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2026-03-31 -Lurid Crime Tales-
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Marine accused of stealing rocket launchers, war-grade ammunition from Camp Pendleton
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[SDUT] The Marine was stationed at Camp Pendleton for nearly four years, until January of this year, and is accused of conspiring to steal and sell weapons and ammunition nearly his entire time at the Oceanside-area base
Just a couple rounds for plinking, right?
A Marine Corps corporal is facing federal charges stemming from the alleged thefts of multiple shoulder-fired rocket launchers and tens of thousands of rounds of military-grade ammunition from Camp Pendleton and then selling the weapons to co-conspirators in his home state of Arizona, according to court documents.
Oops
While the corporal is the only person known to be facing charges at the moment, prosecutors filed court documents last week alleging a criminal conspiracy involving licensed gun dealers in Arizona, as well as implying the potential involvement of others at the base.
"Defendant stole and sold large volumes of U.S. military ammunition seemingly with the help of others at Camp Pendleton," an assistant U.S. attorney in Arizona wrote in a court filing Thursday.
The filing suggested that a massive amount of ammunition — potentially up to 2 million rounds — had been diverted away from Camp Pendleton sometime after it had been shipped from the Utah factory where it was made.
Cpl. Andrew Paul Amarillas was indicted earlier this month by a federal grand jury in Arizona on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit theft and embezzlement of government property and conspiracy to possess and sell stolen ammunition. Federal prosecutors said Amarillas joined the Marine Corps in 2021 and was an ammunition technician specialist who from February 2022 to January 2026 was assigned to Camp Pendleton’s School of Infantry — West.
"Defendant stole weapons and ammunition of war and sold them to others to enrich himself," a prosecutor wrote in a motion filed last Thursday seeking to keep Amarillas behind bars. "Instead of faithfully serving his country, he has been stealing weapons and ammunition from the military base at which he was stationed for several years."
Amarillas pleaded not guilty to the charges last week during a hearing in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. His retained attorney did not respond Monday to a message seeking comment.
Federal agents arrested Amarillas on March 5 while he was participating in an eight-week training course in Virginia and preparing for deployment to the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar, according to court documents. The charges against him were unsealed last week and first reported by Arizona’s Family, a network of television news stations.
Officials from Camp Pendleton and Marine Corps headquarters could not be reached for comment Monday.
Amarillas is charged with stealing and selling at least one Javelin Weapon System, an anti-tank shoulder-fired guided missile launcher, according to court documents. Prosecutors said one specific rocket launcher that he signed out in August 2024 from the Camp Pendleton infantry school was later purchased by undercover agents from an Arizona company.
"Defendant’s text messages with his co-conspirators prove that he stole and sold other such weapons," a prosecutor wrote in the detention memorandum seeking to keep him in custody.
Amarillas is also charged with stealing and selling tens of thousands of rounds of high-powered rifle ammunition that a prosecutor described as "so lethal that the public cannot legally possess it." He is accused of stealing and selling M855A1 Enhanced Performance Rounds, which are 5.56 mm rounds the public cannot legally buy or possess in any circumstances. He’s also accused of stealing and selling M855 non-enhanced rounds, which the public can legally buy and possess in some circumstances, but not when they’re specifically manufactured for the military.
According to the criminal complaint in the case, undercover federal agents purchased thousands of those rounds on multiple occasions in 2024 and 2025, including at Arizona gun shows. The complaint and indictment alleged that agents were able to trace almost all of the ammunition back to Camp Pendleton, and specifically back to the School of Infantry — West where Amarillas was stationed.
The complaint and indictment alleged that text messages between Amarillas and his co-conspirators in Arizona showed them planning "their conspiracy," and that after agents raided the Arizona home of one of the co-conspirators, Amarillas destroyed his own phone in an effort to cover his tracks.
Juuust a little late
The complaint and indictment alleged the conspiracy began as early as February 2022. The prosecution’s detention memorandum suggested Amarillas may have worked with others at Camp Pendleton to divert ammunition away from the base.
A prosecutor wrote that the Army used its records to verify that the lot numbers of some stolen ammunition purchased by undercover agents in Arizona showed that ammunition had been made at an Army depot in Utah and sent to Camp Pendleton.
"The problem is that the U.S. Marine Corps records do not show those lots ever being issued to the School of Infantry West," the prosecutor wrote. "So that leaves about 2 million rounds of M855 unaccounted for."
A judge has ordered Amarillas to remain in custody. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge and up to 10 years each on two additional counts.
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Posted by Frank G 2026-03-31 04:21||
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