December 1997 A U.S. District Court judge had imposed prison sentences and restitution terms on five men involved in the theft of military vehicles from Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. Two of those sentenced to terms of imprisonment had been Army employees, one a former range maintenance officer. About 153 vehicles, once valued at $13 million and still conservatively estimated at the time of sentencing to be worth $1.5 million to $2.5 million, were taken from the post between September 1994 and June 1996. Among the stolen vehicles were M901 TOW missile launchers, a Sheridan tank, a howitzer, and other types of trucks. Although no missiles were taken and none of the equipment ended up in the hands of terrorists, the conspirators sold a TOW missile launcher to an individual in Oklahoma, and an undercover agent bought a M901 missile launcher and a jeep. However, the planned sale of a missile launcher and other equipment to Fox Studios for the movie Courage Under Fire fell through. Authorities eventually recovered many of the stolen vehicles. The charges and convictions against the men followed an intensive 13-month investigation by the Defense Criminal Investigation Service and the FBI, with help from Fort McCoy’s senior leadership.
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