Eventually, you're gonna get caught.
Man Charged With Selling Stolen Government Property
By MELANTHIA MITCHELL, Associated Press
November 5, 2005
SEATTLE
A man accused of buying stolen military gear from soldiers — body armor, first-aid kits and other Army property — and selling the items on the Internet was charged Friday in federal court.
Mykel Denny Loftus of Graham, charged with conspiracy to possess stolen government property, made an initial appearance before Magistrate J. Kelley Arnold in U.S. District Court in Tacoma. Charging papers say Loftus bought two Army laptop computers from an undercover agent in September.
Loftus waived a preliminary hearing and was released on his own recognizance. He turned himself in to authorities Friday — one day after a federal raid on his home in Graham, east of the Fort Lewis Army base.
Fort Lewis officials said Friday that nine soldiers, whose names were not released, were questioned in the case and reassigned to other duties pending further investigation.
"No charges have been filed against any of the soldiers at this time," Fort Lewis spokesman Joseph Piek said.
Piek said he did not know when the soldiers came to the attention of military investigators. Soldiers are not permitted to sell Army equipment or supplies, he said.
Military agents began investigating Loftus after a report Jan. 21, 2004, indicated that an eBay subscriber identified as "check it out" was selling stolen government property on the Internet. The username was registered to Loftus, according to court documents.
Investigators determined that Loftus had received stolen property from a man identified in court papers as Chief Warrant Officer Larry S. Jones. In a sworn statement, Jones said he sold stolen Army property to an individual named Mike who had been advertising in the Fort Lewis Ranger, the post newspaper.
Jones could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.
Copies of eBay records obtained by government agents indicate Loftus offered more than 2,300 items for sale on the Web site between Jan. 1, 2003, and March 4, 2004. Most of the items appeared to be government property: meals-ready-to-eat, chemical lights, sunglasses, four protective vests and other things.
Loftus made $51,000 selling items on the Web site, according to eBay records.
On Oct. 27, 2004, an undercover agent began a series of meetings with Loftus at a park-and-ride in Pierce County.
The agent, who pretended to work at a Fort Lewis warehouse, told Loftus he had access to a lot of military property. At their first meeting, Loftus bought seven military-issue first-aid kits and eight flight suits for $75.
According to court documents, Loftus told the agent that he had previously bought military-style watches and compasses, flashlights and computer cards.
Later, Loftus bought used cots from the agent and traded four government-issue laptop computers for medical supplies.
The computers clearly displayed a Defense Department banner when they were turned on, according to charging papers.
