Packed with rifles and explosives, the SUV hurtled down a Florida interstate beneath bright blue autumn skies. What happened next exposed a bid to steal military weapons and equipment from one of the US Army's biggest bases.
Like many military subcultures, the tight-knit EOD community has its own code of conduct, ethics and language.
His buddy, Sumlin, sent the photos and an inventory list of the pilfered weapons and explosives to an accomplice who called himself "Mr Anderson". Anderson, a former Army combat engineer who had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, was one of several other soldiers or veterans connected to the scheme.
"As soon as he named his price [for the gunsights] I thought he was joking since they're definitely USED," Anderson wrote. "I'm not sure if it's his first time or not. But it's the last time I ask around for [Sumlin]."What Anderson didn't know was that Evan was a longtime confidential informant working with Homeland Security Investigations, an arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
In Florida, Jarvis and Sumlin cleaned the firearms to remove their fingerprints. They also paid to have some parts modified to fit the rifles. With the cache assembled, cleaned, packed in storage containers and loaded for delivery, the men got into the SUV for the 24-hour drive to Texas.
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