A Lodi man who founded a Stockton-based outlaw motorcycle gang associated with the Hells Angels was sentenced to more than five years in prison this month, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd sentenced Jashanpreet Singh, 27, who founded the Punjabi Devils Motorcycle Club, to five years and four months in prison on May 11. In February, Singh pleaded guilty to unlawfully dealing in firearms and possessing a machine gun.
On June 6, 2025, Singh tried to sell several weapons to an undercover officer, including a short-barreled rifle, three assault weapons, three machine gun conversion devices and a revolver, according to federal prosecutors.
Prosecutors said a search of Singh’s home also uncovered additional firearms, including a machine gun, another machine gun conversion device and a silencer.
Additionally, officers found a pineapple-style capped and fused hand grenade and what authorities believed was a military electronic-capped Claymore mine.
The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office Explosive Ordnance Detail destroyed both devices at the scene.
Prosecutors said initially Singh was facing state charges in San Joaquin County related to the offenses, but on July 21, 2025 he failed to appear in court.
As a result, the state court issued a bench warrant for Singh’s arrest. On July 23, 2025, U.S. Customs and Border Protection alerted the FBI that Singh had booked a flight to India scheduled to depart from San Francisco International Airport on July 26, 2025.
Authorities arrested Singh at the airport before he could leave the country.
The case was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations as part of Operation Take Back America, a Trump-era Department of Justice initiative to combat illegal immigration, cartel activity and violent crime. The program uses federal resources to target gangs and transnational criminal organizations.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office, San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office Explosive Ordnance Detail, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit and the Stockton Police Department were involved in the case.
Record reporter Victoria Franco covers public safety in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at vfranco@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Lodi man who founded Stockton motorcycle gang sentenced
Reporting by Victoria Franco, The Stockton Record / The Record
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