Harford Co ATF illegal silencer bust

February 4, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
www.justice.gov/usao/md

Contact MARCIA MURPHY at (410) 209-4854
U.S. Attorney's Office - District of Maryland

HARFORD COUNTY MAN FACING FEDERAL CHARGE FOR ILLEGAL POSSESSION OF AN UNREGISTERED SILENCER

Silencer was Recovered During a Search Related to the Burglary and Desecration of a Church

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal criminal complaint has been unsealed charging Blaine Kenneth Kluge, age 25, of Forest Hill, Maryland, for illegal possession of an unregistered firearm, specifically, a silencer. The complaint was filed January 28, 2021 and unsealed on February 3, 2021 upon the arrest of the defendant.

The federal charge was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Timothy Jones of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; and Chief Charles Moore of the Bel Air Police Department.

According to the affidavit filed in support of the complaint, on October 30, 2019, a search warrant was executed at Kluge’s residence for evidence related to the burglary and desecration of a church in Bel Air, Maryland. During the search of the home, law enforcement recovered from Kluge’s bedroom a suspected homemade silencer; a replica Nazi knife with a swastika on it; a replica German military helmet bearing Nazi symbols; a ballistic vest with rifle plates, and two loaded magazines of .223-caliber ammunition stored inside the vest; and over 2,500 rounds of varying caliber ammunition.

As detailed in the affidavit, the silencer was found on top of a locked stand-up gun safe in Kluge’s bedroom. The ballistic vest and two loaded magazines were found inside the safe, but no guns were found in the safe. Additional investigation found that the silencer was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record database, as required. The silencer was determined to have been constructed by an individual rather than purchased through legal channels.

If convicted, Kluge faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for illegal possession of an unregistered firearm, specifically a silencer. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. At yesterday’s initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, U.S. Magistrate Judge Beth P. Gesner ordered that Kluge be released pending trial.

A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the ATF and the Bel Air Police Department for their work in the investigation. Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles D. Austin and Zachary B. Stendig, who are prosecuting this case.

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Marcy Murphy
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Maryland
410-209-4854

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Bertfish said:

I'd hardly call one illegal can and some ammo a bust but I guess when there's little crime in the county .gov needs to blow it up bigger than it is

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Two Harford County men have been charged with breaking into a Bel Air church and spraypainting hateful terms and symbols inside.

Blaine Kenneth Kluge, 24, of the 1900 block of Pleasantville Road in Forest Hill, and Nigel Duncan Colin Hambrook, 24, of the 1300 block of Bennett Place in Bel Air, are each charged with burglary, theft, malicious destruction of property, defacing the property of a religious organization, and several other bias-related offenses, according to the Bel Air Police Department.

Both were arrested Wednesday and taken to the Harford County Detention Center.

Kluge continues to be held without bail following a bail review hearing in Harford County District Court Friday afternoon.

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teratos said:

He was being investigating for burglarizing and desecrating a church. Just add-on charges.

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charging Blaine Kenneth Kluge, age 25, of Forest Hill, Maryland, for illegal possession of an unregistered firearm, specifically, a silencer.

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snallygaster said:

Also, I'm betting he was a Trump supporter and one of the DVE's participating in the insurrection.

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teratos said:

I hope not. The left will love the Nazi chit he has.

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mauser58 said:

I was also reading the part about the way they worded him having the Nazi knife and helmet. So does thousands of other collectors and I know a few myself. The Nazi helmets are sought after by military collectors and the SS ones and others fetch over $500. Then the dress knife or youth Nazi knife. Again they are at every gun show also and fetch a good prices. Its military collector stuff and does not mean everyone that collects it is Felon. Hell I collect military helmets, knives and bayonets too.

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antco said:

Curious why the Nazi stuff was seized.

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teratos said:

I hope not. The left will love the Nazi chit he has.

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ElGato said:

In the absence of any other collected military hardware not mentioned, I might find it distasteful but I don't take any joy in anyone's legal stuff getting seized. I hate seeing collections torn apart, replica or otherwise.

That said, if it was germane to the investigation -like matching symbols maybe- then it's a little more understandable why they focused on those items.

Hope the church was fixed up ok. Hate seeing sacred spaces treated like that, whoever's it is.

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