Former Navy petty officer pleads guilty in theft and sale of nearly $1 million in military gear

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A California man who served 20 years in the United States Navy has pleaded guilty to the theft and sale of hundreds of thousands of dollars of government property.

Richard Allen, 52, pleaded guilty in Rhode Island federal court Thursday to conspiracy and six counts of money laundering.

Allen was stationed at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown-Cheatham Annex in Williamsburg, VA when he and others broke into a warehouse and stole $856,433 worth of Navy gear and supplies.

The items would be stored in numerous locations, including in Rhode Island.

Allen and others then found bulk sale domestic and international customers for the items and arranged for either in person or commercial shipping delivery.

Payments would be made through PayPal, including dozens of payments from an account in China.

The funds would then be transferred to the co-conspirator bank accounts in amounts of less than $10,000 to avoid bank reporting requirements.

Allen will be sentenced on November 26.