Three CNY men arrested for stealing and selling military equipment

NEW YORK STATE (WSYR-TV) — New York State Police announced Monday, July 8, that they have arrested four people following a months-long investigation into the theft and resale of government-owned military equipment.

In June, New York State Police were contacted by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division. They learned of a suspicious post on Facebook Marketplace created by James Waleski, a 50-year-old Department of Defense civilian who worked with the 174th Air National Guard Attack Wing in Syracuse.

State police were told that Waleski was offering military equipment for sale on his Facebook Marketplace account that was not publicly available.

The NYSP then executed search warrants on Waleski’s home, phone, and computer, and seized tens of thousands of dollars worth of military equipment stolen from the Army National Guard’s 174th Brigade, 27th Infantry Brigade in Syracuse, and the Army’s 272nd Military Police Detachment in Auburn.

The seized military equipment came from all parts of the USA, including Texas, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Florida, and partly from Taberg and Flushing, New York.

In one case, investigators seized a bulletproof vest that was to be sent on to Russia, the NYSP said.

During the investigation, it was also discovered that Gordon Reynolds, a 44-year-old military policeman with the 272nd Army Military Police Detachment in Auburn, and Joriann Garcia-Hernandez, a 38-year-old supply specialist with Company D of the 152nd Engineer Battalion in Syracuse, also stole items and were arrested, according to the NYSP.

Police also discovered that numerous illegal assaults had occurred in Waleski’s home, but these were not caused by his employer.

Waleski is accused of:

• Grand Theft in the Second Degree, a Class C Felony
• 10 counts of third-degree unlawful possession of a firearm – high capacity magazines, a class D felony
• Third Degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon – Assault Weapon, a Class D Felony
• Unauthorized sale of body armor, a Class A misdemeanor.

Reynolds is accused of:

• Criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a class E felony
• 10 counts of third-degree unlawful possession of a firearm – high capacity magazines, a class D felony
• 10 counts of third-degree unlawful possession of a firearm – high capacity magazines, a class D felony

Garcia-Hernandez is accused of:

• Petty theft, a Class A misdemeanor

Jennifer Waleski, who lives in the same home as James Waleski, was arrested and charged with ten counts of third-degree illegal possession of a weapon – assault weapon, a Class D felony.