Jury convicts Harrisburg man of manufacturing and possessing unregistered short-barreled rifles and silencers (DOJ)

BENTON, Ill. - Following roughly 30 minutes of deliberation a federal jury found a former Harrisburg man guilty of five federal charges for manufacturing unregistered short-barreled rifles, possessing unregistered short-barreled rifles, possessing unregistered silencers, and possessing an unregistered short-barreled shotgun with an obliterated serial number.

Yaroslav Vishnevski, 33, was convicted on June 9, 2026, after two days of trial. Vishnevski was originally charged in May 2024 after the United States Custom and Border Protection intercepted a package from China containing unregistered silencers addressed to Vishnevski's residence.

"The real world contains nuance, and two things can be true at the same time: We staunchly defend the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans, while simultaneously recognizing that machine guns, short-barreled rifles, silencers illegally imported from China, and untraceable ghost guns present obvious dangers," said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. "The Department of Justice strikes this balance each day aggressively enforcing the criminal laws passed by Congress, while vigorously defending the constitutional rights of responsible gun owners in court."

The Illinois State Police obtained a search warrant for Vishnevski's residence and discovered that Vishnevski owned equipment and tools designed specifically to manufacture weapons and silencers. Agents found a computer-controlled desktop milling machine, called a "Ghost Gunner 3", that is intended to manufacture guns lacking serial numbers, making them effectively untraceable. Agents also found multiple 3D printers containing software used to produce 3D printed silencers. During the search agents recovered five silencers, a sawed-off shotgun with an obliterated serial number, and three short-barreled rifles. Four of the five silencers were 3D printed and two of the short-barreled rifles were AR-style firearms.

"Vishnevski's actions put illegal, untraceable firearms into our community and threatened public safety," said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Matthew Scarpino. "Responsible gun ownership means following the law and prioritizing safety. HSI will continue to pursue those who ignore these standards."

"The kinds of firearms in this case are easy for criminals to acquire and difficult, but not impossible, for law enforcement to track," said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. "The Illinois State Police's strategy to combat illegal firearms includes the illegal manufacturing of firearms and it is through the hard work of dedicated ISP special agents that we're able to get these illegal and dangerous weapons out of the hands of criminals."

Evidence at trial showed Vishnevski had machined components sufficient to manufacture over 300 additional short-barreled rifles like those found in his residence. Agents also recovered over 80 pounds of metal shavings from Vishnevski's property. A gun manufacturing expert testified that these metal shavings were consistent with gun manufacturing activity.

Pictured here are portions of Trial Exhibits 19, 27, 34, and 44.

"The swift verdict in this case demonstrates that Operation Take Back America is delivering real results for the American people," said ATF Chicago Field Division Special agent in Charge Christopher Amon. "I am grateful for the close collaboration among our federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial partners whose efforts helped bring this case to a successful verdict."

Sentencing is scheduled for September 24, 2026 at 10:00 AM in the Benton Courthouse. Agents with ATF, the Illinois State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and United States Custom and Border Protection investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Leggans and David Sanders prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) initiative, which is a part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.