By Lee Williams
SAF Investigative Journalism Project
Every Friday afternoon the ATF sends out press releases from its 25 Field Divisions – big cities like Los Angeles, Miami, New York and 22 more. Users have to sign up to receive the emails, which usually describe the arrests the ATF claims it made during the week.
By far the vast majority of the actions described in the press releases – the arrests and the investigations – were not the result of any work by the ATF. The arrests were made by local cops who found a stolen gun or noticed that their suspect was a convicted felon and should not have possessed a firearm.
The ATF is usually brought into these investigations only after the arrest, once the real police have lodged their suspect in a county jail.
Still, according to the ATF’s own weekly emails, the agency takes credit for everything the local cops have done – every single lead or arrest – even though their special agents never left the building and never arrested or even met the bad guys.
The following are some of the press releases from 10 of the ATF’s 25 Field Divisions, which were sent around 3 p.m. on Friday, March 7, 2025. Five of the ATF Field Divisions did not send out any press releases.
As you will see, only two involve ATF-led operations.
ATF Los Angeles Field Division
This press release was taken by ATF from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California. It updates charges against 126 defendants who “allegedly re-entered the United States after being removed.”
The email summarizes the criminal charges of seven of the 126 defendants who were arrested, but not one was charged by the ATF with any firearms violation.
The ATF was mentioned fifth in the release: “The FBI; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the United States Marshals Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service provided substantial support during the enforcement activities this week.”
This was the only email issued by ATF’s Los Angeles Field Division last week.
ATF Detroit Field Division
This press release was taken by the ATF from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Michigan. It updates charges against 46 illegal immigrants who have been arrested for various charges since January.
Two of the immigrants were armed. One had an AK and the second had a “Smith and Wesson pistol.” The email does not specify whether ATF charged the two for the firearms.
This was the only email issued by ATF’s Detroit Field Division last week.
ATF New York Field Division
This press release was taken by the ATF from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York. The ATF is only mentioned once in the lengthy document.
Headline: “Prior felon pleads guilty to gun charge”
This case was brought to ATF after an arrest by the Rochester Police Department.
Headline: “Wayne County man going to prison for stealing a firearm”
This case was brought to ATF after an arrest by the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.
Headline: “Jamestown drug ringleader going to prison for 25 years”
This case was investigated by an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), of which ATF was one of several members.
ATF Chicago Field Division
From the press release: “In May 2024, he was the passenger in a car that was stopped by Pekin Police Department officers. During the traffic stop, the officers confiscated a locked bag from the car. After obtaining a search warrant for the bag, they found a stolen Springfield Armory XD-S .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol and two unregistered destructive devices.”
The suspect was arrested by the Pekin (Illinois) Police Department and the ATF was brought in long after the fact.
Headline: South Bend Man Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison
From the press release: “In May 2020, he was engaged in a shootout outside his house when he fired seven .45 caliber rounds at a moving vehicle. Later, in June 2021, he carried a loaded rifle with a large capacity magazine while in another person’s yard in the middle of the night.”
The ATF was brought into the case after the arrest was made. The South Bend Police Department, the St. Joseph County Police Department, and the St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office investigated the case.
ATF St. Paul Field Division
Headline: “Gang Member Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy”
ATF was one of 15 law enforcement agencies named in the press release, which also stated: “numerous other law enforcement agencies also contributed to this investigation.”
Headline: “Mahnomen Felon Indicted for Illegal Possession of Firearms”
This is another case investigated by local police officers and then turned over to ATF afterward for federal charges.
From the brief press release: “This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the White Earth Police Department, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, the Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.”
ATF Phoenix Field Division
Headline: “Three Wanted Defendants from Mexico Secured in Arizona”
This press release was taken by the ATF from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona.
It was the result of work by the “OCDETF Arizona Strike Force,” which consists of 14 members made up of federal and local law enforcement. ATF is mentioned 10th in the release.
