South Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Illegal Assault Rifles

[this_is_nascar 162]

February 09, 2012

 

South Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Illegal Assault Rifles

 

 

 

TRENTON – Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa announced that a Gloucester County man has pleaded guilty to possession of assault rifles and illegal ammunition magazines which were seized when the New Jersey State Police discovered a huge cache of weapons at his home in 2009.

Brian Hinkel, 62, of Newfield, a former Vineland police officer, pleaded guilty yesterday afternoon before Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson in Gloucester County to four counts of third-degree possession of an assault rifle and 21 counts of fourth-degree possession of a prohibited device. The prohibited devices were 21 illegal large-capacity ammunition magazines. Under the plea agreement, the State will recommend that Hinkel be sentenced to five years in state prison.

 

 

Deputy Attorney General Jill Mayer prosecuted the case and took the guilty plea for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau. The charges were contained in an Aug. 30, 2010 indictment stemming from an investigation by the New Jersey State Police. Judge Allen-Jackson scheduled sentencing for Hinkel for June 1.

Hinkel was arrested on Jan. 26, 2009, when members of the State Police went to his house to question him in an unrelated investigation and discovered numerous firearms in plain view. The State Police executed a search warrant and discovered approximately 258 guns, including the illegal assault rifles.

In pleading guilty, Hinkel admitted to illegally possessing 21 large-capacity magazines for semi-automatic rifles, as well as the following illegal assault weapons: (1) a Calico .22-caliber long rifle semi-automatic carbine, (2) a 7.62x39mm Norinco semi-automatic rifle, (3) a .223-caliber Colt semi-automatic rifle, and (4) a .30-caliber National Ordnance semi-automatic carbine.

Detective Sgt. Michael Peterson and Trooper Daniel Cunning led the investigation for the New Jersey State Police.

 

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Story was covered in another thread last week IIRC..

[this_is_nascar 162]

_{My bad. I missed that.}

[tony357 386]

I saw it but did not read the article..

 

What were these rifles and what made them illegal.. i will have to look them up..

 

norinco 7.62x39 souds like an sks which is legal, maybe box mag was removed ?

 

calico 22 ok not legal very cool free state gun..

 

 

 

colt 223 most likely a non compliant ar-15.

 

m-1 carbine bummer..

[KpdPipes 388]

The Norinco was probably an AK-pattern rather than an SKS..before the Bush import ban they were common

[autoxnyc 4]

So if the police sees guns in plain sight when they are in your house they have probable cause for a warrant? Or does it have to be something that looks illegal? In that case any AR or AK variant they see will give them reason to turn your house inside out.

[RedBowTies88 41]

So if the police sees guns in plain sight when they are in your house they have probable cause for a warrant? Or does it have to be something that looks illegal? In that case any AR or AK variant they see will give them reason to turn your house inside out.

 

this is what has me concerned....

 

 

Hey look that rifle is um.....black! next think you know the FBI comes through your front door with a chainsaw and you're laying in a puddle of dog piss at gunpoint..

[Shawnmoore81 623]

I'd say a gun safe would have been worth it's weight in gold but with that many guns he would have to turn a room into a safe.

 

 

God I'd love to have enough guns to turn a room into a safe. My uncle down in nc has over 1000 guns. Im very jealous and live visiting.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

 

God I'd love to have enough guns to turn a room into a safe. My uncle down in nc has over 1000 guns. Im very jealous and live visiting.

 

Ok Boy's,,,, ROAD TRIP...

[Shawnmoore81 623]

I seriously love going there. He retired a few years ago but was a bigwig at lufkin tools/cooper tools. Giant house in the middle of nowhere in nc (around apex) There are guns under every piece of furniture, in every closet it's crazy. He's not into pistols though. He only has a couple for home protection. He loves rifles especially military ones old and new. Between being an ex-marine, having a butt load of money and never ever getting in trouble he was about to even get autos. He has a couple cars in the woods on his property he shoots at.

