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Last updated on Thursday, June 14, 2018
(CRANE) - Two men are facing federal charges for their alleged roles in stealing Humvees from Naval Support Activity Crane.
U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler says that 52-year-old Mark W. Collier and 63-year-old Richard S. Treloar are both facing seven counts of false statements. Treloar is also being charged with seven counts of conversion of government property.
Minkler says Treloar owned a St. Louis based company called Treloar Enterprises International, Inc., (TEI) which contracted with the Department of Defense, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to demilitarize military vehicles, mostly Humvees.
Demilitarization would include eliminating the functional capabilities and inherent design features of the vehicles, and in many cases, the total destruction of the Humvees. TEI took delivery of all Humvees from Naval Support Activity Crane (Crane) from January 2014 through November 2015.
When the Humvees were demilitarized, both Treloar and Collier verified in writing that the process had been completed. However, prosecutors claim the defendants lied about demilitarizing at least seven Humvees.
Minkler says Treloar converted at least seven fully armored Humvees for his own use and sold or attempted to sell them for his own benefit. The value of the Humvees was over $589,000, according to Minkler.
"Not only is fraud of this type a serious financial crime, the equipment involved is concerning," Mike Wiest, Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Southeast Field Office says. "There are no legitimate civilian uses for an armored military vehicle. NCIS will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who siphon resources away from America's warfighters."
Assistant United States Attorney Bradley P. Shepard, who is prosecuting this case for the government, says Treloar faces up to 10 years' imprisonment on each count of conversion of government property and Collier faces up to five years' imprisonment on each count of false statements.
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