A Henderson police officer has been indicted as part of an alleged conspiracy to steal and resell Department of Defense equipment, including military night-vision goggles that investigators say moved through several states before reaching private buyers. Conrad Lillegard, who has worked at the Henderson Police Department since December 23, 2015, is now on unpaid leave while the case plays out in federal court in Tennessee.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a federal grand jury indicted five men in Tennessee, unsealing the indictment on September 8. Lillegard was accused of participating in a scheme with Alexander Rubey, Marcus Hollmann, Scott Martin and Alex Pelc to steal night-vision goggles and other military gear, then resell it. Prosecutors say the alleged crimes span from January 2022 through August 2026.
Armory Break-In and a Package Addressed to Henderson
The outlet's report ties Rubey and Hollmann directly to a break-in at a National Guard armory in Selmer, Tennessee, on September 5, 2024, where the pair allegedly stole more than $285,000 in military equipment. The very next day, September 6, 2024, Rubey allegedly sent a package addressed to Lillegard in Henderson, according to the same reporting.
Investigators also allege that Rubey and Hollmann stole night-vision goggles from a U.S. Army installation in Hawaii back in 2022, a theft that has landed the pair a separate federal count. During a November 3, 2024 traffic stop outside a National Guard armory in Lexington, Tennessee, police reportedly found Rubey in possession of goggles connected to the earlier Hawaii theft.
Alleged Cover Story and a Multi-State Pipeline
The indictment, as described in the Review-Journal's account, alleges the group planned to alter or remove markings from the stolen equipment to make it harder to trace, then claim the goggles were government surplus or contract overruns if questioned. Buyers were allegedly told, through online payment systems, that they were purchasing camera equipment rather than military-grade night-vision gear.
The stolen goggles allegedly moved well beyond Tennessee, with the report noting shipments to Nevada, Arkansas and Michigan as the group looked for private buyers. That geographic spread is a detail that stands out even among other reported cases of stolen military night-vision equipment surfacing on the private market in recent years.
What Comes Next for Lillegard
A Henderson Police Department spokesperson confirmed that Lillegard is on unpaid leave amid the case. He was released from custody after being charged and is due back in court on September 28, 2026. If convicted, Lillegard faces up to 15 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.
The case adds a Southern Nevada police officer to a list of prior incidents involving stolen night-vision equipment reported around the country. A Norfolk-based sailor pleaded guilty in a separate case in which court documents said he used online advertisements to sell five sets of stolen night-vision goggles to third-party buyers, according to WTKR. Years earlier, CBS News Colorado reported that Fort Carson sergeants were accused of stealing military equipment and trying to sell stolen night-vision goggles, while Cleveland.com reported that a former Parma police officer had removed serial numbers from several pairs of stolen night-vision goggles in an unrelated case.
No further details about Lillegard's specific role within the alleged conspiracy, his legal representation, or how he intends to respond to the charges have been made public. The Henderson Police Department has not released additional comment beyond confirming his unpaid leave status.
