Final week, an Army veteran was sentenced to 18 months in jail and ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution for the 2021 theft of thousands and thousands of {dollars} value of delicate navy gear, in line with federal courtroom paperwork.
Jessica Elaintrell Smith, a former Army provide specialist, and her alleged co-conspirators, Nathan Nichols and Brandon Dominic Brown, had been accused of stealing 68 thermal sights, 60 radios, seven night time imaginative and prescient gadgets and two receiver/transmitters after the gear was found lacking from a Fort Hood, Texas, armory in June of final yr.
Smith and Brown had been accused of stealing the gear for Nichols to promote on-line, in line with courtroom paperwork.
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After a proper stock, the Army’s Legal Investigation Division concluded that the lacking gear was value greater than $2.1 million, in line with Smith’s legal grievance. A CID agent found that a few of the gear was listed on the market on eBay and related the account to Nichols, in line with a separate indictment.
Nichols and Smith communicated about promoting the gear after the theft, and brokers uncovered PayPal transactions between the 2, in line with courtroom paperwork.
The grievance alleged that Smith used her veteran ID to entry Fort Hood the night of June 16, the night time on which the theft occurred. Brown, who can also be a veteran and was working as a contractor at Hood on the time, additionally entered the bottom that night wearing all black, in line with courtroom paperwork.
Just a few weeks later, authorities performed a search warrant at Nichols’ residence in Corpus Christi, Texas, and found greater than $1.2 million in U.S. forex and over 60 items of stolen navy gear.
Final yr’s affidavit mentioned that solely 12 objects had been recovered from web patrons, however it’s unclear how a lot gear — if any — has been recovered from patrons since then.
Smith and Nichols had been conspiring since not less than March 2021. Smith pleaded responsible to 1 rely of conspiracy to defraud the federal government in April 2022. Her sentencing, issued by U.S. District Decide Drew Tipton final Tuesday, additionally contains two years’ probation, psychological well being therapy and $100 for a “particular evaluation;” the docket doesn’t clarify what that evaluation entails.
Nichols’ sentencing is ready for October, in line with courtroom dockets. He confronted a conspiracy to defraud the USA cost and pleaded responsible. It doesn’t seem that Brown has gone to trial, however he’s additionally dealing with conspiracy to defraud expenses, to which he pleaded not responsible in November, in line with courtroom data.
At Smith’s sentencing, her lawyer, Lila Michelle Garza, advised the decide “she acquired financially determined as a result of she had two youngsters that she was attempting to offer for,” in line with the Killeen Each day Herald.
“She is aware of she made a multitude of issues and put her household in even worse straits,” Garza continued. “She’s attempting to make up for the errors she made by helping the federal government.”
Smith additionally reportedly expressed regret.
She served within the Army as an enlisted provide specialist from August 2010 to July 2016, in line with navy data. She deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 and held the rank of specialist upon her discharge.
Throughout her service, Smith was arrested for her alleged involvement in a 2013 theft of a Recreation Change in Texas, in line with the Killeen Police Division. She was charged with aggravated theft.
She additionally labored as a delivery and receiving clerk for a contractor on Fort Hood, leaving the place simply two weeks previous to the theft.
— Drew F. Lawrence could be reached at drew.lawrence@navy.com. Observe him on Twitter @df_lawrence.
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