Jashanpreet Singh, the 27-year-old founder and leader of the Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club, has pleaded guilty in a federal court in the United States to charges related to illegal arms trafficking and possession of a machine gun.
US Attorney Eric Grant announced the conviction, stating that Singh, a resident of Lodi in California, faced accusations of unlawfully buying and holding a machine gun.
The Punjabi Devils club operates primarily in Stockton and maintains links to the Hells Angels motorcycle gang. Court records detail that on June 6, 2025, Singh tried to sell a range of firearms to an undercover law enforcement officer. The items included a short-barrelled rifle, three assault rifles, three devices designed to convert those rifles into machine guns, and a revolver.
After the attempted sale, authorities conducted a search of Singh's residence and seized additional items. These comprised a machine gun, a conversion device for a machine gun, a silencer, a high-capacity drum magazine, and various other components for weapons. Further searches of Singh's vehicle and home yielded a hand grenade resembling a pineapple model and an explosive device akin to a military electronic Claymore mine.
Specialists from the bomb squad neutralised and destroyed these explosives at the location.
Singh initially faced charges at the state level in San Joaquin County linked to the case. He did not attend a scheduled court appearance on 21 July 2025, prompting an arrest warrant.
Two days later, on July 23, the FBI received intelligence indicating that Singh planned to escape to India. He had secured a flight ticket departing from San Francisco International Airport on July 26. Federal agents arrested him at the airport on that date. Singh remains in federal custody.
The investigation involved collaboration among several agencies, including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, immigration authorities, and local police forces.
Assistant US Attorneys Alex Cardenas and Adrian Kinsella are handling the prosecution.
Singh's sentencing hearing is set for May 11. For the arms trafficking offence, he could receive up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possessing a machine gun carries a potential maximum of 10 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. The presiding judge will decide the actual penalty.
This case forms part of the broader US initiative known as Operation Take Back America, which targets organised crime groups, street gangs, and transnational criminal organisations.
