Former Navy Petty Officer Admits to Role in Stealing and Selling Military Gear

PROVIDENCE, RI – A California man  who served for more than twenty years in the United States Navy before his discharge as a Petty Officer First Class has admitted to a federal judge in Rhode Island that, while actively serving in the Navy, he participated in a scheme to steal and sell hundreds of thousands of dollars of government property from a Navy base responsible for supplying ships in the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. 

Richard Allen, 52, of Citrus Heights, CA, pleaded guilty on Thursday to conspiracy and six counts of money laundering as previously charged in a federal grand jury indictment. 

According to information presented to the court, 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. Allen and his co-conspirators stole $856,433 worth of Navy gear and supplies, storing the items in various locations, including in Rhode Island. Allen and others then identified bulk-sale domestic and international customers for the stolen goods and arranged for delivery either in person or via commercial shipping. Payment for the stolen goods was frequently made and received via PayPal, including dozens of payments made from an account in China. The proceeds were transferred to co-conspirators bank accounts, including Allen’s, in increments of less than $10,000, in an effort to avoid bank reporting requirements.

Allen is scheduled to be sentenced on November 26, 2024.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christine D. Lowell and Paul F. Daly, Jr.

The matter was investigated by Naval Criminal Investigative Service-Northeast Field Office; Defense Criminal Investigative Service-Northeast Field Office; Homeland Security Investigations-New England; Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement-Boston Field Office; and FBI- Providence Resident Agency. 

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