By Lee Williams
SAF Investigative Journalism Project
Patrick “Tate” Adamiak is serving 20 years in federal prison even though the ATF found nothing illegal during a search of his home. All Adamiak possessed were legal guns, gun parts and collectibles.
Prosecutors originally sought a 30-year federal prison sentence by introducing questionable evidence—977 uncut pieces of flat sheet metal they claimed were 977 machineguns. Thankfully, one of Adamiak’s experts was able to shoot this down.
Every single item the ATF and federal prosecutors alleged was illegal are still sold online: Inert RPGs, toy STENs, open-bolt semi-autos and inert M79s and M203 launchers. Most do not even require any paperwork for the sale.
Our 40 investigative stories have examined nearly every aspect of ATF’s “investigation” of Adamiak, but until now we’ve never compared his 20-year sentence to others.
Why an active-duty U.S. Navy E-6 with orders to report to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, who had zero criminal history, who had nothing illegal in his possession, was sentenced to two decades in federal prison certainly seems like an important question to ask.
Unfortunately, no one at the ATF or the Justice Department was willing to talk about Adamiak’s case, much less his two-decade sentence, which all happened when Joe Biden was in the White House, when the ATF focused on Adamiak and several unlucky others to keep Biden’s handlers happy.
When you look at how Adamiak’s case compares to others who are doing time for gun crimes, the results are shocking, just like everything else about this twisted and convoluted case.
Here are parts of 10 case summaries that were written by the Department of Justice. After you read them, you can judge for yourself whether Adamiak got a fair sentence or a raw deal.
Please note that federal sentences are based on months, not years. Adamiak is serving 240 months behind bars.
Alfredo Gonzalez-Diaz—175 months
Alfredo Gonzalez-Diaz, a 42-year-old Mexican citizen illegally residing in Houston, was charged with drug trafficking on U.S. streets and unlawfully possessing a rocket launcher, rocket-propelled grenades, guns and ammunition, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
“A rocket launcher, two rocket propelled grenades, 8.5 kilos of heroin, and lots, and lots, of cash,” said Hamdani. “These are the tools of terror of the Mexican cartels. Cartels like Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) Cartel threaten our communities and our families. This U.S. Attorney’s Office will not rest until we seize the cartel’s weapons, drugs and cash, and welcome those, like Gonzalez-Diaz, to the inside of a prison cell.”
Alfredo Gonzalez-Diaz pleaded guilty May 26, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute kilograms of heroin and cocaine and illegal possession of a firearm.
U.S. District Judge Alfred H Bennett sentenced Gonzalez-Diaz to serve a total of 175 months in federal prison.
Timothy Lawrence Carll—120 months possible
Timothy Lawrence Carll, 67, possessed four fully automatic machine guns, including an AK-style rifle, a Thompson M1 submachine gun, a Sterling submachine gun, and a PPSh-41 submachine gun. Carll also possessed four metal tubes that he knew were designed and intended for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun, specifically for use as part of Sten submachine guns of various models. Carll did not have a valid Federal Firearms License or a Special Occupational Tax when he possessed these machine guns.
Carll is scheduled to be sentenced on April 19. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Carll has not yet been sentenced, but he can receive no more than 120 months.
Daniel Matthew Kittson—27 months
Daniel Matthew Kittson, 61. According to court documents, in December 2019, a special agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) learned that Kittson was attempting to sell a Russian PPSh-41, a machine gun capable of firing approximately 900 rounds per minute. Investigators learned that he had prior felony convictions for attempted murder, first degree manslaughter, and felon in possession of a weapon, making it illegal for him to possess any type of firearm.
In early January 2020, investigators communicated with Kittson on two separate occasions to arrange a controlled purchase of the machine gun and, on January 10, 2020, completed the transaction. Following their purchase, investigators tested the firearm and confirmed that it was indeed a functional machine gun.
On August 24, 2023, a jury found Kittson guilty of illegally transferring a machinegun.
He was sentenced to serve 27 months in a federal prison.
Howard Neil Martin—90 months
Howard Neil Martin, 46, was sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison for possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, carrying a firearm during a drug-trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Court documents reflect that Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report about a burglary in progress. When they arrived, the defendant was parked in the driveway of the residence and in a verbal dispute with someone watching the residence for the homeowner. Officers could see a firearm in plain view inside the defendant’s truck and upon running his criminal history, learned that he was a convicted felon. Officers ultimately searched the truck and located approximately half a pound of crystal methamphetamine.
He was sentenced to 90 months in a federal prison.
Frank Guereca—97 months
Frank Guereca, 24, was sentenced for stealing 41 firearms from a gun store in Raytown, Mo., and for transporting child pornography on his cell phone into the United States from Mexico.
Guereca was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann A. Ketchmark to 97 months in prison without parole for stealing firearms from a federal firearms licensee and for transportation of child pornography.
