pressonregardless
10-23-2016, 07:16 PM
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/fort-campbell-soldiers-allegedly-sold-military-equipment-ebay-article-1.2820187
Soldiers at Fort Campbell Army base allegedly sold military equipment to foreign nations on eBay
BY JASON SILVERSTEIN (http://www.nydailynews.com/authors?author=Jason-Silverstein)
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Thursday, October 6, 2016, 5:40 PM
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2820186.1475776276!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/afghanistan.jpgA soldier (not connected to the case) holds an M249 machine gun, one of the weapons whose parts were allegedly sold on eBay by soldiers from Fort Campbell.
(JULIE JACOBSON/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Soldiers at Fort Campbell sold more than $1 million worth of military gear and weapons parts to buyers worldwide through eBay, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday.
The soldiers allegedly hawked parts of a grenade launcher and machine guns that were stolen from warehouses near the Army base in Clarksville, Tenn.
"These are extraordinarily and inherently dangerous in the wrong hands and outside of the military or police tactical use," U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee David Rivera said at a press conference.
The indictment charges six Fort Campbell soldiers — Michael Barlow, Jonathan Wolford, Kyle Heade, Alexander Hollibaugh, Dustin Nelson and Aaron Warner — for stealing and selling equipment in 2013 “that is never offered for sale by the U.S. Department of Defense as surplus.” The equipment was classified by the Defense Department as “DEMIL D,” meaning it is not allowed to be sold and is meant to be destroyed by the military.
The soldiers sold a sight for an M203 grenade launcher, as well as parts of M240 or M249 machine guns. They also offered body armor, night vision goggles and “sensitive communications equipment,” court papers say.
The surplus was sold to buyers in the United States as well as Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Lithuania, Moldova, Malaysia, Romania and Mexico. None of the soldiers vetted buyers or asked how the weapons parts would be used, according to court papers.
Two Clarksville civilians — John Roberts and Cory Wilson — also face charges for conspiracy, wire fraud and violating the Arms Export Control Act.
According to the indictment, Roberts in 2013 texted with a person listed in his phone as a sergeant to arrange sales.
"Where i just got that s--- was craaaaazy risky," the sergeant, who is not named in court papers, wrote.
"I can only imagine," Roberts replied. "I wondered about that. I imagine its pretty locked up."
The indictment does not detail how the soldiers allegedly swiped the gear from storage, or when the Army base realized it was missing. Authorities are now trying to seize back as many weapons as possible.
Each defendant faces at least five years in prison.
Officials at Fort Campbell did not immediately return requests for comment.
eBay’s policies (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/military-items.html) prohibit the sale of military-issued weapons, ammunition, body armor and other military-issued equipment.
"eBay worked collaboratively with law enforcement agencies, providing them with the information necessary to support their case," eBay executives said in a statement. "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."
The indictment says some of the sales were caught and canceled by eBay — but the men then just reposted the items under different descriptions. Roberts allegedly wrote in a text to Wilson, "eBay cops blow."
Many of the items were listed online as “new,” “real,” “never worn” or “military issue.”
Soldiers at Fort Campbell Army base allegedly sold military equipment to foreign nations on eBay
BY JASON SILVERSTEIN (http://www.nydailynews.com/authors?author=Jason-Silverstein)
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Thursday, October 6, 2016, 5:40 PM
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.2820186.1475776276!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/article_750/afghanistan.jpgA soldier (not connected to the case) holds an M249 machine gun, one of the weapons whose parts were allegedly sold on eBay by soldiers from Fort Campbell.
(JULIE JACOBSON/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Soldiers at Fort Campbell sold more than $1 million worth of military gear and weapons parts to buyers worldwide through eBay, according to a federal indictment unsealed Thursday.
The soldiers allegedly hawked parts of a grenade launcher and machine guns that were stolen from warehouses near the Army base in Clarksville, Tenn.
"These are extraordinarily and inherently dangerous in the wrong hands and outside of the military or police tactical use," U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee David Rivera said at a press conference.
The indictment charges six Fort Campbell soldiers — Michael Barlow, Jonathan Wolford, Kyle Heade, Alexander Hollibaugh, Dustin Nelson and Aaron Warner — for stealing and selling equipment in 2013 “that is never offered for sale by the U.S. Department of Defense as surplus.” The equipment was classified by the Defense Department as “DEMIL D,” meaning it is not allowed to be sold and is meant to be destroyed by the military.
The soldiers sold a sight for an M203 grenade launcher, as well as parts of M240 or M249 machine guns. They also offered body armor, night vision goggles and “sensitive communications equipment,” court papers say.
The surplus was sold to buyers in the United States as well as Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Lithuania, Moldova, Malaysia, Romania and Mexico. None of the soldiers vetted buyers or asked how the weapons parts would be used, according to court papers.
Two Clarksville civilians — John Roberts and Cory Wilson — also face charges for conspiracy, wire fraud and violating the Arms Export Control Act.
According to the indictment, Roberts in 2013 texted with a person listed in his phone as a sergeant to arrange sales.
"Where i just got that s--- was craaaaazy risky," the sergeant, who is not named in court papers, wrote.
"I can only imagine," Roberts replied. "I wondered about that. I imagine its pretty locked up."
The indictment does not detail how the soldiers allegedly swiped the gear from storage, or when the Army base realized it was missing. Authorities are now trying to seize back as many weapons as possible.
Each defendant faces at least five years in prison.
Officials at Fort Campbell did not immediately return requests for comment.
eBay’s policies (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/military-items.html) prohibit the sale of military-issued weapons, ammunition, body armor and other military-issued equipment.
"eBay worked collaboratively with law enforcement agencies, providing them with the information necessary to support their case," eBay executives said in a statement. "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."
The indictment says some of the sales were caught and canceled by eBay — but the men then just reposted the items under different descriptions. Roberts allegedly wrote in a text to Wilson, "eBay cops blow."
Many of the items were listed online as “new,” “real,” “never worn” or “military issue.”