A former U.S. Army enlistee is staring down the barrel of a decade behind bars for hawking high-tech military gear on eBay. Tamoshion Rucker, 26, who served from 2018 to 2022 admitted in federal court to the plot of peddling Image Intensifier Tubes (IITs) - night vision tech not cleared for public consumption, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas revealed.
Rucker's military tenure included a stint as a radio and communications security repairer before he joined the U.S. Army Reserves. His plea confessed to the attempted sale of five IITs to an undercover agent for $3,000, and a further bargain to trade another 50 IITs for $32,000, as detailed by official sources.
Investigators caught wind of Rucker's scheme in December 2022 after spotting the stolen goods on eBay. Usually, the military requires such sensitive equipment to be smashed with a hammer and properly disposed of as hazardous waste, to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. But Rucker opted for profit over protocol, authorities claim.
When Rucker met an with undercover buyer, little did he know it was the authorities closing their trap. He was apprehended with a box of 45 IITs, tagged with contract numbers, the total value of which topped $103,000. According to the U.S. Attorney's office, U.S. District Judge David Hittner will deliver Rucker's fate on August 8, where he could be slapped with up to a $250,000 fine on top of jail time.
While he waits for sentencing, Rucker remains out on bond. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Ferko, following an investigation by the FBI and the Army Criminal Investigative Division, with help from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
