QUESTIONABLE

Trial Begins in $1M Stolen U.S. Military Gear Scheme

Investigators say Tennessee man sold equipment on eBay to buyers in China and Russia.

The lone defendant in a federal trial over the alleged sale of more than $1 million in stolen military equipment testified Wednesday that he had no idea the items he sold through eBay were stolen. John Roberts, a Tennessee resident, is charged with of wire fraud and conspiracy to steal and sell government property as part of a scheme in which prosecutors say he sold sensitive U.S. military equipment and weapons parts over a black market to buyers in Russia, China, Mexico, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. Six Fort Campbell soldiers and Roberts’ civilian business partner made plea deals in the case in exchange for their testimony. Roberts said he purchased the equipment from soldiers who said the items were legally purchased or being discarded by the military, the Associated Press reports. “I didn’t try to hide anything,” Roberts said Wednesday at his trial in Nashville. “That’s why I filed taxes on everything I sold on eBay. I thought it was OK,” he said.