Gun dealer indicted with Frederick Co. sheriff found not guilty in machine gun plot

A Maryland gun dealer who was indicted alongside Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins and accused of running a scheme to purchase and rent out machine guns has been found not guilty.

Robert Krop, owner of The Machine Gun Nest, had been charged with conspiracy and making false statements last year. He contended the indictment was based on “political vindictiveness” and has asked a federal judge to drop the case.

Jenkins and Krop were indicted in April 2023 and Jenkins is set to go on trial in January after pleading not guilty and requesting a trial separate from Krop.

Between August 2015 and May 2022, prosecutors said the sheriff — at Krop’s request — wrote bogus letters on Frederick County Sheriff’s Office letterhead to gun dealers and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), falsely claiming the machine guns were to be used for demonstration and evaluation purposes for the sheriff’s office.

However, the guns were actually used as rentals for customers of Krop’s business, prosecutors said.

In asking the judge to dismiss the indictment, Krop’s attorney said it was filed “for a nonexistent crime, in order to try to remove one of the nation’s most upstanding and outspoken Sheriffs” over political disagreements with the prosecutor’s office.

Jenkins, who is a Republican, has served as the county’s sheriff since 2006.

WTOP staff contributed to this report.

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