Jaffrey man pleads guilty to weapons charges

A Jaffrey man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to the possession of machine guns and silencers that were not registered to him under the National Firearms Act

According to the announcement from U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young’s office, Luke Czekalski, 38, pleaded guilty to possession of firearms which were not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

According to Young’s office, in November 2022, New Hampshire state parole officers made an unannounced visit to Czekalski’s residence in Jaffrey. Czekalski 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.

The Jaffrey Police Department then provided additional assistance, according to Young’s office, 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.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty scheduled sentencing for Sept. 23. The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $10,000.

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 assistance. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles L. Rombeau is prosecuting the case.