A Maryland sheriff repeatedly lied to federal authorities to assist a neighborhood firearms seller illegally receive machine weapons and lease them out to his clients, forming a partnership that was worthwhile and politically useful, in accordance with a federal grand jury indictment filed final week.
Frederick County Sheriff Charles “Chuck” Jenkins pleaded not responsible Wednesday to a number of expenses, together with conspiracy and making false statements to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
After initially pledging to stay in workplace whereas the case proceeds, Jenkins mentioned Wednesday he’s taking a depart of absence.
“I’ve full confidence within the system, and I do know that my innocence will prevail on the finish of all of this,” Jenkins mentioned in an announcement launched by the company.
He was launched pending trial on a number of circumstances, together with that he refrains from possessing a firearm or different harmful weapons.
Federal legislation usually prohibits firearm sellers from importing machine weapons until they’re getting used as demonstration fashions for legislation enforcement businesses, which might legally buy such weapons. However to ensure that sellers to make use of that exemption, the legislation enforcement company should submit a letter to ATF requesting a pattern of the machine gun they’re contemplating buying.
Based on the indictment, Jenkins wrote such letters on behalf of his co-defendant, Robert Krop, whose Frederick County enterprise The Machine Gun Nest supplied machine weapons for lease. The enterprise revamped $100,000 in income from the leases in 2018 and 2019 alone, the indictment says.
Krop supplied Jenkins political assist in change for the favor, in accordance with federal prosecutors.
In a number of letters relationship again to 2015, Jenkins falsely claimed the Frederick County Sheriff’s Workplace wished samples of assorted machine gun fashions, in accordance with the indictment. The requests had been accepted, permitting Krop’s enterprise to acquire the weapons.
In a 2018 letter, Jenkins requested machine gun fashions which are “appropriate just for use in fight,” not for legislation enforcement functions, the indictment says.
Jenkins was first elected sheriff of the largely rural county in 2006. He began his profession with the company in 1990.