A soldier was sentenced Wednesday for teaming up with two fellow soldiers to steal and sell thousands of government computers, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Harrison native Gregory Murray, 48, was sentenced to two months of home confinement, two years probation, 100 hours of community service and fined $12,124 for stealing computers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Department of Justice spokesman Patrick Crosby said.
The theft occurred between 2003 and 2007 when Mr. Murray was stationed at Army Reserve centers in Tennessee, Mr. Crosby said.
A news release said, the soldiers discovered that they could request surplus computers and other equipment through a federal program.
As part of the scheme, the soldiers filed false paperwork stating the computers and equipment they obtained would be used for Army purposes, Mr. Crosby said.
The computers then were sold to various computer stores in Georgia and Tennessee, Mr. Crosby said. Mr. Murray sold the stolen computers through private sales and through listings in newspapers, magazines and Internet auction businesses such as eBay, Mr. Crosby said.
Though one of the other soldiers stole hardware from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Air Force, Mr. Murray obtained equipment solely from the Centers for Disease Control, the news release said.
Earl Lamont Smith, 38, of Douglasville, Ga., and Harold Grady, 43, of West Moreland, Tenn., also were sentenced in connection with the charges.