CONCORD – A Jaffrey man pleaded guilty today in federal court to the possession of machine guns and silencers that were not registered to him under the National Firearms Act, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces.

Luke Czekalski, 38, pleaded guilty to possession of firearms which were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.  U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty scheduled sentencing for September 23, 2024. 

In November 2022, New Hampshire state parole officers made an unannounced visit to the defendant’s residence in Jaffrey. The defendant was on parole following his release from custody for a prior felony conviction.  While the parole officers conducted their search, they located several bins in the basement containing firearms, ammunition, loaded magazines, body armor and other miscellaneous items.  Jaffrey Police then provided additional assistance, leading to the seizure of eight homemade firearms and five homemade silencers in addition to assorted firearm ammunition.  Three of the firearms displayed fully automatic firing capabilities during test fires, thus making them “machine guns” under federal law. 

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $10,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives and the Jaffrey Police Department led the investigation.  The New Hampshire Department of Corrections’ Division of Field Services and New Hampshire Forensic Laboratory provided valuable assistance.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau is prosecuting the case.