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Guardsman charged with stealing border fence

An Air National Guardsman assigned to protect America’s border with Mexico has been charged with selling off parts of the border’s fence.

Master Sgt. Robert J. Kelley, 48, of the Wyoming Air National Guard’s 153rd Civil Engineer Squadron, was arrested Wednesday in Phoenix on suspicion of stealing metal from the border fence and selling it, U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Sandy Raynor said. Kelley was charged with theft of government property, Raynor said.

The guardsman is accused of driving the metal from the border near Sonoita to Tucson in a government-owned dump truck while wearing his National Guard uniform, Raynor said.

She said he sold at least five loads of metal for more than $8,000, which he later spent on a pistol, a garage door opener, cowboy boots and tools.

The alleged thefts took place between December 2007 and March 2008 while Kelley was working on Operation Jump Start, Raynor said.

If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine or both, she said.

Deidre Forster, a Wyoming National Guard spokeswoman, said Kelley was still a National Guard member. It was not clear whether he was on leave.