Marine Gets 3 Years in Stolen Gear Sales

A Camp Pendleton Marine on Monday received the longest sentence to date--three years in federal prison --among the 65 people charged with selling military gear stolen from Camp Pendleton to undercover agents.

Robert Johnson was given the term--plus a $6,000 fine--by U.S. District Court Judge Howard Turrentine, and Johnson’s wife, Judy, received a two-year sentence. Assistant U.S. Atty. Pam Naughton said Johnson was stationed at Camp Pendleton and the couple lived in Oceanside. Both had pleaded guilty to one felony count of selling stolen merchandise to undercover agents at Golden State Surplus in Oceanside, a phony storefront operated by the FBI and Naval Investigative Service.

The prosecutor said the Johnsons participated in 17 transactions involving approximately $6,000 worth of cold-weather gear. Of those indicted earlier this year, 29 have pleaded guilty or have indicated they will soon enter guilty pleas, Naughton said. Ten people have been sentenced already, mostly for misdemeanor offenses.

Also Monday, the owner of Apollo Surplus in Oceanside pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving stolen government property. Thomas Prutzman, 55, a 20-year Marine Corps veteran, could face a maximum 20-year prison term. Prutzman will return to court June 3 for sentencing. The cases were the result of a sting operation that led to indictments of surplus dealers, and of Marines and Navy personnel suspected of taking millions of dollars’ worth of equipment from Camp Pendleton.

Authorities have estimated that the phony military surplus store took in $500,000 in stolen equipment during an 18-month operation. The FBI estimates that it has confiscated at least $1 million in stolen military gear from North County surplus stores and that $4 million in thefts annually can be linked to Camp Pendleton.