transfer them to a third party, authorities said.

Court records indicated that Young-Duncan and his co-conspirator illegally obtained at least 25 firearms, including four Glock 9 mm semiautomatic pistols and two Mossberg 9mm semiautomatic pistols.

One of the firearms the pair obtained was used in the Seventh Street Truck Park bar shooting on October 10, 2021, according to court records.

In that shooting, 27-year-old Marquisha Wiley was killed and 14 others were injured. Two men, Devondre Trevon Phillips and Terry Lorenzo Brown, have been charged in the case.