Berkeley Man Pleads Guilty to Firearm Making Charge

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Jonathan Leigh Wienke, 46, of Martinsburg, has been caught with his hands deep in the illegal gun trade, as he pleaded guilty to manufacturing a firearm without the proper licensing today. The U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II, was quick to announce the charges against Wienke.

Wienke’s misdeeds landed him one count of ‘Making a Firearm in Violation of the National Firearms Act.’ The Berkeley County native is staring down a decade behind bars and a fine that could reach $10,000. His sentence will be determined by the severity of his offense and any prior criminal history.

The feds got wind of Wienke’s illegal activities when they executed a warrant at his home on June 9, 2016. Inside, agents found a pistol with an attachment that looked like a silencer to them. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) swooped in to claim the weapons as their own. Tests proved the device was indeed a silencer, designed to muffle gunshots, and it fell under federal law’s definition of a firearm. It also failed to meet the National Firearms Act’s requirement of having a manufacturer’s mark or serial number.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Z. Krasinski took on the case for the government, while the ATF conducted the investigation. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble was at the helm during the proceedings.

This isn’t Wienke’s first brush with the law; he’s been flagged as someone who has made a silencer without the necessary license or approval, in clear violation of federal laws. His plea of guilty today is a stark reminder of the consequences that await those who flout firearm regulations.

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