Frederick County Sheriff's alleged co-conspirator pleads not guilty in federal machine gun case

BALTIMORE — Gun range owner Robert J. Krop entered a Not Guilty plea Thursday at U.S. District Court in Baltimore on federal gun charges.

Krop, 36, is the owner of "The Machine Gun Nest," a gun range near Frederick. He's accused of conspiring with Frederick County Sheriff Charles "Chuck" Jenkins in a scheme to illegally acquire machine guns.

Jenkins pleaded not guilty Wednesday to similar charges. He announced Wednesday afternoon he would take a leave of absence as sheriff, effective Friday, as he fights the criminal charges.

Former state delegate Dan Cox, who ran an unsuccessful bid last year for governor, is Krop's defense attorney. Neither Cox nor Krop offered any comment when the left court Thursday afternoon.

Krop and Jenkins are accused of using Frederick County Sheriff's Office letterhead to illegally acquire machine guns. The two falsely claimed the machine guns were "perfectly suitable" for law enforcement, but federal officials singled out an FN M249S machine gun, a belt-fed gun "only suitable for combat," according to court documents.

The indictment says Krop offered political support for the longtime Republican sheriff in exchange for helping his business. Krop let recreational shooters fire guns at his range, earning more than $100,000 in rental fees, according to the indictment.

As a condition of their respective releases before trial, both Jenkins and Krop agreed to surrender their firearms. Judge Beth Gesner agreed Krop's wife could keep her firearms in the home, since they relate to the couple's business.

Cox asked Judge Gesner for a speedy jury trial.