CNN
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A sheriff and an area firearms seller in Frederick County, Maryland, have been indicted on federal prices for his or her roles in a scheme to illegally purchase machine weapons so that they might be rented out for revenue, federal prosecutors introduced.
A federal grand jury indicted Frederick County Sheriff Charles Austin Jenkins, 66, and Robert Justin Krop, 36, on prices of conspiracy and false statements to amass machine weapons, the US Division of Justice stated in a Wednesday information launch.
Krop, who owns firearms-related companies within the county, can also be charged with unlawful possession of seven machine weapons, the company stated.
Krop and his companies are licensed to own and deal machine weapons below particular circumstances, which embody utilizing the weapons as demonstration samples for potential regulation enforcement consumers, in keeping with the indictment.
The indictment alleges that from August 2015 to Might 2022 Jenkins and Krop conspired to unlawfully buy machine weapons by falsifying paperwork on the sheriff’s workplace letterhead which requested machine weapons for analysis and demonstration for the workplace.
As an alternative of utilizing the weapons for demonstrations, nonetheless, the pair meant for them to be rented to Krop’s clients to profit his enterprise, in keeping with the indictment.
Krop drafted the paperwork for Jenkins to signal, after which they submitted the false paperwork to licensed sellers, importers and producers, in addition to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, saying the weapons had been for demonstration to regulation enforcement, the indictment alleges.
“The indictment additional alleges that Krop’s enterprise supplied political assist to Jenkins in recognition of his assist for the enterprise,” the DOJ stated in its launch. Jenkins, who has been sheriff since 2006, was reelected in 2022, it stated.
CNN has reached out to Krop for remark.
Jenkins stays in his place as sheriff, Todd Wivell, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s workplace, stated in a information convention Wednesday.
Wivell learn an announcement on behalf of Jenkins that learn partially, “I’ve been in fixed communication with the DOJ and the ATF for over a 12 months and have been 100% cooperative all through the course of this investigation.”
A courtroom date has but to be set for the 2 and the sheriff’s workplace has not disclosed Jenkins’ legal professional.
Frederick County is about 50 miles west of Baltimore, Maryland.
If convicted, the 2 face a most sentence of 5 years in federal jail. Krop would additionally face a most of 10 years in jail for unlawfully possessing machine weapons.