Ernesto Saldivar, Theft of Government Property, California 2024

A San Diego contractor has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing nearly $600,000 worth of computer equipment from several U.S. Navy ships.

Ernesto Saldivar, 30, was employed as part of the shipyard's modernization efforts at General Dynamics NASSCO. He stole hundreds of military hard drives and laptops from declassified areas on ships undergoing maintenance between November 2022 and August 2023.

Saldivar then sold the stolen items on eBay. Two of the hard drives he stole contained classified military communications. The affected ships included the USS Pinckney, USS Curtis Wilbur, and USS Spruance. The total value of the stolen computer equipment totaled $596,997.53.

During the investigation, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory conducted a forensic analysis on fingerprints left inside the empty hard drive trays. The prints belonged to Saldivar. Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents also traced eBay listings of some of the stolen equipment to Saldivar.

On August 25, 2023, NCIS agents recovered 120 of the missing hard drives, a Panasonic Toughbook laptop from the USS Pinckney with software from Integrated Voice Communications System (IVCS), several DC-DC converters traceable to the USS Pinckney, a BPM Microsystems 1410 taken from the Curtis Wilbur, and a BPM Microsystems 1710 Universal Device Programmer matching the serial number of an inventoried loss, all stored haphazardly in a shed on Saldivar's property.

Saldivar admitted in his plea agreement that the total value of the stolen items was $596,997.53, almost all of which he was ordered to pay the United States government in restitution. The defendant was also ordered to pay back the United States Navy the $2,584.98 he incurred in payments from eBay sales of the stolen items.

Prosecutors urged the court to impose a custodial sentence, noting that the three U.S. Navy destroyers that Saldivar stole from are critical to the national defense of the United States.

At sentencing, U.S. District Judge John A. Houston repeatedly admonished Saldivar for committing a 'grave breach of national security,' and noted the danger Saldivar's criminal behavior posed to military personnel and national defense.

Saldivar was sentenced to 18 months in prison for Theft of Government Property. He must also pay $596,997.53 in restitution and $2,584.98 to the United States Navy.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/shipyard-contractor-sentenced-prison-stealing-almost-600000-worth-computer-equipment