An active-duty airman accused of stealing dozens of sensitive military gear and selling the items on eBay made his initial appearance in Brooklyn federal court Wednesday and was released on $50,000 bond, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said in a statement.
Zachary Sizemore waived his right to a preliminary hearing during Wednesday’s appearance and signed off on a court document that said ongoing plea negotiations will likely result in his case being resolved before trial, according to legal filings.
A court order signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Marilyn D. Go on Wednesday said the prosecution can put off formal indictment against the service member for now so that both sides can focus their efforts towards reaching a plea deal.
Mr. Sizemore, an active-duty member of the U.S. Air Force’s 88th Security Forces Squadron, was arrested at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio on Nov. 28 and charged with selling roughly $50,000 worth of military equipment belonging to the U.S. government, including high-tech night vision goggles and thermal monoculars.
A criminal complaint filed by federal prosecutors last month accuses Mr. Sizemore, a senior airman, of having sold no fewer than 38 pieces of stolen military equipment between July 2013 and Nov. 2016, including devices that are made to military specifications and are required to be rendered useless prior to leaving government control.
Authorities say they seized two separate packages in June 2016 containing stolen night vision equipment, according to the complaint, each one listing Mr. Sizemore as the sender by his name and address. When investigators learned the airman planned to sell another piece of sensitive military gear later on, an undercover agent posing as an interested buyer successfully purchased the the product by winning an eBay auction hosted by Mr. Sizemore, according to the complaint. The undercover agent received military-grade Mini-Thermal Monoculars in the mail shortly after winning the $4,055 auction, and authorities arrested Mr. Sizemore at Wright-Patterson AFB several days later.
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After acquiring transaction records from eBay and PayPal, authorities determined Mr. Sizemore had successfully sold dozens of stolen equipment during a years-long scheme, including sensitive Mini-Thermal Monoculars and other specialized eyewear. All told authorities believe the airman put 45 pieces of gear up for auction and successfully sold 38 of them.
“Our military’s night vision technology is among the most advanced in the world,” U.S. Attorney Robert Capers said in a statement Wednesday. “As alleged, the defendant made stolen, military-issued, night vision devices available on the internet to anyone with the means to purchase them. Such technology gives our soldiers a critical advantage on the battlefield. Stealing that technology and selling it to the highest bidder puts our soldiers at risk.”
Before his arrest, Mr. Sizemore held a position at Wright-Patterson that required him to escort munitions shipments and perform inspections of restricted areas, the complaint attests. According to court filings, the airman previously was responsible for ensuring accountability of over 2.9 million weapons, ammunition and other gear stored at the base.
Mr. Sizemore faces up to 10 years in prison, forfeiture and a $250,000 fine if convicted on charges of theft and sale without authority of stolen military equipment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. A public defender listed as his attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday with respect to the potential guilty plea.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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