Purchasing hay or knowingly purchasing a firearm in the name of a prohibited person is illegal in Minnesota under both state and federal law. The federal straw-buying charges against Dyrdahl were the second such case filed in Minnesota since the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 gave federal prosecutors the authority to charge it as a felony. U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said that when the indictment is filed, prosecutors could seek up to 15 years in prison under this law.

According to the indictment:

Dyrdahl began a relationship with Gooden in 2016, knowing that he had a previous conviction for second-degree assault, which prevented him from owning a firearm. In 2019, he submitted a letter supporting Gooden’s petition to have his firearms rights restored and acknowledging his conviction and guilt. This petition was later denied. Despite this, the charges stated that Dyrdahl purchased five firearms from two federally licensed dealers between September 2023 and January and then “knowingly and intentionally” transferred them to Gooden.

The last purchase listed in the indictment occurred on Jan. 25 at the Burnsville Pistol and Rifle Range. Owner Roger Hird told the Star Tribune that Dyrdahl came from Palmetto State Armory in Columbia, S.C., to pick up the lower part of a PA-15 semiautomatic gun he bought online and had it shipped to the range, which has a federal firearms license. conservative. Hird said he completed the transfer of his business to Dyrdahl “after completing the (federal background check) forms without any assistance.” … It didn’t raise any red flags.”

Among the weapons Dyrdahl purchased and transferred to Gooden at his own direction were three semi-automatic AR-15-style firearm lower receivers. One of these was the Franklin Armory FAI-15 .300 caliber semi-automatic firearm equipped with a dual trigger. A dual-trigger firearm fires one shot when the trigger is pulled and another shot when the trigger is released, effectively doubling the rate of fire. Dyrdahl also purchased a .300 caliber barrel for the lower receiver.

Prosecutors said Dyrdahl knew Gooden was loading semiautomatic AR-15-style firearms with .300 Blackout ammunition, a heavier ammunition with increased lethality potential.