U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of Virginia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
American Contractor Sentenced for Theft of Government Equipment on U.S. Military Base in Afghanistan
ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An American military contractor was sentenced today to 51 months in prison for her role in a theft ring on a military installation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
“This defendant exploited her position of trust as a security supervisor by facilitating the theft and movement of government equipment from a U.S. military base in Afghanistan into the hands of unknown and unvetted individuals,” said Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The defendant, along with her co-conspirators, helped orchestrate and execute the scheme to circumvent the military base’s security protocols for their own financial gain. We will continue to hold accountable those who compromise the safety of the courageous women and men protecting us overseas.”
According to court documents, Varita V. Quincy, 35, of Snellville, Georgia, admitted that, between April 2015 and July 2015, she and others conspired to steal property from the Kandahar military installation, including generators, a truck, and other items worth over $150,000. Larry Green, one of Quincy’s co-conspirators, negotiated the sale of the stolen property with a third-country national middleman, who in turn facilitated the sale of the items to unknown persons in Kandahar.
Quincy further admitted that, to effectuate the theft of the generators and other property, she used her position as a security badging and escort pass supervisor to create, or cause to be made, false official documents. The false documents facilitated both the entry of unknown and unvetted Afghan nationals and their vehicles onto the military installation and effectuated the removal of the stolen property from the installation. The falsified documents were used to deceive security officers and gate guards and compromised the security of U.S. military and civilian personnel on the military installation. Leading up to today’s hearing, Quincy engaged in additional fraudulent conduct by submitting altered documents to the Court in aid of sentencing.
Quincy pleaded guilty on Oct. 13, 2020 to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit theft of property of value to the United States, and one count of making false statements. As part of her sentencing today, Quincy also was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $179,708.
Green pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and commit theft of property of value to the United States; one count of theft of property of value to the United States; and one count of aiding and abetting the submission of false statements. Green was sentenced on Nov. 19, 2020 to 41 months in prison and ordered to pay $179,708 in restitution.
Acting U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh of the Eastern District of Virginia; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko made the announcement.
SIGAR investigated the case with help from the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Command (CID) and the 939th Military Police Detachment of the Indiana Army National Guard.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Kosky of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorneys Sasha N. Rutizer of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Rosaleen O’Gara of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section, are prosecuting the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:20-cr-55 and 2:20-cr-46.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/pr/american-contractor-sentenced-theft-government-equipment-us-military-base-afghanistan