CHANDIGARH: A federal court in California has sentenced 27-year-old Punjab-origin Jashanpreet Singh, founder of the Stockton-based Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club, to five years and four months in prison for illegally dealing in firearms and possessing a machine gun.
According to the US Department of Justice, Jashanpreet Singh had pleaded guilty earlier this year to unlawfully dealing in firearms and unlawfully possessing a machine gun.
Singh was sentenced by US District Judge Dale A Drozd in Sacramento on May 12. He had attempted to flee to India after the offences came to light, but was arrested at San Francisco International Airport before boarding a flight on June 26 last year. He initially faced charges in San Joaquin County and failed to appear in court on July 21, triggering a bench warrant.
US Attorney Eric Grant announced the sentence, stating that Singh had been convicted of unlawful firearms dealing and unlawful possession of a machine gun.
Federal prosecutors said Singh attempted to sell a cache of weapons to an undercover officer on June 6 last year. The weapons included a short-barrel rifle, three assault weapons, three machine gun conversion devices and a revolver.
During a search of his residence, agents recovered additional firearms, a fully functional machine gun, a silencer, high-capacity drum magazines, a pineapple-style hand grenade, and components believed to be part of a military-style Claymore mine. The bomb disposal squad later destroyed the weapons and explosive materials.
Authorities described the Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club as an outlaw biker gang and a support or “puppet” club affiliated with the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. Founded by Singh last year, the club used patches depicting the map of Punjab along with a turbaned skull, reflecting the group’s Punjabi identity. Members wore black leather vests featuring the words “PUNJABI DEVILS” and “NOR-CAL.”
The case was part of the US Department of Justice’s Operation Take Back America. The investigation was led by the FBI Sacramento Field Office along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), DEA, Homeland Security, and local law enforcement agencies.