January 10, 2023 5:00 p.m. 

A Douglas County man was sentenced to federal prison Tuesday, for manufacturing and selling an illegal short-barreled rifle and selling several ounces of methamphetamine.

A release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office – District of Oregon, said 46-year old Gregory Wayne Ferguson was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison and 4 years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, in January 2021, law enforcement learned that Ferguson had claimed to manufacture “ghost guns”. Those are do-it-yourself firearms made from readily-available materials and components untraceable by law enforcement. Ferguson further claimed to have manufactured a short-barreled rifle that could be made into a fully-automatic weapon. In late January 2021, Ferguson test-fired the unmarked, short-barreled rifle with a prospective buyer and then sold it for $1,500. One week later, Ferguson sold 110 grams of methamphetamine to the same individual.

The release said on March 15, 2021, Ferguson was charged by criminal complaint with illegally possessing a firearm made in violation of the National Firearms Act and distributing methamphetamine. He was arrested the next day. Ferguson pleaded guilty to both charges on September 21, 2021.

Tuesday’s sentencing resolves Ferguson’s federal criminal case and is expected to resolve several pending felony cases in Douglas County Circuit Court.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Douglas Interagency Narcotics Team, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police. It was prosecuted by Jeffrey S. Sweet, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, in partnership with Chief Deputy District Attorney Allison Eichmann of the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.

The release said the case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.