A 23-year-old Camp Pendleton Marine is behind bars after a federal grand jury charged him with exploiting his entry to one of many Marine Corps’ largest ammunition amenities to steal not less than one anti-tank missile system and big portions of rifle ammunition, earlier than promoting them to civilian consumers in his residence state of Arizona.
Cpl. Andrew Paul Amarillas of Glendale, Arizona, entered a not responsible plea March 26 in a Phoenix federal courthouse. He faces prices of conspiracy to commit theft and embezzlement of presidency property and possession and sale of stolen ammunition, in line with the indictment filed in U.S. District Courtroom for the District of Arizona. A decide ordered him held with out bail.
One co-conspirator saved Amarillas’ cellphone quantity below the title “Andrew Ammo,” in line with the prison grievance.
‘Simply Acquired Some Javs’
Prosecutors allege Amarillas leveraged his project as an ammunition technician specialist on the College of Infantry West to steal Javelin missile programs, M855A1 enhanced-performance rifle rounds and commonplace M855 ammunition from Camp Pendleton between February 2022 and November 2025.
He then transported the stolen property to Arizona and offered it to 2 unnamed, unindicted co-conspirators who handed the fabric to not less than two Arizona corporations.
Textual content messages recovered by investigators present Amarillas pitching his stolen stock.
“Simply [got] some javs and another ones,” he wrote to a co-conspirator, in line with the prison grievance. “[I] have 2 launchers that [I] suppose you want, if you wish to have a look tomorrow.”
On Oct. 10, 2025, federal brokers seized a Javelin missile system from an Arizona residence. The weapon had not been demilitarized and couldn’t legally be in civilian palms. Its serial quantity matched one Amarillas signed out from the bottom on Aug. 13, 2024, in line with courtroom data.
The recovered weapon was described in detention paperwork as “one of many Javelin Missile Techniques” Amarillas had agreed to steal and promote, elevating the chance that others had been taken.
The amount of stolen ammunition was staggering. Throughout one stretch of about two weeks, Amarillas allegedly moved 66 cans of M855 rifle rounds. Roughly one-third has been recovered, the Los Angeles Instances reported.
He additionally provided 30 cans in a single transaction, amounting to about 25,000 rounds, in line with courtroom paperwork. Prosecutors advised the courtroom that as much as 2 million rounds of M855 might stay unaccounted for.
Tracing the Lacking Weapons
Undercover regulation enforcement officers bought stolen ammunition from each Arizona corporations throughout the investigation. Lot numbers on the recovered rounds traced again to an Army depot in Utah and to provide factors at Camp Pendleton the place data confirmed Amarillas had personally signed for them.
Federal brokers arrested Amarillas on March 5 at Quantico, Virginia, the place he was finishing an eight-week coaching course earlier than a attainable project guarding the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar. The federal government argued he was a flight threat and will intervene with witnesses and proof nonetheless at Camp Pendleton.
A conviction on the conspiracy cost alone carries as much as 5 years in jail. Every extra rely might carry as much as 10 years.
“The complete extent of how a lot Defendant stole, to whom he all offered it, and the way it has been used just isn’t but identified,” prosecutors wrote in detention filings.
Appearing Deputy Assistant Director Jeff Houston advised the Related Press that the company and its companions stay dedicated to investigating allegations that army weapons and munitions are being diverted to the black market.
A Recurring Drawback
The Amarillas indictment follows a collection of federal prosecutions involving servicemembers and army veterans who turned base entry into revenue.
In July 2024, Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christopher Hammond was sentenced to a few years in federal jail for stealing and promoting authorities gear at Fort Liberty, North Carolina. Hammond banked not less than $1.8 million over two years, in line with the Division of Justice.
Investigators discovered 98 firearms, 90 military-issued recognizing scopes, night time imaginative and prescient goggles and greater than $100,000 in money once they searched his residence.
In March 2025, a Killeen, Texas, civilian named Benjamin Alvarado Jr. obtained a 10-year sentence for buying and reselling $2.75 million in gear that 4 Fort Cavazos troopers stole in not less than seven separate operations, in line with the Division of Justice. Investigators recovered greater than 24,000 objects, together with weapons components and physique armor.
The investigation additionally revealed that Alvarado participated within the switch of a Joint Chemical Agent Detector to a purchaser in China by means of a intermediary in Delaware.
Explosives went unaccounted for on the Marine Corps Air Floor Fight Middle in Twentynine Palms, California, in 2021. NCIS advised the AP on the time that it was investigating however offered no particulars. No prices have been made public.
Camp Pendleton itself has seen related points in recent times. In 2021, not less than 5 reconnaissance Marines from the bottom had been investigated for stealing hundreds of rounds of ammunition and explosives, with one making an attempt to promote stolen ammo on-line earlier than being caught in a federal sting, ABC 10News San Diego reported.
A 2021 AP investigation documented not less than 1,900 army firearms misplaced or stolen in the course of the prior decade, with some turning up in violent crimes. The inquiry additionally discovered that the Pentagon had stopped offering Congress with annual experiences on lacking weapons years earlier.
What units the Amarillas case aside from the others is the profile of the allegedly stolen objects. Rifle components, scopes, ammunition and even small-arms are essentially the most generally stolen items of apparatus. A reside Javelin anti-tank missile system transported to an Arizona residence and provided on the market to civilians is a completely distinctive incident.
Investigators are nonetheless working to find out how rather more is on the market.
