David Schieferle is a father, farmer, and retired Federal Air Marshal who spent 20 years serving his country, flying more than 6 million mission miles around the world.

He joined the Army Reserve the month he turned 17.

He still flies an American flag in front of the family home, but admits he feels betrayed by the Department of Justice.

As an avid online shopper, David’s case began with ordinary internet purchases of inexpensive marketplace filters, oil/water separator media, and compressor-related accessories.

David has consistently maintained that he ordered filters, not silencers. He did not open, modify, assemble, test, or use the filters, and he had no criminal intent.

His defense should have been simple: this was a marketplace-confusion and fair-notice case, not a criminal-intent case.

Instead, the trial became a technical fight over ATF's definition of a "silencer."

David's trial lawyer departed from the opening statement and defense presentation they had agreed upon from the first sentence. Even after David objected to counsel’s “defense” opening statement, the jury still never heard the lawful-use, marketplace, and product-description evidence for the filters he purchased.

David repeatedly asked trial counsel to admit this evidence and says he relied on counsel’s promise that it could be presented without requiring David to testify.

Although defense exhibit lists were filed, we have not been able to identify any admitted defense exhibit that actually put David’s lawful-use and marketplace evidence before the jury.

The Government then argued the absence of that evidence as proof of criminal intent.

David was unjustly convicted, lost his career, served prison time and home confinement, and his family has carried the burden of that outcome.

He is now pursuing post-conviction relief under 28 U.S.C. §2255, arguing that his conviction should be vacated because the jury did not hear the complete factual defense and because critical issues require an evidentiary hearing.

This GiveSendGo is to help David and his family continue the fight to clear his name, preserve the record, obtain review of the evidence, and pursue lawful post-conviction relief.

More than $120,000 in legal expense debt for trial counsel, expert witnesses, appeal, the Supreme Court petition, and now in the §2255 post-conviction process.

Every contribution helps support the legal, research, document, transcript, evidence-review, expert-consultation, and family costs connected to this effort.

David is asking for the chance to prove what he has said from the beginning: he was an ordinary buyer caught in marketplace confusion caused by shifting ATF interpretations and internal enforcement positions that were never clearly explained to the public, not a criminal trying to import firearm silencers.

Related article by investigative reporter Lee Williams: https://www.ammoland.com/2025/02/federal-air-marshal-jailed-over-atfs-fake-silencer-charges/