U.S. Agents Investigate Alleged Manufacture of Silencers at MWD Plant
Several employees of the Metropolitan Water District plant in Granada Hills are under investigation for possible federal firearms violations following allegations that a machinist fashioned scrap metal into handgun silencers at the plant, according to MWD and federal authorities.
Officials of the water district and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms confirmed Tuesday that the agencies are investigating the possible manufacturing of silencers at the Joseph Jensen Filtration Plant on Balboa Boulevard.
They would not name the workers being investigated or say how many silencers may have been produced. No arrests have been made.
But the investigation apparently centers on machinist Colin Mason, Mason’s attorney said Tuesday. Van Nuys attorney Gerald N. Silver said Mason was told by the district that he will be fired as of Friday, and that Mason’s termination notice alleged that he had produced silencers at the plant.
Federal agents handling the investigation have seized an unspecified number of silencers, said William E. Newberry, agent in charge of the ATF’s Van Nuys office.
Newberry said people outside the plant are also under investigation. The investigation may take three months to complete, he said.
He said the federal investigation began after the ATF was contacted by water district security officers.
The federal bureau grants licenses for the manufacture, possession and sale of silencers. Under federal law, those convicted of illegal production, possession or transfer of silencers face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine on each count, Newberry said.
“You need a silencer to reduce the noise level of firing a weapon,” Newberry said of the devices, which are attached to the muzzles of firearms. “Whoever needs the noise level reduced is usually in the criminal element. The silencers are basically used to pull off hits.”
Silver said, however, “I don’t think we’re dealing in that kind of league. . . . If anything did occur, it was possibly because of ignorance of the law. There was no intention to violate the law or create an illicit business.”
He said Mason is not a gun hobbyist.
Silver said Mason may appeal to water district officials to keep his job.
As a machinist, Mason has repaired and shaped metal parts with equipment such as lathes, drill presses and milling machines, district spokesman Tim Skrove said. He has worked on piping, pumps, motors and water meters, Skrove said.
Mason, a North Hollywood resident, refused comment.
The Joseph Jensen Filtration Plant, completed in 1972, is one of five MWD plants that filter sediments and chemically purify drinking water, Skrove said. About 75 people work at the plant, which treats water from the San Joaquin Valley.
