A 23-year-old Marine ammunition specialist is accused of turning his access to military firepower into a side business that allegedly included selling off a shoulder-fired missile launcher. Cpl. Andrew Paul Amarillas, stationed at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of stealing government property and possessing and selling stolen ammunition, according to an indictment filed in Arizona, per the New York Times. Prosecutors say that between 2022 and 2025, Amarillas quietly siphoned off weapons and ammo, then brought them to his home state of Arizona, where he sold them to intermediaries, who resold the equipment to others, per the Los Angeles Times.
The indictment alleges Amarillas stole a Javelin missile system—a shoulder-fired anti-tank weapon—that eventually surfaced with another buyer before being seized by authorities. Text messages cited in the filing show offers that allegedly included "two launchers" and 30,000 rounds of ammunition. The messages allegedly also included a photo of a Javelin missile system, made exclusively for the US military, that Amarillas had signed out of Pendleton's School of Infantry West. Undercover agents later seized or purchased some of the hardware, but not all has been recovered. A judge has ordered that Amarillas be held until trial, citing concerns that he might flee or try to interfere with the investigation, per the LA Times.
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