U.S. Marine Indicted for Stealing Weapons, Ammo from Base

A federal grand jury in Arizona has indicted a 23-year-old U.S. Marine on charges of stealing military weapons and ammunition from a California base and selling them to coconspirators in his home state. Corporal Andrew Paul Amarillas, an ammunition technician specialist at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, pleaded not guilty last Thursday in Phoenix to counts including conspiracy to commit theft and embezzlement of government property, as well as possession and sale of stolen ammunition. A judge ordered him held without bail pending trial.

Prosecutors allege that Amarillas exploited his role at the School of Infantry West at the San Diego-area base to steal items over more than three years, from February 2022 to November 2025. The stolen materials included at least one nondemilitarized Javelin shoulder-fired antitank missile system, thousands of rounds of military-grade ammunition such as M855 and M855A1 rifle rounds, and other weapons-related equipment. Authorities estimate that up to 2 million rounds of M855 ammunition may remain unaccounted for, though exact figures are still under investigation.

According to the indictment filed in U.S. District Court for the District of...