Jan. 12--A Naperville man who worked as a military contractor in Afghanistan pleaded guilty Monday to stealing more than $330,000 worth of high-end computer equipment from the air base where he was stationed.
Timothy Maurer, 51, pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft of government property in a brief appearance before U.S. District Judge Robert Dow. He faces up to 2 1/2 years in prison when he is sentenced in April.
As an employee of the large government contractor Raytheon Corp., Maurer was assigned to Shindand Air Base in western Afghanistan, where the U.S. Air Force 445th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron is headquartered.
Beginning in December 2013, Maurer stole from secure areas of the base more than 150 items of computer and communications equipment, including laptops, cellphones, computer switches, batteries, power cables and electronic storage devices, according to his plea agreement with prosecutors.
On at least one occasion, Maurer forced open a lock to gain entry to a storage container, while other equipment was taken from locations where it was being used, according to the plea.
In January 2014, Maurer communicated via email with vendors in the U.S. who specialized in reselling high-end computer equipment, according to the plea agreement. Maurer packed boxes with much of the stolen merchandise and shipped them to the vendors, who sold the equipment for about $150,000 and paid him via the online service PayPal.
An additional $180,000 worth of equipment was either intercepted by investigators or recovered from Maurer's living quarters on the base, according to the plea agreement.
Maurer, who is free on his own recognizance, kept his head down in court Monday and answered softly, "Yes, your honor," when the judge asked him if he agreed with the government's characterization of his crime. Maurer and his attorney, Jeff King, declined to comment outside the courtroom.
There was no indication from the 16-page plea agreement that any sensitive military information was compromised in the scheme.
John Sopko, special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, said in a written statement that "stealing from the U.S. government undermines our mission in Afghanistan, and anyone seeking to defraud the American taxpayer will be brought to justice."
jmeisner@tribune.com
Twitter @jmetr22b
