Soldier who stole, resold shell casings gets nearly 3 years in prison

SAN ANTONIO — Prosecutors say a soldier who stole tons of used brass shell casings from a South Texas reserve unit and sold the items to a recycler must serve nearly three years in federal prison.

Army Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Darryle Robert Bankhead was sentenced Monday in San Antonio to 33 months and must repay nearly $118,000. Bankhead in December pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal government property.

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Investigators say Bankhead, during 2017 and 2018, stole expended brass shell casings from Camp Bullis in San Antonio and forged documents authorizing the sale.

Prosecutors say Bankhead told reserve officials that he planned to recycle the brass at another military facility, but instead used a commercial recycler and kept the cash. One transaction involved about 2½ tons (1.81 metric tons) of stolen shell brass.

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