On February 2, 2009, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a press release announcing that Timothy Oldani and Joseph Oldani, brothers, pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal military optics from the US Marine Corps and illegally exporting them from the US. Joseph Oldani, a current Marine, pilfered the articles and sent them to his brother, Timothy Oldani, a former Marine, in Scott Depot, West Virginia. Timothy Oldani sold the purloined items over the internet - mainly on ebay. Curtis Johnson of Huntington, West Virginia's Herald Dispatch reported that the conspiracy netted the Oldani brothers at least $52,000 and included shipments of gun sights and night vision sights to Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan.Federal agents cracked the conspiracy when a special agent found the optics (which, according to DOJ, are not available for public purchase) for sale on ebay. From there, agents contacted the seller and neogtiated a purchase and delivery of five items to an undercover mailbox in Connecticut, including a technical manual marked "For Official Use Only".
The Oldani brothers face sentencing on May 18, 2009. Timothy Oldani is purportedly considering leaving some very negative feedback for the special agent purchaser.
Posts
