NORFOLK, Va. — A federal jury convicted a Virginia Beach man on Friday of possessing and selling unregistered machine guns.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, between approximately October 2021 and April 2022, 28-year-old Patrick Tate Adamiak procured illegal unregistered machine guns and sold those machine guns online. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) purchased eight machine guns from him through a confidential source. They then executed a search warrant at Adamiak’s residence and recovered an additional 25 unregistered machine guns. A search warrant at his home revealed that Adamiak was in possession of two grenade launchers and two anti-tank missile launchers. Adamiak is a master-at-arms in the United States Navy.
Adamiak was found guilty of receiving, possessing and transferring unregistered machine guns and possessing four destructive devices, including two grenade launchers and two anti-tank missile launchers. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 31, 2023. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each of the five counts. Actual sentences for federal crimes are generally lower than the maximum sentences. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering US sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Charlie J. Patterson, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Field Division in Washington, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Muhr and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Victoria Liu are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release can be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia website or on PACER by searching for case #2: 22-cr-47.
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