Glenna Elswick Admitted to Purchasing Firearms for her Son; Lying about Purchases
Abingdon, VIRGINIA - A Tazewell woman, who illegally purchased and provided firearms to her son was sentenced last week in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon for a pair of federal charges, Acting United States Rick A. Mountcastle announced.
Glenna Elswick, 50, was sentenced last Friday to six months in prison. Previously, Elswick pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm from a licensed dealer and one count of providing a firearm to a prohibited person.
According to evidence presented at a previous hearing by Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee, between October 2016 and February 2017, Elswick purchased at least seven firearms for her son, Matthew Elswick, who is prohibited from owning firearms due to his status as a previously convicted felon. In the process of purchasing the firearms, Elswick made false statements on ATF forms stating she was buying the firearms for her own use. The firearms included semi-automatic pistols and AR style semi-automatic rifles. Matthew Elswick’s previous convictions included burglary and arson and evidence at the sentencing demonstrated he had a long history of violence and involuntary commitments for mental health issues. Matthew Elswick was ultimately arrested with some of the firearms purchased by Glenna Elswick following an armed standoff with deputies of the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office.
The investigation of the case was conducted by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary T. Lee prosecuted the case for the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
