Convicted Felon in Custody After Allegedly Attempting to Sell a Shotgun via Social Media

Salt Lake City, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment today charging a convicted felon with allegedly attempting to sell a firearm to an undercover officer and for possessing multiple firearms.

According to court documents, on June 20, 2023, 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. 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. 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 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, a Glock 19 Trump edition handgun, and a Ruger AR-15 rifle, all of which were in and affecting commerce.

Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force

Johnson is charged with Felon in Possession of Firearms. The defendant is scheduled for his initial court appearance on the indictment June 29, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah.

U.S. Attorney, Trina A. Higgins, of the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated jointly by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and the Wasatch Metro Drug Task Force.

An Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.