Forget the Navy SEALs – This Was a NAVY STEAL! Ex-officer Pleads Guilty to $850K Theft!
A former Navy officer has admitted to conspiring to steal and sell over $850,000 worth of Navy equipment. 🌐 #News #ProvidenceRI #RhodeIsland #Crime
PROVIDENCE, RI – A California man who served in the U.S. Navy for more than 20 years pleaded guilty on Thursday to participating in a conspiracy to steal and sell hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Navy equipment, officials said.
Richard Allen, 52, of Citrus Heights, Calif., pleaded guilty in Rhode Island on Thursday to conspiracy and six counts of money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Rhode Island announced.
Allen served for more than 20 years before he was discharged as a Petty Officer First Class.
During his time in the Navy, while stationed at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown-Cheatham Annex, in Williamsburg, Va., Allen and others “repeatedly broke into a warehouse on the Navy base that held U.S. Navy gear, including working uniforms, winter gear, flame retardant shirts and pants, soft body armor, goggles, infrared flag patches, Navy SEAL Trident insignia, and Small Arms Protective Insert plates,” prosecutors said.
Allen, along with co-conspirators, stole a total of $856,433 worth of Navy gear and supplies. The stolen items were stored at various locations, including in Rhode Island. The group identified domestic and international bulk buyers for the stolen gear, and arranged delivery, either in person or by commercial shipping.
Payments for the stolen gear were “frequently” made via PayPal, including “dozens” of payments from a China-based account.
The proceeds from the sales were distributed to the co-conspirators’ bank accounts in installments of less than $10,000 in order to avoid mandatory bank reporting requirements.
Allen is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 26. Use the comments section below and tell us what you think should happen to Richard Allen!
Written by TMX staff, with additional reporting by Thomas Miller for JackAndKitty.com.
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