6 Fort Campbell soldiers allegedly sold $1 million in stolen military equipment on eBay

It's probably a tale as old as the military itself, but even the anonymity of the online marketplace couldn't keep these alleged military conspirators from getting nabbed by the feds for pinching combat gear for resale on the outside.

The United States Attorney's Office for Middle Tennessee indicted six Fort Campbell soldiers Oct. 6 for allegedly selling more than $1 million worth of military equipment they'd stolen from the base to buyers on eBay. The feds say the soldiers stole sensitive items, including body armor, sniper optics and flight helmets and sold them to anonymous bidders — some they say were in foreign countries.

Four sergeants and two specialists were named in the indictment, along with two civilians who the Justice Department says helped the soldiers resell the gear to foreign buyers, including flight helmets to Russian buyers and night vision helmet mounts to buyers in China and Mexico.

"Homeland Security considers the national security interests of our nation among our top priorities," said Homeland Security Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer, who helped with the investigation. "It's especially disturbing when we identify corrupted members of our military who undermine the welfare of this this country, so we, along with our law enforcement partners, shall continue to aggressively investigate this type of criminal activity."

The indictment charges each defendant with conspiring to steal or receive U.S. Army property and to sell or convey U.S. Army property without authority. The civilian defendants were charged with additional counts of wire fraud, money laundering and violating the Arms Export Control Act. One was also charged with three counts of selling or conveying U.S. Army property without authority.

"Those who compromise the safety of the American public and our military personnel in the interest of greed will be held accountable for their actions," IRS investigator Tracey D. Montaño said.

The Justice Department says each defendant faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 on the conspiracy charge. The civilians face up to 20 years for each for wire fraud and violating the Arms Export Control Act and an additional 20 years on the money laundering charges. The defendants also face forfeiture of the proceeds of their crimes.