Ukrainian-born U.S. citizen convicted on five counts in Illinois ghost gun case

A federal jury in Illinois convicted Yaroslav Vishnevski, 33, of Harrisburg on five counts tied to an illegal weapons operation at his home.

Vishnevski was found guilty of receipt or possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle; manufacturing a National Firearms Act weapon without paying the required tax; receipt or possession of an unregistered short-barreled shotgun; receipt or possession of an unregistered silencer; and possession of an Atlas Arms 12-gauge short-barreled shotgun with an obliterated serial number.

The case began on April 22, 2024, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped a package from China that held two suspected firearm silencers. The parcel was addressed to Vishnevski’s home.

On May 2, an undercover Illinois State Police agent left the package on Vishnevski’s porch. Officers watched him take it inside, then stopped him in a traffic stop while a SWAT team searched the house.

Agents found three 3D printers, a Ghost Gunner desktop CNC machine, numerous 3D-printed silencers and frames, privately made short-barreled rifles without serial numbers, the Atlas Arms shotgun, and a Glock 19X fitted with an aftermarket stock and foregrip.

Vishnevski had no federal registrations for the short-barreled firearms or silencers, court records show.

U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said the convictions show the line between legal gun ownership and criminal activity. He said the Justice Department enforces laws on machine guns, short-barreled rifles, imported silencers and untraceable ghost guns while defending the rights of law-abiding owners.

Vishnevski, a U.S. citizen born in Ukraine, told Capitol News Illinois he believed he was under surveillance because of his birthplace. He said he completed U.S. Air Force officer training and began medical studies at St. Louis University under orders to serve as an Air Force physician, but left the program and moved to the Individual Ready Reserve.

After his arrest, he said a Department of Homeland Security agent asked him about his views on Ukraine and any ties to its citizens. The Air Force and DHS have not commented.