A three-count indictment was returned last week in the Eastern District of Virginia, charging an American military contractor for her alleged role in a theft ring on a military installation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbit of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko made the announcement.
The indictment charges Varita V. Quincy of Snellville, Georgia, with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit theft of property of a value to the United States; one count of theft of property of value to the United States, and one count of making false official statements.
According to the indictment, between late 2014 and mid-2015, Quincy, Larry J. Green of Chesapeake, Virginia, and others conspired to steal equipment and military material while working for a government contractor operating on Kandahar Airfield, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Kandahar Airfield was used by U.S. military forces to support missions throughout Afghanistan. As alleged in the indictment, co-conspirator Green identified items of value he wanted to steal, such as vehicles, generators, refrigerators, and other equipment. He then negotiated the sale of those items with persons outside of the installation.
Green pleaded guilty Wednesday to participating in this theft ring. As a critical part of the conspiracy, Quincy created fictitious documents that allowed unknown and unvetted persons to access the installation and to remove the stolen items from the installation, thereby defeating vital security protocols and placing civilian and military personnel at risk. Quincy shared in the profits of the stolen items.
SIGAR investigated the case with help from Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and the 939th Military Police Detachment of the Indiana Army National Guard. Trial Attorneys Sasha N. Rutizer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Rosaleen O’Gara of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky of the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
