Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
James Lane Winslett, a 66-year-old resident of Corning, California, has been sentenced to three years in prison followed by one year of supervised release. The sentencing was carried out by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. Winslett faced charges for dealing and manufacturing firearms without a license, selling a firearm to a convicted felon, and possessing an unregistered firearm, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that Winslett engaged in the trafficking of hundreds of firearms and silencers without the necessary licensing. He acquired firearm parts from online sources and licensed dealers, using his own equipment to privately manufacture firearms at home. In 2020, he sold an AR-15 style firearm to a customer who was legally prohibited from owning firearms due to a prior felony conviction.
Winslett also marketed silencers under misleading labels such as "fuel filters" or "solvent traps." In 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a package addressed to Winslett's residence containing 25 silencers mislabeled as "car fuel filters." Subsequent testing by the ATF confirmed these items were indeed silencers. A search of Winslett's home uncovered 36 silencers, over 30 firearms, additional parts, ammunition, and tools used for private firearm manufacturing.
Winslett lacked the proper licensing for dealing in firearms and none of his silencers were registered with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as mandated by federal law.
The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives along with Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily G. Sauvageau and Justin Lee handled the prosecution.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative that unites various levels of law enforcement with communities to combat violent crime and gun violence. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice introduced a strategy aimed at reducing violent crime under PSN principles: building community trust and legitimacy, supporting organizations that prevent violence proactively, establishing focused enforcement priorities, and evaluating outcomes.
