SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 28, 2023 — A federal grand jury returned an indictment Wednesday charging a convicted felon with illegally possessing firearms after he attempted to sell a shotgun to an undercover agent.
“According to court documents, on June 20, Eric Donald Johnson, 25, of Layton, Utah, communicated via social media with an undercover officer assigned to the Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force (WMDTF), that he had multiple firearms available for purchase,” reads a Wednesday press release from U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah.
The undercover officer arranged to purchase a shotgun from Johnson, who told the undercover officer to meet him at his home in Layton to complete the transaction, according to the release.
Upon arrival, the undercover officer and other agents saw Johnson exit his home and walk towards the undercover officer with a Citadel Shotgun in his hand. Johnson was detained and agents also located a .357 Magnum revolver in his pocket.
During the subsequent execution of a search warrant at Johnson’s residence, agents located multiple additional firearms including a Bul Armory .45 caliber 1911 handgun, a Zastava arms AK-47 rifle, a Riley Defense AK-47 rifle, a .357 Magnum revolver, a FAP F.lli Pietta .357 revolver, a Glock 22 .40 caliber handgun, a Scorpion .22 caliber handgun, and a Ruger AR-15 rifle.
The cache included a Glock 19 “Trump edition” handgun. It’s described on various websites as a 9mm with a 15-round magazine, the gun bearing a presidential seal, a bald eagle and “a silhouette of Donald J. Trump himself” on the grip.
Johnson is charged with felon in possession of firearms. The defendant is scheduled for his initial court appearance on the indictment June 29 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and the Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force.
