Longtime Frederick Co. sheriff indicted on conspiracy charges in machine gun scheme
The indictments were announced in a news release Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland.
The longtime sheriff of Frederick County, Maryland, as well as the owner of a gun business in the county, have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of conspiracy and making false statements in what prosecutors say was a scheme to illegally acquire machine guns.
The indictments were announced in a news release Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
Charles Austin “Chuck” Jenkins, 66, has served as the county’s sheriff since being elected in 2006.
Between August 2015 and May 2022, prosecutors say Jenkins conspired with Robert Justin Krop, 36, the owner of a firearms business in the county, to falsify documents in order to buy machine guns for Krop’s business.
According to prosecutors, the two men used Frederick County Sheriff’s Office letterhead to request machine guns that were purportedly going to be used for evaluation and demonstration by the sheriff’s office.
However, the guns were actually intended to be used as rentals for customers of Krop’s business.
As the owner of the gun store, Krop held up to two federal firearms licenses that allowed him to own and deal in machine guns under certain circumstances.
Krop was also charged with illegal possession of machine guns. Prosecutors said Krop’s business offered political support to the sheriff “in recognition of his support for the business.”
If convicted, Jenkins and Krop face a maximum of five years in prison for the conspiracy and false statements charges. Krop also faces a maximum sentence of 10 years on the machine gun possession charges. A court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
Krop could not immediately be reached for comment. WTOP has also reached out to the sheriff’s office for comment.
Jenkins was reelected last November, becoming the county’s first five-term sheriff, according to the Frederick News-Post.