Maryland sheriff charged in scheme to illegally obtain machine guns

Sheriff Charles "Chuck" Jenkins, Frederick County (Maryland) Sheriff's Office

April 5 (UPI) — A Maryland sheriff and his accomplice have been charged in a scheme to illegally obtain machine guns.

“A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Charles Austin Jenkins, age 66, of Thurmont, Maryland, and Robert Justin Krop, age 36, of Frederick, Maryland, with conspiracy and false statements in order to acquire machine guns,” the Justice Department said in a press release Wednesday.

Jenkins has served as sheriff of Frederick County since 2006 and was most recently re-elected in 2022.

According to the indictment, between 2015 and 2022 Jenkins falsified documents, purporting to request machine guns for police demonstrations, in order to provide cover for Krop’s firearms business.

Instead of being used for police demonstrations as stated in the falsified documents, the weapons were used for Krop’s business, officials said.

Jenkins and Krop each face up to five years in prison for false statements to federal law enforcement and false statements in records maintained by a federal firearms licensee.

Additionally, Krop could face up to 10 years in prison for unlawful possession of a machine gun.

A trial date has yet to be set for the case.

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