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         Sept. 11, 2008

KANSAS MAN ADMITS HE KNEW ANTIQUES WERE STOLEN FROM SOLDIERS

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man has pleaded guilty to helping another man cover up the theft of antiques and household goods put in storage by military personnel who were deployed or transferred from Ft. Leavenworth, U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren announced Thursday.

Christopher Wilson, 33, Leavenworth, pleaded guilty to one count of misprision of a felony. In his plea, he admitted he knew that a fellow employee of Century Van Lines in Leavenworth was sorting out valuable goods soldiers stored with the movers and placing them up for sale. Co-defendant Robert Kieser, 49, Elwood, Kan., is set for jury trial Jan. 5, 2009.

“Goods stolen from soldiers were sold at garage sales or auctioned off on eBay,” Melgren said. “Some of them wound up on shelves in antique stores in St. Joseph, Mo.”

In his plea, Wilson said that in May 1999 he and Kieser began working for Century Van Lines in Leavenworth as packers, forklift operators and truck drivers. The company had a contract with the Ft. Leavenworth Transportation Department to move and store personal and household goods for military personnel who were deployed or transferred. Wilson said Kieser sorted out antiques and other valuable items to be stored separately from other items. Kieser then contacted antique dealers to tell them the items were for sale. Kieser conducted what he called “garage sales” at his residence, which were advertised in the St. Joseph News-Press. Another individual was directed to sell some of the items on eBay. Stolen goods including collectable lunch boxes, decorative platters and oriental rugs were sold to antique shops and individuals in Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin and Ohio.

Wilson admitted he helped transport stolen items from the warehouse to Kieser’s house even though he knew they were stolen. The thefts occurred through 2003, he said.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 8, 2008. He faces a maximum penalty of 3 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

Melgren commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Services, the Leavenworth Police Department, the Elwood Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask for their work on the case.