San Diego
A third person charged in connection with a conspiracy to smuggle stolen military aircraft and parts to Iran has pleaded guilty in San Diego.
Virginia Wheeler, an employee of the Naval Air Rework Facility in Norfolk, Va., pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to defraud the United States and to illegal exportation of defense materials.
Under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, she faces a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a $350,000 fine.
Wheeler was accused of using her post to penetrate Navy security and aid a San Diego-based ring that prosecutors say transferred millions of dollars worth of sophisticated weaponry to Iran between early 1981 and July, 1985.
Her ex-husband, Daniel Wheeler, who also was an employee of the Navy facility in Norfolk, and Pedro M. Quito, a civilian warehouse worker at North Island Naval Air Station, also have pleaded guilty to charges tied to the conspiracy.
The Wheelers stole more than $500,000 in military aircraft parts, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Six other people have been indicted in the case, including Franklin P. Augustin of National City, the alleged head of the smuggling ring. As part of her plea bargain, Virginia Wheeler agreed to testify against the other defendants.
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