Omaha Woman Sentenced for Purchasing Firearms for Convicted Felon

Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Stephanie Kessel, 41, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 16, 2025, in federal court in Omaha for making a false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Kessel to three years of probation

On July 28, 2023, Kessel met with an individual cooperating with law enforcement in the parking lot of Cabela’s in La Vista, Nebraska. The cooperator told Kessel that the cooperator was a convicted felon and the cooperator could not buy firearms legally. After hearing about the cooperator’s criminal history, Kessel walked into Cabela’s and purchased two Taurus 9mm handguns. After the sale, she walked back out to the parking lot and sold the guns to the cooperator for $1,000. To purchase the handguns, Kessel filled out a mandatory ATF firearms purchase form indicating that she was the actual transferee/buyer of the firearms even though the firearms were actually purchased by the cooperator.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Omaha Police Department.