Iraq war veteran pleads guilty to stealing military gear

URBANA -- An Iraq war veteran pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing body armor, night-vision equipment and other gear while serving in the Illinois National Guard.

Christopher R. Henkel, 36, of Decatur told U.S. Magistrate Court Judge David Bernthal he stole more than $70,000 worth of equipment, The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported.

"Unfortunately, they're true," Henkel said when asked if the facts in his plea agreement were accurate.

Henkel pleaded guilty to a single count of theft of government property. His public defender, John Taylor, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Bruce have negotiated a sentence that includes 18 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a $44,000 fine and $16,000 in restitution, which a federal judge still needs to approve, the News-Gazette said.

Henkel was allowed to remain out of prison on bond until the judge's decision on sentencing, scheduled for January. Henkel declined to comment on his guilty plea after Thursday's hearing.

Henkel and Lee N. Shobe of Toledo were arrested Jan. 12 by FBI agents after selling body armor and night-vision gear to undercover informants, according to the court complaint filed against them.

Shobe received 30 days in prison, five months of home detention and two years of probation in September after pleading guilty to stealing equipment worth about $37,000.

Henkel maintained a page on the auction Web site eBay where he sold military gear to buyers in the United States and abroad, according to the complaint. Henkel was a Guard captain and Decatur firefighter; Shobe was a full-time staff sergeant in the Guard.

The men spent a year in Iraq as part of the Headquarters Company of the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry, based in Urbana, the Illinois National Guard has said. They returned in spring 2006.