Army investigators are offering a $15,000 reward for information on the theft of dozens of pistols, night vision goggles and a thermal optic that have been missing from Fort Moore, Georgia, since earlier this year.
The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division posted a reward notice last week, which identified even more gear missing from the facility than originally indicated in a May 16 report. In that report, 31 M17 handguns were noted as missing from the installation’s Crescenz Consolidated Equipment Pool, according to an Army release.
Since the pistols were reported missing, investigators in late August and early October found that two sets of Enhanced Night Vision Goggles and an AN/PAS 13D Thermal Optic were also unaccounted for.
RELATED
The division could not provide additional information at this time, as the investigation is ongoing, CID spokesman Mark Lunardi told Army Times.
Tipsters can anonymously report information through a link provided by Army CID. The cash payout for military or federal employees is based on whether the information leads to a conviction.
According to the notice, the pistols may have gone missing between March and the date of the May report.
The Army is fielding the M17 pistol as the standard issue sidearm to replace the M9, both chambered in 9mm. The pistol is part of a Modular Handgun System, which includes an optic, adjustable hand grips and a holster.
The AN/PAS 13D thermal optic is used with the M2 .50 caliber and 7.62mm M240B machine guns. The Enhanced Night Vision Goggle, meanwhile, is the Army’s newest night vision device, fielded with thermal capability and the ability to link wirelessly to other weapon optics.
In July officials arrested an Army National Guard military police officer — who also served as a supply specialist — investigators allege stole military-grade equipment from New York-based units before selling the gear to the public.
Gordon Reynolds, previously assigned to the 272nd Military Police Detachment in Auburn, New York, was charged in the scheme.
Police recovered thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment from Texas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida and New York, according to a release.
Also in July, Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Hammond was sentenced to three years in prison following a conviction on six charges connected to money laundering, theft of government property and wire fraud.
Hammond and his wife, Army Maj. Heather Hammond, were both arrested in May 2022 and found guilty in an April 2023 jury trial on charges of stealing $2 million in government gear and selling the equipment over a two-year period.
Heather Hammond was later acquitted in a second trial.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
Read the full article here
