Fort Bragg may be changing its name to Fort Liberty, but the switch-up isn't likely to do much to paper over the image of one of America's largest military bases as a hive of drug addicts, criminals, and shady activities.
Last week it was announced that a husband and wife team on the North Carolina base are due to be sentenced for corruption-related charges as the warrant officer and his officer wife were stealing government property.
The Army only got wise to the scheme because the supplier of a government contracted item realized that warranty repairs for the item destined for the military was actually being sent in by a private individual.
Chief Warrant Officer Three (CW3) Christopher Hammond pled guilty to theft and possession of government property as well as money laundering. Meanwhile, his wife, Major Heather Hammond, was convicted for spending money laundering proceeds and aiding and abetting by washing the money through her personal bank accounts. They face a sentence of 30 years and 10 years, respectively.
"He stole military scopes, weapons parts, tools, welding equipment, night vision goggles and ATVs,” U.S. Attorney Michael Easley stated in a press release. “This gear was meant to support our troops in the fight for freedom, but the Hammonds sold it to retire in style.”
Related
Here is how the scheme worked: using his position in the military CW3 Hammond would request items for his unit, but then never log them into the unit's property books and instead sell them on the side to private individuals. Investigators discovered that he had stolen at least 200 items and received wire transfers for them to the tune of $1.8 million, which were then deposited in his wife's bank accounts.
"The FBI and our partners will aggressively investigate these types of crimes to ensure this criminal abuse of power and betrayal does not go unpunished," said FBI agent Robert M. DeWitt.
Want to get more connected to the stories and resources Connecting Vets has to offer? Click here to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Reach Jack Murphy: jack@connectingvets.com or @JackMurphyRGR.
Related
