Officials have identified a suspect in a case of illegally supplying night vision goggles to a Fayetteville military surplus store.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan Craig Allen was indicted Aug. 6 and charged with theft of military property, conspiracy to steal property and two counts of aggravated identity theft, a news release from the U.S. Attorney Eastern District of North Carolina states.

Court documents do not list an attorney for Allen, who has been summoned to appear in court Friday.

Court documents state Allen was a property book officer for the 4th Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group on Fort Bragg.

Officials alleged that between December 2016 to June 20, 2018, Allen stole 43 enhanced night vision goggles by using an improper computer code that removes listed items from inventory, and forging signatures to remove items from a unit.

“In his position as the senior property account technician … Allen had access to the Army’s electronic logistics system to remove the (goggles) from the companies’ property books,” court documents state.

Court documents state that the enhanced night vision goggles require disposal and destruction in accordance with Department of Defense policies when removed from military service.

"These items are not to be purloined from the U.S. military and sold for personal gain," a special agent wrote in a criminal complaint.

Allen was assigned as the property book officer/senior property account technician for the 4th Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, for about three years until about the end of June 2018, when he moved to a different Army duty station away from Fort Bragg.

Court documents state that agents with the Department of Defense Criminal Investigative Services identified an eBay user from Mint Hill, North Carolina, selling military equipment in 2017.

Between January 2018 and February this year, undercover agents communicated with the eBay user and made purchases.

A warrant was issued for the eBay user Feb. 6, and transaction documents tied some of those transactions to Red Horse Military Surplus in Fayetteville and its owner Stratton Beaubien, court documents state.

Court documents state that Beaubien told officials he knew the equipment came from Fort Bragg, and he told officials he purchased it from Allen.

Officials reviewed text messages on Beaubien's phone, the court documents state, which showed exchanges belonging to Allen’s telephone number between April 2018 and June 2018.

Allen allegedly sent a photo of the night vision goggles, the court documents state, and asked for $2,500 each.

"Hey bro would you be interested in 10 more,” a June 13, 2018 text message allegedly from Allen to Beaubien stated.

Officials said transfer of goggles from the 4th Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group’s inventory is consistent with Allen’s text messages.

Officials said the charges Allen faces are punishable by up to 19 years in prison and a $250,000 for each of the four counts.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobsrver.com or 910-486-3528.