WAVY.com

Navy man convicted of selling unregistered guns

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A federal jury convicted a Virginia Beach man on Friday, Oct. 21 of possessing and selling unregistered machine guns.

Patrick Tate Adamiak, 28, was obtaining illegal, unregistered machine guns and selling them online. According to court records, this took place between October 2021 and April 2022. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) purchased eight machine guns from him in early 2022, then executed a search warrant at Adamiak’s residence.

Patrick Tate Adamiak (Photo courtesy of Western Tidewater Regional Jail.)

The ATF discovered 25 additional unregistered machine guns on his property, as well as two grenade launchers and two antitank missile launchers. 

Adamiak, who is a Master at Arms in the U.S. Navy, was convicted of receiving, possessing, and transferring unregistered machine guns and possession of four destructive devices, including the grenade launchers and missile launchers.

Adamiak’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 31, 2023. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each count of conviction.