Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Greenbelt, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm sentenced John Frank Jenkins, age 30, of College Park, Maryland, today to 121 months in prison, followed by 14 months of home detention as part of three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and oxycodone and to 10 years in prison for making an explosive device and being a felon in possession of an explosive device. The sentences are to be served concurrently. Judge Grimm also ordered Jenkins to pay restitution of $475.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Steven L. Gerido of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Chief Mark A. Magaw of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Chief Marc S. Bashoor.

According to Jenkins’ plea agreement, from at least January 2011 through December 2012, Jenkins and his co-conspirators distributed oxycodone. From the spring of 2011 through the summer of 2012, Jenkins and others forged prescriptions for oxycodone, which they then presented to different pharmacies, obtaining 180 oxycodone pills approximately twice a week. Jenkins and his co-conspirators consumed some of the pills and sold the rest. During the conspiracy, Jenkins began to use and distribute heroin as a cheaper substitute for the oxycodone, selling heroin to pay for the heroin he used.

In November 2012, Jenkins refused to sell oxycodone to one of his drug customers, resulting in an argument. After the argument, Jenkins built two pipe bombs, which he intended to use to blow up the drug customer’s vehicle. Another drug customer owed Jenkins $50 for oxycodone that Jenkins had supplied to the customer in June 2012. After making repeated calls to the customer and being unsuccessful in collecting the debt, in December 2012, Jenkins and a co-conspirator carried one of the pipe bombs to the home of the customer who owed Jenkins money, placed the pipe bomb on the front porch and lit the fuse. The bomb exploded, damaging the front door. The drug customer was sleeping in the bedroom adjacent to the door at the time of the explosion.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the ATF, Prince George’s County Police Department and Prince George’s County Fire/EMS for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah A. Johnston and Leah J. Bressack, who prosecuted the case.