I read this unusual story today.

A California race-car mechanic is being prosecuted for building rifle suppressors for the Navy’s SEAL Team 6. The court claims the silencers lacked serial numbers and were manufactured in violation of federal firearms laws.

The mechanic claims he had a no-bid contract—but off the books— authorization from the Navy to build the suppressors. He was paid $1.7 million to build 349 silencers.

The attorney for the mechanic says that if there is genuine authorization to obtain this type of weapon under this type of method—off-the-record, off the books—that makes it very difficult for prosecutors to win their case.

Below is a FoxNews link.

There is a longer more detailed article at U.S. News and World Report that can be found on the net. U.S. News has a very strict copyright so I’ll leave it up to you to find.

Judge questions prosecution of mechanic who built rifle silencers for Navy Seals | Fox News

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A gun has no brain.. use yours

You cannot build silencers without the correct NFA license, no matter what other government department sends you a contract. IF there is any "secret" information here, it probably relates to various DoD types wanting to hide how some play fast and loose with our money.

$1.7 million. Not bad.

Hey Navy Seals...need a certified welder to build anything?

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'Merica!

The guy should have known better.
I feel for him if he was building them for the DOD but
you can't help but wonder what he was thinking.
Could be in some deep do-do.

Chuck

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They hold no Quarter

He is building them for "THE NAVY" & that would be all he needs to know, whether it goes to team 4,5,6,7, who cares. Why would the navy need to keep it a secret? They have been using supressors/silencers forever. Was he selling a few extra made from the trunk of his car? + he had no mfg'r license? I doubt we have ALL the info.

There are a lot of top shelf can manufactuers to choose from. Contract with an auto mechanic?

I'm gonna go back out on my limb, but the Navy doesn't need a car mechanic to build silencers for them. They've got that small department, you may of heard about them, the MARINES? They got some crackerjack firearms gurus in that bunch.

Besides, did the car mechanic have some kind of unique patent? Because there are companies out there that build those things for a living.

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James L. "Jim" Rhiner

And they don’t charge nearly $5 thousand for one either.

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A gun has no brain.. use yours

Apparently this is due to the contract costing 1.6 million, the actual construction cost of said silencers being 8000 dollars, and one of the people awarding the contract being the mechanics brother. Quite simply it's a prosecution for Fraud, not for participating as a Black Ops supplier and "skating" past some of ATF's rules. However, because so much of what Seal Team 6 is involved needs to remain "hidden" NICS has chosen to prosecute for the ATF violations instead of the Fraud because pursuing a charge of Fraud would bring too many witnesses out into the open that really need to remain out of sight for reasons of security and personal safety. From what I am seeing it appears that keeping Seal Team 6 secure is going to result in some rather obvious scammers getting a free pass for cheating the government out of 1.6 million.

I know that is likely what will happen, but it does not fly for me. The way you keep ST6 secure is to prosecute and bang up the guilty officers in splendid isolation to make darned sure it stays secure.

Or an ASE Heavy/Medium Duty Master Tech to fix some stuff?

There is another issue with this case...the mechanics brother, the guy who worked at the pentagon ordered a "buyer" at CACI to do the purchase. He apparently told the buyer to procure the items from this source and the CACI employee did not follow the FAR protocol. Yes, this is fraud but the buyer failed to do his due diligence and purchase the items correctly which is another problem. When the items arrived at the CACI facility some genius decided to send them to Randall Cliffs/Chesapeake Test Range for "storage." This is a small 100 acre Navy base in northern Calvert County, Md. that apparently didn't have room to "store" the items. As I understand it, this is how the whistle got blow. Not the only whistle to get blown at CACI of late. Those of you out there that don't work for the govt. or a govt. contractor would not believe what these people do with your tax dollars!!!!

I would believe most anything was possible with tax dollars these days.

Marines do not even build the cans they use....... their cans have a little stamp on them that reads "Knight's Armament".

So, it might very well be true that he was asked to build these by the boogey man. The catch is, the boogey man has a history of playing fast& loose with the rules, because the rules do not apply to him like they do for us.
As was so well put by CHUD333..... You really should know better.
As to WHY an unknown maker might be asked to build parts for the boogey man? It all comes down to plausible deniability.
"Whose rifle is that with the hot-schminky muzzle cover on it??"

'Don't know. No name, no serial numbers, no insignia. Just a half a dozen guys in need of body bags, and everything important was taken in 10 minutes flat. I think it was a group of Chupacabras or the boogey man.'

