York County Man Pleads Guilty to Straw Purchasing Firearms

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gregory Tischuk, 66, of York County, pleaded guilty June 1 to one count of straw purchasing firearms, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

The plea covers Tischuk’s purchase of multiple firearms on behalf of another person who was prohibited from possessing them. Federal law prohibits straw purchases that falsify the ATF Form 4473 by claiming the buyer is the actual transferee when the weapon is intended for someone else.

The offense carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Sentencing has not been scheduled. Upon conviction, Tischuk becomes permanently prohibited from possessing, shipping, or receiving firearms or ammunition under the Gun Control Act.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina. It forms part of the department’s broader enforcement initiative against straw purchasing and firearms trafficking, which in fiscal 2025 has produced guilty pleas in at least 14 separate South Carolina cases.

This is the latest in a series of straw-purchasing prosecutions brought in the Columbia federal courthouse since the Biden administration expanded ATF tracing requirements in 2022. Congress has separately considered legislation that would increase penalties for straw purchases linked to violent crime, though no such bill has reached the floor in the current session.

The guilty plea establishes the factual basis for the charge without requiring a trial. Federal probation will now prepare a presentence investigation report that must detail Tischuk’s criminal history, the number of firearms involved, and any connection to downstream crimes before the judge imposes sentence.