U.S. men charged with Iraqi fuel theft

RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 13 (UPI) -- A 55-year-old former U.S. naval officer was convicted for his role in the theft of nearly $40 million worth of fuel from the U.S. Army in Iraq, authorities say.

Authorities with the attorney general's office in Virginia announced the conviction of Robert Jeffery for his role in a plot to steal fuel worth $39.6 million from a U.S. military depot in Iraq for sale on the black market.

Jeffery and his co-conspirators used false documents to enter the fuel depot to steal aviation and diesel fuel while serving as escorts for fuel trucks entering Camp Liberty.

Co-conspirators Lee William Dubois, Robert Young and Michel Jamil each pleaded guilty to participating in the scheme, the FBI reports.

Dubois confessed that he and his fellow perpetrators stole around 10 million gallons of fuel, receiving at least $450,000 in profits from the sales on the black market.

Court documents show the men loaded fuel trucks from the Camp Liberty depot and handed over the cargo to Iraqi drivers, who sold the fuel on the black market. Jamil served as an Arabic translator.

Jeffery faces a maximum of 15 years in prison for the theft. Sentencing for him and his co-conspirators is set for later this year.