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Christopher R. Henkel, 36, told U.S. Magistrate Court Judge David Bernthal he stole more than $70,000 worth of equipment.
Henkel pleaded guilty to theft of government property. His public defender, John Taylor, and federal prosecutor 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, The News-Gazette of Champaign reported.
Henkel was allowed to remain out of prison on bond until the judge's decision on sentencing, scheduled for January. Henkel declined comment.
Henkel and Lee N. Shobe were arrested in January after selling body armor and night-vision gear to undercover informants, according to a criminal complaint. 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; Shobe was a full-time staff sergeant.
The men spent a year in Iraq as part of the Headquarters Company of the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry, the Illinois National Guard has said. They returned in spring 2006.
[Associated Press]
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