On June 16, 2023, Guereca and two others backed a stolen U-Haul truck into the store of a federally licensed firearms dealer, located in Raytown, Mo., creating a hole in the front of the business. Thereafter, Guereca and the two others entered through the hole and took 41 firearms from the business. One of the stolen pistols from the gun store was recovered in Tracy, Calif., on Nov. 14, 2023. A second stolen pistol was recovered in Chihuahua, Mexico, on Dec. 19, 2023. A third stolen pistol was recovered in Juarez, Mexico, on Feb. 6, 2024.
Guereca was arrested on April 25, 2024, as he attempted to cross back into the United States from Mexico. Guereca had in his possession a Samsung Galaxy cell phone, which was seized by law enforcement. Subsequent review of the contents of the phone pursuant to a federal search warrant revealed at least 250 images and 70 videos depicting child pornography, which Guereca transported into the United States from Mexico.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection records, Guereca had previously crossed the border approximately 20 times since the burglary and theft on June 16, 2023.
Idella Gardner—180 months
Idella Gardner, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Kays to 15 years in federal prison without parole for her role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and using a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense.
On Oct. 9, 2024, Gardner pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking crime.
Between January 2019 and July 2022, Gardner was an armed drug dealer who actively participated in the purchase and distribution of cocaine. The investigation established that Gardner aided members of a street gang and other members of the conspiracy on at last forty occasions where she took part in coordinating drug transactions. When law enforcement officers arrested Gardner on Mar. 9, 2022, she was found in possession of cocaine, cell phones, firearm magazines, and live ammunition. The investigation relied on court-authorized wire intercepts of co-defendant’s telephones, physical surveillance, interviews, and text message evidence documenting the defendant’s involvement in drug trafficking.
At the sentencing hearing, the Government also presented evidence regarding Gardner’s involvement in a 2021 homicide. The evidence established that on Apr. 22, 2021, Gardner discharged a firearm into an occupied apartment near the intersection of Lockridge Avenue and Benton Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri, intending to target another individual.
She will serve 180 months in prison.
Marcos Esteban Arredondo—123 months
Pedro Galicia-Hernandez Jr—151 months
Daequan Rayton—60 months
Elijah Eugene Wilson—45 months
A partnership of federal and local law enforcement taking part in “Operation Sob Story,” an investigation by the Homeland Security Task Force, resulted in prison sentences for four Topeka area gang members for offenses such as drug trafficking and illegal firearms trafficking.
Marcos Arredondo pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Arredondo sold cocaine, fentanyl, and a firearm to a confidential source acting on behalf of law enforcement. He was sentenced to 123 months in prison.
Pedro Galicia-Hernandez Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. He was sentenced to 151 months in prison. A confidential source made multiple controlled buys of fentanyl from Galicia-Hernandez in amounts of between 500 and 1,500 pills. Law enforcement received a tip that Galicia-Hernandez was returning to Kansas after a trip out of state and informed the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP). During a traffic stop, a state trooper found a bag in the vehicle Galicia-Hernadez was in with what was later determined be 16,246 fentanyl pills.
Daequan Rayton pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a machine gun and two counts of illegal possession and transfer of machine guns. He was sentenced to 60 months in prison.
Elijah Wilson pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession and transfer of machine guns, two counts of failure to register as a dealer and manufacturer of machine guns, and one count of unlawful trafficking in firearms. He was sentenced to 45 months in prison.
Takeaways
Here are 10 real criminals armed with real guns who were charged with real crimes, but not a single one received a sentence that was even close to the 20 years or 240 months Adamiak is currently serving.
- Gonzalez-Diaz had a live RPG with two rocket propelled grenades, 8.5 kilos of heroin and “lots and lots of cash.”
- Carll was caught with real, functional machineguns.
- Kittson had a Russian PPSh-41machinegun, as well as prior convictions for attempted murder and manslaughter.
- Martin, a convicted felon, was caught with a firearm during a drug-trafficking offense.
- Guereca stole 41 firearms from a gun store and had child pornography on his cell phone.
- Gardner was caught with a handgun, and police say she helped facilitate more than 40 illegal drug sales.
- Arredondo, Galicia-Hernandez, Rayton and Wilson are hardcore documented gang members who were caught with guns, drugs and money.
Legal experts will always bring up the problems of comparing one criminal case to another, but here are 10 ATF cases involving real criminals, real crimes and real guns. You can judge for yourself how they compare to the treatment Adamiak received from the ATF and federal prosecutors.
As we have said before, nothing illegal was even found in Adamiak’s home or his gun safe, yet he is serving much more time than any of these 10 real criminals.
“It’s simply disgusting that real criminals with real guns committing real crimes got a lot less time behind bars than I did,” Adamiak said Monday morning from federal prison. “When a person like me who is a collector and gun enthusiast gets decades of my life taken away, and the ATF acts like they took it easy on me, it’s insane. I don’t even get it.”
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