NORFOLK, Va. — Shawn Claude Crowell, 40, plead guilty on Monday to theft of government property, after stealing military equipment from the base and selling it online.
Crowell, a Chief Petty Officer, was assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Wing Atlantic at Naval Station Norfolk from December 2022 to September 2024. He had access to and was responsible for inspecting and inventorying military equipment.
From January 2023 to June 2023, and possibly before that, Crowell had stolen several pieces of equipment, including seven sets of night vision goggles, two Matbock Tarsier Eclipse lenses and eight NVG battery packs. The total value of the stolen items was more than $160,000.
Crowell used online advertisements to sell five of the night vision goggles for nearly $20,000 over the course of four months in early 2023. On March 8, he listed the two lenses for sale, which are regulated by the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations. He sold the lenses for $300. On April 1, 2023, he sold the eight battery packs for $500.
On May 10, 2023, Naval Criminal Investigative Service officers (NCIS) interviewed Crowell and searched his vehicle, where one of the stolen night vision goggles was recovered.
Crowell is scheduled to be sentenced on April 11, 2025, and faces up to ten years in prison, though he will likely face a lesser sentence.
