Patrick “Tate” Adamiak, a former sailor and firearms collector, was sentenced to 20 years in prison following a high-profile case involving legal MAC flats. Adamiak, once on the verge of joining Naval Special Warfare, operated a website selling gun parts, including MAC flat kits. These kits are pre-cut pieces of metal intended for building MAC-style firearms. Despite being legal and requiring considerable skill to complete, these flats became a focal point in Adamiak’s prosecution.
Adamiak stated, “I never actually completed or built a MAC kit, despite it being legal to do so.”
The ATF, which conducted a raid on Adamiak’s home, found no illegal items and did not confiscate any flats. Adamiak emphasized that all his flats were intended for semi-automatic builds, in compliance with federal law. “I sold them for years,” he acknowledged, “I had zero issues.”
The prosecution, however, depicted Adamiak as a “brazen machinegun trafficker,” attributing additional MAC flats to him as “machineguns.” Prosecutors, lead by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica D. Aber, attempted to increase his sentence to 30 years on this basis, but failed. Adamiak disputed the allegation, arguing against the number of flats attributed to him.
Expert testimony from former ATF agent Patrick G. O’Kelly clarified that the flats did not qualify legally as firearm receivers. Following O’Kelly’s testimony, the judge refrained from extending Adamiak’s sentence related to the flats. Adamiak lamented the limited scope of O’Kelly’s testimony, believing it could have countered other allegations.
“It’s really sad to experience firsthand what the DOJ will do to sustain a conviction,” Adamiak said.
O’Kelly criticized the ATF’s inconsistent application of its own definitions, “On the day of Adamiak’s sentencing, prosecutors were still calling pieces of metal and other gun parts as frames and receivers.”
Despite the outcome, Adamiak remains troubled by his sentence, and O’Kelly expressed concerns over the ATF’s testimony strategies.
