Lacey men indicted for scheme to steal gear from JBLM, selling it online
Two former servicemen from Lacey were indicted Dec. 17 for an alleged conspiracy to steal and sell thousands of dollars of military gear, the U.S. Attorney’s Office shared in a press release.
A grand jury formally charged 27-year-old Charles Ethan Fields and 27-year-old Levi Austin Frakes with conspiracy, four counts of government property theft, assault, robbery and attempted government property theft.
The two-year scheme stretches back to at least early 2023, when the men stole equipment from Joint Base Lewis-McChord and brought it back to their Lacey home, the press release read. The indictment alleges the men stole seven different times from the JBLM Ranger compound.
Fields and Frakes attempted to steal from a facility on the compound on June 1 of this year, but were thwarted when an army member discovered them, the release said. The men attacked the serviceman, beating him with a hammer and brandishing a knife.
The pair then ran from the compound, dropping the equipment along the way.
Investigators traced the men to their home the next day and searched for evidence, finding stolen military equipment and $24,000 in cash. The two men were arrested June 2 and have remained in custody since.
The looted property included night vision devices, armor, munitions and explosives such as flash bangs, smoke grenades and blasting caps. Some of these items are restricted and not authorized to be owned or stored in a private residence, the release read.
The men allegedly sold the equipment online using accounts with false names.
Fields and Frakes’s arraignment takes place on Dec. 22. Assault and stealing government property are each punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Robbery is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
