[A] supply sergeant for the Vermont Army National Guard was arrested for stealing government-issue uniforms from a Rutland armory and selling them on eBay.
Ammon Yule, 42, of Chittenden, pleaded not guilty to three counts of theft of government property and three counts of mail fraud, in federal court on Wednesday before federal Magistrate John Conroy. Yule was released on conditions pending trial.
Court documents allege that Yule ordered large quantities of Army uniform items, including boots, parkas and duffel bags, from Army warehouses in Kentucky and had them shipped to his attention to the Guard armory in Rutland.
Yule allegedly sold much of the gear on eBay, advertising the items as new, official U.S. government-issued uniform items. The Department of Justice, in a press release, said Yule stole “pallets” of items in the last year through this scheme.
Yule faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each theft of government property charge, and a maximum of 20 years and a $250,000 fine for each mail count charge. The release notes that the actual sentence will be determined by the court with guidance from the advisory Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Christina Nolan said in a statement, “My office will continue to vigilantly guard the public fisc. In particular, we will bring consequences to those who would steal precious resources from our armed services.”
Mikel Arcovitch, a Guard spokesman, said in a statement that the Vermont National Guard has investigated the allegations made against Yule and taken appropriate action in accordance with military regulation.
“We hold our service members to a high standard,” Arcovitch said. “Actions that violate the law and Army Values break the trust that citizens place on our organization and will not be tolerated.”
