News Release US Attorney's Office
Acting United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Daniel Whitnack, 56, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 22, 2021 by Senior United States District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He received a sentence of 33 months’ imprisonment with a three-year term of supervised release to follow. There is no parole in the federal system.
On or about September 2, 2019, an individual notified Omaha Police that they had observed Whitnack, a felon with a previous conviction for attempted theft by receiving stolen property, in possession of a firearm in his home in northeast Omaha. Under federal law, it is illegal for felons to possess firearms.
On September 5, 2019, Omaha Police officers executed a search warrant on Whitnack’s residence. During the search, officers seized a silver and black AMT Automag II, .22 handgun lying on the couch. The individual confirmed that the firearm seized was the same as or similar to the one they had observed prior.
This case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was investigated by the Omaha Police Department.