KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Less than a month after being released on parole from state prison, an Independence, Missouri, man finds himself facing a federal prison term for illegally obtaining a firearm.
Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri said Kurup Seuell, 21, purchased a Glock 9 mm through an intermediary, also known as a “straw purchase.”
According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, a straw purchase involves “buying a gun for another person who is prohibited” from owning one.
Seuell admitted in court that he and another individual went to a firearms store and shooting range in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, on Jan. 30, 2021. That individual purchased the handgun on Seuell’s behalf.
The Missouri Department of Corrections had paroled Seuell on Dec. 28, 2020, following a 2018 conviction for stealing.
Federal investigators examined Seuell’s social media accounts from January 2021 and March 2023, and observed he was in possession of assault-style rifles, handguns (including Glocks with “switches” that can convert them to automatic), guns with extended magazines, distribution-level amounts of marijuana, and large quantities of cash. Seuell offered to sell firearms in some of his social media posts. Other posts showed him firing the weapons at shooting ranges.
Authorities tracked Seuell down on March 30, 2023, and arrested him following a high-speed chase. Dozens of firearms were found inside his home and confiscated.
Seuell pleaded guilty on May 30 to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Under federal statutes, Seuell faces up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the U.S. Probation Office completes a pre-sentence investigation.