I have seen items taken straight off the shelf and put into service, and I have seen a good bit of gear that was made and intentionally had all names, serial numbers, part numbers omitted, for precisely this reason.
Some people do not want their stuff identified, for good reasons. But STILL; you have to follow the most basic rules of the land, or get in writing one helluva iron-clad get out of jail card to go along with your activities.

There is a great story about the inventor of Pelican lights and cases, in Torrance Ca. He made lights for the boogey man, and was paid cash, and the stipulation was there was no markings of any kind on the lights.
I have one of those lights...... But NO, I did not get it from being a team player. Wish I was, but it's not the case. It was given to me after it was refurbished; turned in for warranty service, and they were always just replaced with a brand new unit. But the broken and beaten ones were always fixed up, and often made their way to friendly folks.

Hey Navy, I'm not a certified welder or a master tech, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express... I can build you anything.

Having been involved with a much smaller but similar type of event with the ATF, all I can say is he was not smart enough to get the get out of jail free letter. It does happen. The govt bureaucracy is sometimes so bad that agency's will skirt their own rules for procurement.
This leaves the door wide open for fraud.
In my case the project we did for the ATF Miami office would have put the shop in constructive possession of certain NFA items we did not have licensing for. We asked if they were trying to entrap us. The agent laughed and said no of course not. I will bring you a letter on ATF letterhead with my name and dept head signatures. Two weeks later project done.
Over 20 years ago. No reason it does not still happen.

If he was doing it for the DoD? then why dont they come to his defense and tell who needs telling--what was going on.

Because in a society of laws, it's still illegal and the DoD is not about to admit it took part (or even instigated) an illegal act.

He could have gone sole source for the procurement but there are guides to follow also on paperwork that needs to be filed.

And yes there is a lot of waste from the contract people on down. Especially when you put a order in for a item for say $1000 and contracts says you can't buy it from that source and you have to go to the next where it cost $3000 because you bought too much from them already. Let me see I buy from them because they are cheaper, and they tell you it doesn't matter. Been there done that.

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Psalm 23:4

Exactly.

It is curious. If the DoD wanted to business with this guy my guess is that the ATF would have got a phone call and expedited a class 7 for him.

Makes sense in one direction but, those who sanctioned this gut to do the work--in the least should be out of a job or take some of the heat. It would seem to me that there should be some kind of proof--paper trail, backing up the guy making these things?...

Exactly, that's what I was wondering about. Wouldnt SOME other Agency be "in the know?"

Who knows... maybe someone had a few leftover briefcases full of walking around money from Iraq.

I any event, I think we should supply cans to all the guys in uniform. And while we're at it repeal the NFA.

There's no much that stinks in this story it's tough to find a beginning ...

$1.7M for 349 suppressors? Gee, those must be some really high-tech cans. Heck, I can get a nice suppressor for a grand plus a $200 tax stamp.

The Navy relies on Bubba for its Spec-Ops weapons/accessories order? Sorry, I call Bravo Sierra on this one.

There are no skilled personnel in the Armorers dept. of the Navy or Team 6 who could fabricate ANYTHING needed for Spec-Ops?

A million and a half drops out of the sky for Bubba to make 349 suppressors for the SEALs, and he doesn't think there's something unusual going on, or even feels the necessity for caution? Congratulations Bubba, you are officially the dumbest man on the planet.

Maybe Bubba the Mechanic is throwing in free oil changes for the SEALs.

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I'm with the banned ...

Seems like bubba's brother thought he'd found a way to make a nice kickback...

Too bad the guy didn't claim it was a small business set-aside contract. Heck, then hire a paraplegic minority transgender person to front the "company" and he'd be home free!

Of course, I'm just kidding... Working on lots of proposals for the world's largest defense contractor sometimes generates interesting subcontractor teaming strategies from the business development guys. One of these days we can talk about "price to win" plans.

I'd feel better thinking my tax dollars went to buy some hi-tech gizmos for the SEALs, rather than research into why shrimp run on a treadmill, or why lesbians are alcoholics.

Sir, I couldnt agree more. Heh heh, I kind of have to wonder if the money spent, wasnt some Generals poker money? ouch.

I can see valid reasons for using an unknown machine shop to produce clandestine weapons for military use. I believe the real issue is the family relationship between the seller and the procurement office combined with the fact that the contract should have been let for around $500,000 or less. Was the contract a legitimate request, did the Seals actually request the purchase of the suppressors, or did the brothers decide they could make a killing on the deal and produce unneeded illegal suppressors?

I wonder if he made his deliveries to a guy behind Penny's at the local mall.

