Goodwater man, 7 others sentenced to federal prison for military equipment theft
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By Christa Jennings
Senior Staff Writer
A Goodwater man is one of eight who was sentenced to federal prison last week for their involvement in a conspiracy that led to stealing millions of dollars in military equipment from the Anniston Army Depot and selling the property through a prepper supply store or at gun shows.
Seven of the eight individuals pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal U.S. property. The exception was 63-year-old Steve Bonner of Goodwater.
Bonner, who acted as a middleman, was found guilty of conspiracy to steal U.S. property following a four-day trial. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison, and the court further ordered him to pay $1,873,200 in restitution to the U.S. Department of Defense.
The sentence was announced last Thursday. According to court documents and evidence presented during a trial, police officers with the Directorate of Emergency Services and other civilian employees at Anniston Army Depot stole millions of dollars in military property from warehouses at the depot over a period of several years and delivered the property to middlemen.
The middlemen then delivered the stolen property to the owner of a military surplus store to sell. That store was The Prepper Depot, located on U.S. Highway 280 between Sylacauga and Childersburg.
Court documents further revealed that those conspiring in the scheme then split the money from the sales of the stolen property. The stolen items included equipment that was designed to be attached to military weapon systems to provide operators with instant nighttime engagement capabilities or improved target acquisition, or both.
In addition to Bonner, the following seven individuals were also sentenced to federal prison and to pay restitution to the U.S. Department of Defense in connection with their part in the conspiracy:
- Jerry Baker; 63, of Hokes Bluff, a captain with the Directorate of Emergency Services; pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal U.S. property. The court sentenced him 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 U.S. property. The court sentenced him to 21 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $2,414,582.
- Eric Matraia; 54, of Munford, a guard with the Directorate of Emergency Services; pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal U.S. property. The court sentenced him to 16 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3 million.
- Shane Farthing; 42, of Gadsden, a guard with the Directorate of Emergency Services; pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal U.S. property. The court sentenced him to 15 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $707,000.
- Christopher Price; 55, of Childersburg, the owner of a military surplus store in Sylacauga; pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal U.S. property. The court sentenced him to 14 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3,940,940.
- James Kenneth Scott; 73, of Sylacauga, a middleman; pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal U.S. property. The court sentenced him to 12 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3.5 million.
- Scott Bunch; 54, of Alexandria, a Defense Logistics Agency supervisor; pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal U.S. property. The court sentenced him to 12 months in prison and ordered him to pay restitution of $3.75 million.
Bonner’s sentence came about following his conviction in December while other individuals pleaded guilty throughout 2022 and 2023, as reported in the December 15, 2023, edition of “The Coosa County News.”
“These sentences send a clear message that such criminal conduct will not be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona. “The successful investigation and prosecution of this case demonstrates the dedication of our law enforcement partners and prosecutors to ensure that these defendants were brought to justice.”
The Department of Defense Office of Inspector Defense Criminal Investigative Service and Defense Logistics Agency Office of Inspector General investigated the case with assistance from the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Martin and Ryan Rummage prosecuted the cases.
“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,” said 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.”
