Virginia Beach Man Sentenced for Possessing Unregistered Silencers

NORFOLK, Va. – A Virginia Beach man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for unlawfully possessing unregistered firearm silencers.

According to court documents, George Pickard, 23, built homemade silencers, but did not register them with the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. On December 29, 2020, during a lawfully obtained search warrant, agents found at least four firearms at his residence, including an AR-15-style rifle, and the silencers equipped to two of the firearms. He also loaded two firearms with large-capacity magazines. Pickard kept LSD in the same residence as his firearms. He did all this while maintaining ties to extremist organizations, including Identity Evropa, the American Identity Movement, the Right Stuff, and the Patriot Front. Pickard also cohosts a podcast called “White Phosphorus” that depicts women, African Americans, Jews, and other current events in a negative and derogatory manner. In February 2020, Pickard brought the AR-15-style rifle and suppressor to a militia camp and made online threats against several minority groups, including that he wanted to “use a belt fed machine gun” on one minority group.

Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Brian Dugan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Wilson Hanes.

U.S. Marshal Services provided significant assistance in this case as part of the Norfolk Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Jackson and Joe DePadilla, as well as former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Bosse, prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-87.