A Marine previously assigned to Camp Pendleton, California, is accused of stealing at least one Javelin anti-tank missile system and 5.56mm ammunition from the base and selling them in Arizona, court records show.
Cpl. Andrew Paul Amarillas, 23, has been indicted in connection with what prosecutors allege was a nearly four-year-long scheme to steal military equipment, according to court records. At the time of his March 5 arrest, he was training at Quantico, Virginia, ahead of his next assignment to the U.S. embassy in Myanmar.
Prosecutors accuse Amarillas of stealing a Javelin anti-tank missile system; M855A1 Enhanced Performance Round (EPR) ammunition; and M855 non-EPR ammunition from Camp Pendleton between February 2022 and November 2025, court records show.
Amarillas pleaded not guilty on Thursday. His attorney could not be reached for comment for this story. AZ Family first reported the allegations against him.
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After enlisting in the Marines in 2021, Amarillas was assigned as an ammunition technician specialist to the School of Infantry-West at Camp Pendleton from February 2022 until this January, during which time he was tasked with handling and transporting explosives and ammunition, according to court records, which Task & Purpose obtained through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records, or PACER system.
Amarillas is accused of stealing the Javelin in 2024, bringing it to Arizona, and selling it, along with a mix of 5.56mm ammunition that was stolen at other times, to two unnamed people who were described in court records as unindicted co-conspirators, who shared a picture of the stolen munition before reselling it, the indictment says.
After undercover law enforcement officers recovered the stolen equipment in October 2025, the Javelin and ammunition were traced back to the School of Infantry-West, where records indicated that Amarillas had signed out for them, according to the indictment.
In a separate criminal complaint against Amarillas, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives claimed that a cell phone seized from one of the people involved in the alleged scheme had Amarillas saved as “Ammo Andrew” in his contacts, and “numerous messages” from Amarillas and others about the stolen equipment were allegedly found on the phone.
Amarillas is accused of writing in one text message that he had “just [got] some javs and some other ones,” adding, “[I] have 2 launchers that [I] think you’d like, if you want to take a look tomorrow,” the complaint says.
Federal prosecutors also claim that Amarillas destroyed his own phone to cover his tracks and that he told his parents that he had accidentally driven over it, a separate court document says.
Amarillas faces federal charges for the plot to steal and sell ammunition, and separate charges for allegedly carrying out the act.
He faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, according to court records.
