An airman pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing and selling tens of thousands of dollars worth of military-issued night vision technology.
Airman Zachary Sizemore, 24, pleaded guilty at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, after being arrested on Nov. 29, 2016, on the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, according to a Department of Justice press release.
From July 2013 to November 2016, Sizemore stole night vision goggles and mini-thermal monoculars and created tons of online postings to try and sell the gear to members of the public. He managed to sell a minimum of 80 items for $86,000. In total, the military lost around $130,000 because of Sizemore’s theft.
Authorities seized packages in June 2016 containing stolen night vision equipment. They quickly traced the shipment back to Sizemore because his name and address were listed on the shipment of both packages. The case deepened as law enforcement realized Sizemore intended to sell more items, some of which included 11 PAQ-4C infrared aiming lights, eight PVS-7 night-vision goggles and eight Aimpoint CompM4 Red Dot Sights, among others.
An undercover agent posed as a buyer on eBay and successfully bid on military-grade monoculars Sizemore had posted.
A few days after the agent received the monoculars in the mail, authorities arrested Sizemore, who at the time was “serving as a liaison with civilian and military law enforcement, escorting munitions shipments, performing inspections, and controlling entry into restricted areas” at Wright-Patterson.
Since Sizemore received training to be a Tactical Automated Security System operator, he had inside information on the Air Force intrusion detection and surveillance system.
Sizemore is set to be sentenced on July 29, at which point he’ll stare down a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
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