Six U.S. Soldiers, Two Civilians Charged Over Thefts of Military Equipment
October 06 2016 - 7:29PM
Dow Jones News
By Aruna Viswanatha
Six soldiers stationed at the U.S. Army's Fort Campbell have
been charged with stealing more than $1 million in military
equipment that was later shipped around the world to bidders on
eBay, according to an indictment unsealed on Thursday.
The soldiers stole equipment that isn't otherwise available for
general sale, including sniper telescopes, machine gun parts and
grenade launcher sights from the Army installation along the
Kentucky-Tennessee border, the indictment alleged.
The soldiers sold the equipment to two civilians in the area,
prosecutors said, with the civilians holding the goods in a
warehouse and storage unit in Clarksville, Tenn. The civilians then
sold weapons components, body armor, and communications equipment
via online marketplace eBay to customers in Russia, China and other
countries, the indictment said.
The cases are being tried in federal district court. The
indictment charges each defendant with conspiring to steal or
receive U.S. Army property and to sell or convey U.S. Army property
without authority. The defendants each face up to five years in
prison and a fine of up to $250,000, if convicted.
The military defendants listed on the indictment are Michael
Barlow, Jonathan Wolford, Kyle Heade, Alexander Hollibaugh, Dustin
Nelson and Aaron Warner.
The two civilians allegedly involved -- John Roberts and Cory
Wilson, both of Clarksville -- face those and additional charges
for multiple counts of wire fraud and violating the Arms Export
Control Act. Mr. Wilson faces a further charge of money
laundering.
Five of the defendants are in custody, and the others are
expected to surrender shortly, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's
office said.
A spokesman at Fort Campbell declined to comment, and neither
the defendants or their attorneys could be reached.
Meanwhile, eBay said it cooperated with the authorities on the
case. "eBay worked collaboratively with law enforcement agencies,
providing them with the information necessary to support their
case," the company said. "eBay has clear policies on what can and
can't be listed across various categories, and we have dedicated
teams that proactively and reactively remove listings that are not
permitted to be sold on our marketplace."
David Rivera, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of
Tennessee, said: "The actions of the soldiers charged today should
in no way stain the honor of the brave men and women who proudly
serve in our country's armed forces."
Write to Aruna Viswanatha at Aruna.Viswanatha@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 06, 2016 19:14 ET (23:14 GMT)
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