Naperville man pleads guilty to theft of airbase equipment

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (WLS) -- Timothy Maurer, 51, of Naperville pled guilty Monday to stealing U.S. military computer and communications equipment from a military air base in Afghanistan.

Prosecutors said Maurer stole equipment worth more than $300,000 and then sold and shipped almost half of it to vendors in the United States for re-sale.

In his guilty plea, Maurer admitted that between Dec. 23, 2013, and Feb. 2, 2014, he stole more than 150 items including laptops, cell phones, computer switches, adaptors, batteries and power cables. The sales of the stolen items took place largely in Jan. 2014.

Maurer is free on his own recognizance while awaiting sentencing, which is scheduled for April 7. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Prosecutors said his plea agreement recommends a sentence of 24 to 30 months in prison.