Corpus Christi resident Nathan Nichols, 46, pleaded guilty March 21 to conspiring to steal more than $2.1 million in military equipment from U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hood in June 2021.

During his plea, Nichols revealed he had been in contact with one of the people responsible for stealing the military equipment and made a deal to purchase the equipment for resale, according to a March 21 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement news release. Nichols then reportedly listed the items for sale on eBay. 

“By conspiring to steal military-grade equipment and sell it on the open market, this individual potentially exposed sensitive Department of Defense technologies to our enemies, endangered the lives of our men and women in uniform and weakened our national security," said Brad Scott, Homeland Security Investigations assistant special agent-in-charge, Corpus Christi. "Working together with our partners at U.S. Army [CID], we were able to uncover his actions and mitigate any potential harms that he might have done to the country."

Conspiring to steal military equipment wasn't the only crime to which Nichols pleaded. Additionally, Nichols pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling operation from 2018 to 2019.

Nichols' current guilty plea was heard by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, following an investigation by U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations division. Nichols' sentencing is scheduled for June 21, and he will remain in custody until his hearing.