It is the only press release issued by the Phoenix Field Division last week.
ATF Tampa Field Division
Headline: “Tampa Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Firearm and Ammunition as a Convicted Felon”
This case was investigated primarily by the FBI.
Headline: “Lake County Man Pleads Guilty in Federal Firearms Trafficking Investigation”
This case was investigated primarily by the United States Customs and Border Patrol.
Headline: “Jury Finds Pinellas County Man Guilty of Brandishing s Firearm During Convenience Store Robbery”
This case was investigated primarily by the Clearwater Police Department and other local agencies.
Headline: “Orange County Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing a Firearm as a Convicted Felon”
This case was a result of a “deputy from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office observed Sanchez driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen.”
This case was investigated by the ATF.
Headline: “Clay County Man Pleads Guilty To Possessing a Loaded Firearm as a Convicted Felon”
This case was investigated by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
ATF Miami Field Division
The ATF is not even mentioned in this press release.
It was the only press release issued by ATF’s Miami Field Division last week.
ATF Atlanta Field Division
Headline: “Large-scale cocaine importers sentenced to federal prison”
This case was primarily investigated by the DEA and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It also involved an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), of which the ATF is a member.
This is the only press release issued by the Atlanta Field Division last week.
ATF Dallas Field Division
This case was the result of work by the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Headline: “Cartel Boss Tied to Southlake Murder-for-Hire Among Defendants Expelled From Mexico”
This case was primarily the result of work by the FBI and a local law enforcement agency, the FBI noted.
“FBI Dallas and the Southlake Police Department have been determined to bring this individual to justice since he orchestrated a brutal murder in one of the many communities we serve in North Texas,” R. Joseph Rothrock, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Field Office, noted in the release.
The ATF was one of 18 agencies credited for the prosecution.
Headline: “Eight Gang Members Arrested in Operation Targeting Area Known as ‘Dead End’”
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham announced in the press release that this investigation was “ATF-led” and involved eight members of a South Dallas street gang.
Several of the arrestees were charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Takeaways
Geographically, the coverage responsibility of ATF’s Field Divisions is somewhat of a joke. For example, the agency’s Boston Field Division is responsible for coverage of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. ATF’s St. Paul Field Division covers Minnesota, North and South Dakota and Western Wisconsin. It’s Denver Field Division covers Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. As a result, it’s no surprise that the agency generates so few criminal charges or even good case work.
Over the years, the ATF has made several attempts to generate its own good headlines. All of them have failed tragically. Waco, Ruby Ridge, Operation “Fast and Furious” are older examples. Newer ones involve individuals, such as Patrick “Tate” Adamiak, Russell Fincher, David Schieferle, Mark Manley and of course the late Bryan Malinowski.
What the ATF does very well can be seen in its press releases. It takes credit even though credit is not due and certainly not deserved.
Most of its activity – estimated at more than 80% – involves ATF agents answering phone calls from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. while sitting comfortably at their desks and then typing up federal charges for suspects they’ve never met and certainly never arrested.
Only two of the 22 press releases involved ATF-directed law enforcement, and both were very minor in nature, especially when compared to the work of other federal law enforcement agencies. It raises the question of whether we even need an ATF.
While some Second Amendment experts have suggested keeping the staffers who inspect gun shops, known as IOIs, while dumping all of ATF’s special agents, this doesn’t go far enough. Patrick “Tate” Adamiak’s case taught us that, that the entire ATF is corrupt. They criminally charged an innocent man rather than admitting they screwed up the investigation.
When those who have had a badge in their billfold look at everything the ATF has done, from its incredibly sloppy search warrants to its obscene uses of force, they realize it’s time to get rid of the entire agency.
While it may involve some re-tasking of other federal agencies, which is never easy or fun, there is no doubt it will save lives, and that is the main business of law enforcement at every level. Besides, it will also rid us of some incredibly dirty federal agents, which is a good move that everyone should support.
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