MONITORING (SW) – A former United States Army Special Forces member, has pleaded guilty to playing a role in stealing an estimated $200,000 while deployed to Afghanistan from July 2009 to January 2010.
Former Sgt. 1st Class William Todd Chamberlain, 46, of Raleigh, North Carolina, pleaded guilty Monday to conspiracy and receiving stolen government property. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison followed by three years supervised release, a $500,000 fine and forfeiture of $40,000, according to a statement by federal prosecutors.
Chamberlain was indicted in 2014 along with former soldiers Sgt. 1st Class Cleo Autry, Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Cook, Chief Warrant Officer Deric Harper and Sgt. 1st Class Barry Walls — all previously assigned to the same unit during the deployment.
The team used operational funds that were given to them to purchase “mission critical items” not available through military supply systems. The commander’s emergency response funds were earmarked for humanitarian projects for Afghan police such as roads, schools and medical clinics, according to court documents.
They converted the stolen Afghan money to U.S. currency and then used the funds to purchase postal money orders, bought from military posts offices in Afghanistan. The group also sent cash to family members in the mail or carried it back with them when they returned to the United States.
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