What did Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins do? Machine gun conspiracy scheme explored

Maryland Sheriff Charles Jenkins and local firearms dealer Robert Justin Krop were recently indicted on federal charges for trying to illegally purchase machine guns and rent them to earn some profit. Jenkins and Krop have been charged with using fake documents from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office and requesting machine guns for evaluation and demonstration.

Jenkins signed the documents, which were drafted by Krop. The same documents were used to supply the guns, which were then rented to Krop's customers.

A press conference was organized by the Frederick County Sheriff's Office a few hours after the indictment, and spokesman Todd Wivell stated:

"Sheriff Jenkins continues to serve as our sheriff, and he will do so as professional as he is. He will still keep an open-door policy. He will still talk. He's been advised by his counsel to not talk about the situation at all."

A statement on behalf of Charles Jenkins was also read which mentioned that he would not like to comment on the situation after being advised by his attorney and will continue to serve as sheriff. As per Fox News, he mentioned that he expects his deputies, correctional officers, and staff to remain the true professionals that they are.

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Charles Jenkins and Robert Justin Krop tried to make an illegal purchase of guns with the help of false documents

Charles Jenkins and the firearms dealer earned a lot of profit from their machine gun business (Image via Twheater2/Twitter)

Robert Justin Krop and his business have been allowed to purchase and deal machine guns on several occasions. This includes the use of guns as demonstration samples for potential law enforcement officers.

According to the indictment, Krop and Charles Jenkins tried to make an illegal purchase of guns with the help of false documents on the sheriff's office letterhead requesting machine guns to be evaluated and demonstrated for the office. However, their main intention was to rent the weapons to their customers and earn some profit from August 2015 to May 2022.

Krop drafted the documents and after Jenkins signed them, they were submitted to dealers, importers, and manufacturers, mentioning that the guns were for demonstration and evaluation.

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According to the Department of Justice, Krop's business provided political support for Jenkins. The indictment also mentioned that the business earned benefits of more than $100,000.

A spokesperson for Maryland Gov. Wes Moore stated that they will offer their full support in the investigation, saying that Jenkins has been accused of some severe charges and that they expect law enforcement officials to be fair and follow due process.

The statement added:

"No one is above the law; we expect high standards from all public officials and trust that our institutions will work to both protect the rights of the accused and defend the interests of the citizens of Frederick County."

Charles Jenkins started working as a deputy with the agency in 1990 and was re-elected to a fifth term as sheriff last fall. He is currently 66 years old. Krop, on the other hand, is the operator of firearms-related businesses in Frederick County, according to the DOJ.