(He could recognize the contact man by the camo outfit with a tactical vest and tactical boots........)

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

Read the story about the man from Arizona that designed the Barrett...You might be surprised how his sale to the government came about....

Yeah, but some folks still hold hard and fast to the ideal that privacy is golden in the United States.

They don't have the least interest in any privacy for YOU or ME...... but for them???? They really do not want anyone to know anything about their business.

The only problem I have with this is when Barney Fife, and any middle manager at the Federal Burros of Investigations feel these rules do not apply to them as well. So, in general, I'm really not for the circumventing of protocols and legal channels, with the exception of the highest need for national security.

It's a shame that just because you do not have matching shoe laces, you qualify as needing extra scrutiny to someone up the food chain. But that's where we have found ourselves...... and these guys should have had more and better CYA documentation, etc.

You hit on something right there most do not even consider.

These cans are what was found. If the guy has had other dealings which tie to these cans, and maybe he has already made a bunch of other stuff which he has been paid for, and has been told 'Shut. UP.' about that he is not arguing the money is all for these cans. Very likely he already has sent out some other stuff to them, and nobody is saying nothing. They saw nothing, they heard nothing, they know nothing.......

Any decent JAG investigator would love picking that apart if that has happened.

OUTSOURCED TO CHINA. In the black op's, deep level stuff that all of us that watch too much tv know all about. Wouldn't ST6 have all sorts of weapons & acoutremen made from all over the world that would "blend in"?

I am not surprised that the U.S. Navy would see a $4,861.06 price tag, and say "sure, let's order a few hundred".

I find the entire story as reported to be implausible. We all know how bassackwards the Govt. is, especially in allocating $ for anything from tanks to toilet seats. But with a SEAL Team? C'mon. The hit on Bin Laden was top secret until leaked by the WH ... Special Warfare groups don't do business in the public domain. Whatever the case with a basement machinist's $1.7 can contract, the "truth" is hazy at best.

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I'm with the banned ...

Does anyone honestly think this DOD would admit to doing something that could be construed to be illegal? It would rather throw this guy under the bus than admit any potential of wrongdoing.

I dont but, the guy could/should have had some kind of a paper trail--something to keep his bacon out of the frying pan.

I can see it now...1 big order for 349 mufflers placed on Midas

The Silencer - one of these would look good:


Double Barrel Model:

I can see it now...1 big order for 349 mufflers placed on Midas

The Silencer - one of these would look good:


Double Barrel Model:

Almost as totally implausible as getting an honest gun store owner to sell rifles to people with no IDs, that didn't even speak English, within miles of the Mexican border...
Oh...nevermind.....

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Halfway and one more step

You forgot about Brownsville-where 99%only speak something other than English. It was bad last time I was there-back late 93 or early 94. I went to some gun shop there and was where I bought my Tec 9. The owner spoke little English--and was a born American. I did get my gun though. :-))

And in other news, a local potato farmer is under investigation for providing Delta Force with spud gun silencers.

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I'm with the banned ...

This sort of stuff is Fastmaking me Furious.

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Halfway and one more step

SH......!!! I just spit up soda all over my computer!!

Amazingly, this has real legs. It looks like the judge is even debating whether this guy should be prosecuted.
It looks like being commandeered into service for the country might save this fella's skin.

If the judge sides with the AMERICAN rather than the government, I will do a backflip!

The judge should be asking the JAG how the investigation is going on over the other side of the fence. If the answer comes back crickets, then sure, toss out the charge on the mechanic on the "sauce for the goose" basis.

As the Barrett developer stated.(Or so I was told) Sometimes you do business with the man .because the alternative can be costly.....Very interesting rifle to shoot back then..No recoil buffer and no compensated barrel. For a feather merchant it wasn't pleasant. Interesting not pleasant..The new semi's are a lot easier on the shoulder....No I didn't hit the target. How did I know ..well we had set up out of date floor sacks all around the target...If the flour exploded you were at least close...I got no puff of flour.

IIRC special ops guys equipment (read guns, ammo, cans etc.) were oft times unmarked and NOT EVEN SERIALIZED... if they were left behind, No evidence.. ATF requires weapons and cans to be ID'd with serial # and Mfg.'s name...If these were built by a license holder...and not ID'd as required.. He'd be in the same bucket of POO....JMHO..
JIM.....................

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SWCA # L-1911

It didn't say what CALIBER the can was. MAYBE it DID take a car guy to build the right size can??? 20mm cans? Bigger? 105mm?

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War Eagle! '10 BCS & '13 SEC