Marine at Camp Pendleton Charged With Stealing Ammunition and Javelin Missile System

A U.S. Marine based at Camp Pendleton in California was arrested and charged with stealing an array of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition—including a shoulder-fired Javelin missile system—and conspiring to sell the military equipment in Arizona, according to federal prosecutors and court documents filed in Phoenix.

Cpl. Andrew Paul Amarillas, an ammunition specialist assigned to the School of Infantry West, pleaded not guilty last Thursday in a Phoenix federal courtroom. He faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit theft and embezzlement of government property, as well as possession and sale of stolen ammunition. A judge ordered Amarillas detained pending trial.

Prosecutors allege that between February 2022 and November 2023, Amarillas exploited his position at Camp Pendleton to steal at least one Javelin missile system, along with military-grade ammunition and other weapons-related materials. The items were allegedly transported to Arizona—Amarillas’s home state—where prosecutors say he sold them to unnamed co-conspirators, who then resold the equipment to others. Authorities have recovered only some of the stolen items.

Court filings revealed that Amarillas was identified by a co-conspirator under the contact name "Andrew Ammo." Investigators cited text messages in which Amarillas offered to provide two launchers, and included photographs of the Javelin system with a serial number matching one signed out from the base. Some ammunition was purchased by undercover officers as part of the investigation.

The case comes amid heightened scrutiny over lost military weaponry, following reports in 2021 that explosives had gone missing from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California; those incidents remain under investigation by military authorities.

Amarillas remains in federal custody as the investigation continues. Officials at Camp Pendleton and Amarillas’s legal representation have not commented on the case.