A New Hampshire man, Christopher Hagan, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Portland for his involvement in conspiring to transport and sell stolen government property. Judge John A. Woodcock, Jr. sentenced Hagan, 33, to 12 months plus one day in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Additionally, he was fined $10,000 and ordered to forfeit $150,000 while being required to refile his tax returns for five years.
Hagan pleaded guilty on May 13, 2024. Court records reveal that between October 2017 and September 2021, he acquired stolen government items which he resold online. Jonathan Chaisson, a coconspirator employed by a national defense contractor in New Hampshire, provided Hagan with repaired military devices after stealing or converting parts designated for military use.
Further conspirators included Wade Walker and Michael Humphrey from Texas who were involved in stealing and selling military equipment from the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). Both worked at the DLA Red River Army Depot facility in Texarkana, Texas. In 2019 and 2020, Humphrey transferred stolen property to Walker who then passed it on to Hagan for resale.
Chaisson pleaded guilty on July 24, 2023, receiving two years probation; Humphrey pleaded guilty on October 31, 2023, also receiving two years probation; Walker pleaded guilty on January 8, 2024 and was sentenced to three years probation.
The case was investigated by the United States Department of Commerce – Office of Export Enforcement and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Acting U.S. Attorney Craig M. Wolff stated: “That Mr. Hagan and his conspirators would exploit their connections to the defense industry to put their own financial gain ahead of the nation’s security is unconscionable.”
Patrick J. Hegarty of DCIS Northeast Field Office remarked: “Profiting from the sale of stolen DoD property undermines the mission of the Defense Logistics Agency.”
James Guanci from the U.S. Department of Commerce added: “By stealing sensitive military technology...Christopher Hagan along with those he conspired with prioritized greed...over U.S. national security.”
