Federal agents are investigating whether an employee has been stealing and re-selling medical equipment from a military training facility in Bethesda, Maryland, according to an affidavit obtained by the News-4 I-Team.
An agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, in an application for a federal search warrant, said at least $18,000 worth of medical "dummies," tubing devices and electronics were reported stolen in December from the Naval Support Activities Washington complex along Wisconsin Avenue NW.
The federal agent reported finding images of some of those items advertised for sale on eBay.com, under an account associated with an employee of a training facility at the complex, according to the investigator's affidavit.
The medical items were reported stolen from an unsecured storage locker at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences facility, a military health care training facility at the Navy complex, according to court filings.
The federal agent said a commander at the medical agency has identified some of the items listed on eBay as being stolen, according to the records. In his affidavit, the agent said, "A USUHS command member recognized, specifically, one of the laryngoscopes for sale, due to unique broken piece of plastic on the device, and brought this item to the attention of law enforcement."
The affidavit said federal investigators issued a subpoena to eBay to obtain information about the user who was posting images of the medical equipment. The suspect's name is listed in the federal search warrant.
Items for sale, including those that appear to be medical dummies, are still posted under the user's name on eBay.
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A spokesman for NCIS said the agency does not comment on the details of ongoing investigations.
Federal agents sought court permission to search the suspect and his automobile earlier this month.
The Naval Support Activities Washington complex in Bethesda is also home to Walter Reed Medical Center and facilities for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
