Frederick County Sheriff and Gun Dealer Indicted for Scheme to Illegally Acquire Machineguns

Baltimore, Maryland – 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 machineguns.  Krop is also charged with illegal possession of machine guns.  No court appearance is scheduled for the defendants at this time. 

The indictment was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland and Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.

Prosecutor has a long list of donations to Democrats; indicted popular five-term GOP Sheriff

Chief of criminal prosecution demoted by Barron

As detailed in the indictment, Charles Jenkins has been the Sheriff of Frederick County since his election in 2006 and was most recently re-elected in 2022.  Robert Krop is the principal owner and operator of firearms-related businesses in Frederick County.  Krop and his businesses held up to two Federal Firearms Licenses (“FFLs”) that allowed Krop and the business, under certain circumstances, to possess and deal in machine guns.

The six-count indictment alleges that from August 2015 to May 2022, Jenkins and Krop conspired to unlawfully purchase machineguns and falsified multiple documents on the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office letterhead requesting machine guns for evaluation and demonstration to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office. 

According to the indictment, Jenkins and Krop knew that there would not be a demonstration of the machine guns to the Sheriff’s Office and that the machine guns were intended for rental to Krop’s customers.  Krop also allegedly illegally possessed seven machine guns. 

Krop allegedly drafted these documents for Jenkins’ signature.  According to the indictment, Jenkins and Krop knew that there would not be a demonstration of the machine guns to the Sheriff’s Office and that the machine guns were intended for rental to Krop’s customers.  Krop also allegedly illegally possessed seven machine guns.  The indictment further alleges that Krop’s business offered political support to Jenkins in recognition of his support for the business. 

If convicted, Jenkins and Krop face a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy, for false statements in records maintained by a federal firearms licensee, and for false statements to federal law enforcement.  If convicted, Krop also faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for unlawful possession of a machine gun. 

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings. 

Prosecutor Erek Barron has been
donating to Democrats for years

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine Goo and Leo Wise, who are prosecuting the federal case.

Erek Barron demoted Leo Wise just days before the announcement of Sheriff Jenkins’s indictment.

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — Leo Wise, the prosecutor on the federal case against former Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, has been demoted, FOX45 News has confirmed.

Wise was running the Fraud and Public Corruption Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. He’s been working there for the past 13 years.

U.S. Attorney Erek Barron is able to determine who leads units in his office.

Wise had worked on some high-profile cases. He was one of the prosecutors working on the Gun Trace Task Force. Wise also worked on the case against former Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh, who pleaded guilty to charges that she used proceeds from a fraudulent children’s book to evade taxes. Wise was also one of the prosecutors involved in the case against former Baltimore City Police Commissioner Darryl De Sousa.

Barron served as a policy advisor to then-Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He was counsel to the Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs and was responsible for a wide portfolio of domestic and international law enforcement issues.

Profile from Chat with Lawyer: Barron capped his government service as an appointee to President Obama’s Transition Team, where he worked with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and advised the President’s administration on justice and civil rights issues