 

His big block camaro for the car guys on here. He keeps that in fla now. The 1st pic was in nc though.

 

 

 

[keithco88 3]

so is this plain sight?

 

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii536/keithco88/20120210_150803.jpg

 

This is a case on top of a book shelf up at ceiling level. The case levers have locks on them and there's a padlock on the end

 

Or is plain sight like a 1911 sitting unloaded on my workbench after I finished cleaning it and the doorbell rang when I was home alone?

[PeteF 1,044]

This whole story is fishy.

 

Deputy Attorney General Jill Mayer prosecuted the case and took the guilty plea for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau.

 

Why is a deputy attorney general prosecuting this case?

They had this guy on something much more serious than what he was charged with . He obviously evidence on someone LE wanted MUCH more than him and used it to plead down.

The original story had a grenade (conspicuously missing in senetencing) . Cops saw him grab a gun and run from them etc.

[BRaptor 68]

This whole story is fishy. Why is a deputy attorney general prosecuting this case? They had this guy on something much more serious than what he was charged with . He obviously evidence on someone LE wanted MUCH more than him and used it to plead down.

 

Ding ding ding....winnar!

 

This boy flipped on his "crew" and probably gave the prosecutor some very good intel. Thus, he gets a slap on the wrist as a reward for being more of a criminal than any of us could ever think of being (remember, Aitken got 7 years for MUCH less). Plus, he's a former police officer, which means not only was he probably part of organized crime, but he also betrayed the public trust (something courts don't like, when officers go bad).

 

NJ at its best, making deals with the devil.

 

On the other hand, it's kind of nice to see NJ go "soft" (LOL) on someone for breaking these stupid gun laws.

[Shawnmoore81 623]

Well in my opinion 5 years for a non violent crime isn't going soft. I will say judge Christine Allen-Jackson is a good fair judge. She handled my appeal for getting my fid/pistol permit and was quick to start yelling at the chief of police for not checking his facts and I mean yelled. But if the cops weren't going there for a reason he'd be fine so I'm guessing yeah he probably was a crooked cop.

[Plinker 1]

Plus, he's a former police officer, which means not only was he probably part of organized crime,

 

Uh, that's a pretty low blow to all of the good LEO's in the state. I certainly have come across LEO's with attitudes and no doubt there are corrupt ones out there, but to generalize like this? I hope you really didn't meant it the way it sounds...

 

 

[PeteF 1,044]

Plus, he's a former police officer, which means not only was he probably part of organized crime, but he also betrayed the public trust (something courts don't like, when officers go bad).

 

Uh, that's a pretty low blow to all of the good LEO's in the state. I certainly have come across LEO's with attitudes and no doubt there are corrupt ones out there, but to generalize like this? I hope you really didn't meant it the way it sounds...

 

I think you took BRaptors comment out of context. The guy made his plea deal with the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau. So he was probably involved with organized crime.

Not that he's a dirt bag for having been a LEO, but for being a criminal. The odds are pretty good that this particular DB abused his authority WHILE he was a cop.

 

This guy is the proverbial bad apple.

[KpdPipes 388]

This whole story is fishy.

 

[/left]

 

Why is a deputy attorney general prosecuting this case?

They had this guy on something much more serious than what he was charged with . He obviously evidence on someone LE wanted MUCH more than him and used it to plead down.

The original story had a grenade (conspicuously missing in senetencing) . Cops saw him grab a gun and run from them etc.

 

Well Gee...I've heard that somwwhere before.............

[Plinker 1]

I think you took BRaptors comment out of context. The guy made his plea deal with the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau. So he was probably involved with organized crime.

Not that he's a dirt bag for having been a LEO, but for being a criminal. The odds are pretty good that this particular DB abused his authority WHILE he was a cop.

 

This guy is the proverbial bad apple.

 

Yea you're probably right....my coffee hadn't kicked in yet. I apologize if I ruffled any feathers.