CNN
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A US Navy sailor who was arrested in a federal undercover operation focusing on illicit weapon gross sales has been convicted of possessing and promoting unregistered machine weapons, the Justice Division introduced Monday.
Patrick Tate Adamiak, 28, was indicted earlier this yr in Virginia after particular brokers from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) recovered quite a few unlawful machine weapons, two grenade launchers and two anti-tank missile launchers in his possession, prosecutors mentioned.
A jury discovered Adamiak responsible of three counts of receiving and possessing an unregistered harmful gadget, one rely of receiving and possessing an unregistered firearm, and one rely of illegal possession and switch of a machine gun, in response to courtroom paperwork.
CNN has reached out to Adamiak’s legal professional and the Pentagon for touch upon the sailor’s conviction.
Based on an affidavit, the ATF launched an undercover operation late final yr after a confidential informant reported that Adamiak – a Grasp at Arms, the Navy’s navy police – was concerned in unlawful weapons trafficking.
Court docket paperwork describe a collection of managed undercover purchases the ATF made utilizing the confidential informant, paying Adamiak hundreds of {dollars} for shipments of unlawful firearm parts.
Investigators had been additionally in a position to hyperlink Adamiak to the dealings by an e-mail he used to speak with the confidential supply, in addition to the mailing tackle the place Adamiak acquired funds for the shipments, the affidavit states.
Throughout a search of Adamiak’s residence in April 2022, ATF brokers discovered, “a number of suspected machineguns, paperwork, grenade launchers, and proceeds from criminal activity,” in response to the affidavit. Greater than two dozen unregistered machine weapons had been recovered through the search, prosecutors mentioned.
Adamiak is scheduled to be sentenced on March 31, 2023. He faces a most sentence of 10 years in jail for every of the 5 counts for which he was convicted, the Justice Division mentioned.
