Contractors Who Stole $1 Million Worth Of MREs Head To Prison

A former civilian contractor on Fort Bragg has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in the theft of more than 1,700 cases of ready-made military meals that were then sold on the black market in and around Fayetteville.

John E. McCaa, who worked in a dining facility on Fort Bragg, was sentenced Wednesday to one year and one day in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, according to court records.

McCaa also was ordered to pay $157,654 in restitution to the U.S. government.

McCaa previously pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the theft of government property.

He formerly worked as a supply technician for North Carolina Food Services, a contractor on Fort Bragg.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, McCaa was responsible for processing requests for the meals, also known as Meals, Ready-to-Eat or MREs, at the U.S. Army Special Operations Command dining facility on post between July 2011 and March 2012.

During that time, a Fort Bragg soldier, Christopher A. Mann, plotted with McCaa and others to fraudulently request the meals, along with assorted military equipment, including weapon sights, knives and sunglasses.

The stolen property was valued at nearly $1 million, according to prosecutors.

In all, four people were charged as part of the black market sales.

Mann was sentenced in October to one year, eight months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to court records. He also was ordered to pay $940,459.81 in restitution to the government.

Joseph W. Horner, a civilian who purchased the stolen goods, was sentenced in December to two years in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to court records. He was ordered to pay $277,901.38 in restitution.

A fourth man, Oneal Jones III, was sentenced in September to five years of probation and ordered to pay $87,850 in restitution, according to court records. Jones' role in the crime was not explained in public documents.

Mann and Jones each pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the theft of government property. Horner pleaded guilty to theft of government property.

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©2017 The Fayetteville Observer (Fayetteville, N.C.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.