Eight Alabamians Were Sentenced For Stealing Millions Of Dollars In Military Equipment From Anniston Army Depot

Howard Koplowitz

Eight Alabamians were sentenced to at least one year in federal prison and more than $12 million combined in restitution for their involvement in a criminal operation that stole millions of dollars in military equipment from Anniston Army Depot and sold the property, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Police officers with the Directorate of Emergency Services and other civilian employees at the depot stole millions of dollars worth of equipment from the depot’s warehouses over several years and delivered them to middlemen, said U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona; Department of Defense Office of Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Southeast Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Darrin Jones; Defense Logistics Agency Office of the Inspector General Deputy Inspector General Jerold Unruh; and United States Army Criminal Investigation Division Special Agent in Charge D. Todd Outlaw.

The middlemen then delivered the stolen property to the owner of a military surplus store, where the owner then sold the equipment.

The conspirators split the money from the sales of the stolen property, which included night vision equipment to be attached to military weapon systems, prosecutors said.
Sentences for the eight Alabama residents ranged from one year in federal prison to more than two years in a federal lockup. Collectively, they were ordered to pay more than $12 million in restitution to U.S. Department of Defense.

They were:

  • Steve Bonner, 63, of Goodwater, a middleman, was found guilty of conspiracy to steal United States property following a four-day trial. He was sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison and ordered him to pay $1.87 million in restitution.
  • Jerry Baker, 63, of Hokes Bluff, a Captain with the Directorate of Emergency Services, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. He was sentenced to 25 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3.75 million
  • Kelvin Battle, 54, of Anniston, a Sergeant with the Directorate of Emergency Services, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 21 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $2.4 million.
  • Eric Matraia, 54, of Munford, a guard with the Directorate of Emergency Services, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 16 months in prison and ordered him to pay $3 million restitution.
  • Shane Farthing, 42, of Gadsden, a guard with the Directorate of Emergency Services, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 15 months in prison and ordered him to pay $707,000 in restitution.
  • Christopher Price, 55, of Childersburg, the owner of a military surplus store in Sylacauga, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 14 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3.94 million.
  • James Kenneth Scott, 73, of Sylacauga, a middleman, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 12 months in prison and ordered him to pay $3.5 million in restitution.
  • Scott Bunch, 54, of Alexandria, a Defense Logistics Agency supervisor, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal United States property. The court sentenced him to 12 months in prison and ordered him to pay $3.75 million in restitution.
“I’m proud of the great work done by the investigative team and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring these government employees and their co-conspirators to justice,” added Special Agent-in-Charge Darrin K. Jones, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “Our office will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure those who steal from our military supply chain and degrade our combat readiness are held accountable.”
“This is the latest example of Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division working collaboratively with federal partners to relentlessly pursue those who conspire to steal government property,” said D. Todd Outlaw, Special Agent in Charge, Southern Field Office, Army CID. “Army CID will continue to protect Soldiers, families, civilians, and warfighting assets from crimes that affect readiness and warfighting capabilities in multi-domain operations.”
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David DeMarco