Veteran investigative journalist Lee Williams, who publishes the newsletter *The Gun Writer*, has released an updated compilation of his extensive reporting on the case of Patrick “Tate” Adamiak, a former U.S. Navy sailor currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence following an undercover operation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The article, titled “An updated list of our stories about Patrick Tate Adamiak,” serves as a running index of what the Second Amendment Foundation’s (SAF) Investigative Journalism Project describes as one of the most controversial ATF prosecutions in recent years. The publication of the updated list comes more than four years after Adamiak’s arrest and amid ongoing calls from gun-rights advocates for executive clemency.
According to Williams’ reporting, Adamiak was an active-duty Navy Chief Petty Officer with no prior criminal record when more than 40 federal and local law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence. Authorities alleged that Adamiak—who operated a website selling military gear and firearm components and was reportedly a top-500 dealer on the auction platform GunBroker—had sold illegal machine guns to undercover agents.
However, Williams’ investigation, now catalogued in the updated Substack index, contends that the ATF’s case relied on a paid confidential informant who was himself facing separate felony charges. The investigative series further alleges that agents found no contraband during a search of Adamiak’s home, and that items presented as evidence of wrongdoing included non-functional replica firearms and toys, including an inert STEN submachine gun and an M240 replica that could not chamber or fire live ammunition.
The newly published list consolidates dozens of stories Williams has written on the Adamiak case since it first came to his attention. Among the articles cited are deep dives into the mechanics of the ATF sting operation, comparisons between Adamiak’s sentence and those handed down in other federal firearm cases, and a recent unedited letter Adamiak wrote to ATF Director Rob Cekada from federal prison.
Williams, a former police officer and Army veteran who previously worked as an editor and investigative reporter at daily newspapers, joined SAF in 2021 to lead its national investigative journalism initiative. His reporting on Adamiak has been cited by national gun-rights organizations, including the National Association for Gun Rights, which has publicly called on the President to pardon Adamiak immediately.
A recurring theme throughout the indexed articles is the allegation that ATF agents and prosecutors misrepresented facts during the investigation and subsequent trial. In one widely circulated piece, Williams reported that although agents testified that they had purchased machine guns from Adamiak, the physical evidence consisted of legally sold parts and inert display pieces. In another entry, Williams examined how Adamiak received a 20-year sentence despite what SAF characterizes as a lack of evidence that he ever sold a functional illegal firearm.
Adamiak is currently incarcerated at a federal correctional institution and, absent intervention, is not scheduled for release until 2042, according to case details Williams published in April on the four-year anniversary of the arrest.
Journalism watchdogs and Second Amendment advocates say the updated list represents more than a mere catalog; it functions as a public record of an ongoing investigative project that has spanned years and challenged the official narrative of a federal prosecution. By collating the full body of work in one location, Williams has made the extensive file accessible to researchers, attorneys, and lawmakers who have taken an interest in the case.
Neither the ATF nor the U.S. Attorney’s Office that prosecuted Adamiak has issued a public response to Williams’ specific allegations of evidentiary misrepresentation. The original trial court records remain sealed in part, though select evidence photos and transcripts have been published through *The Gun Writer* with family permission.
The publication of the updated index underscores the staying power of the Adamiak story within pro-gun and criminal-justice-reform circles. As calls for a presidential pardon continue to circulate online and in conservative policy forums, Williams’ Substack archive now stands as one of the most complete publicly available chronicles of the case—a case that its author insists should “trouble the scandal-plagued agency” at the heart of the prosecution.
*The Gun Writer* operates as a reader-supported publication under the umbrella of the Second Amendment Foundation. The full updated list of stories can be found on the publication’s Substack page.
*Editor’s Note: This report is based on the investigative journalism published by Lee Williams and the Second Amendment Foundation. The allegations regarding ATF conduct and trial evidence reflect claims made in that reporting.
