A US Marine who was stationed at Camp Pendleton is now in federal custody, accused of stealing military weapons – including shoulder-fired missiles – for resale in Arizona, according to court documents.
Cpl. Andrew Paul Amarillas is accused of using his position as an ammunition specialist at the School of Infantry West on the San Diego campus to access and steal military equipment, including at least one Javelin missile system, military-grade ammunition and other weapons-related items, between February 2022 and November 2025. associates, who in turn sold the equipment to others.
Authorities have described these substances as tightly controlled and dangerous, posing a threat to civilians and law enforcement. Some but not all of the stolen items have been recovered.
“The objectives of this conspiracy were to steal US military equipment and ammunition and to sell the stolen US military equipment and ammunition to others for cash,” reads the complaint filed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona in March.
A representative for the Amarillas did not immediately respond to a request for comment, as did Camp Pendleton officials. The story was first reported by AZFamily in Phoenix.
Court documents also include text messages sent between Amarillas and an unnamed associate.
“Just [got] some jav and others,” Amarillas wrote in August, according to the criminal complaint.[I] have 2 starters that [I] I think you’d like, if you want to look tomorrow.”
The text messages included pictures, including one of a Javelin missile with a serial number that matched the one he had signed at Infantry School West, court documents show.
Javelin missile systems are man-portable antitank weapons designed to destroy low-flying helicopters and other fortifications. They are produced exclusively by Lockheed Martin and RTX Corp. of the US military and cannot be legally handled or sold to the public unless decommissioned. The javelin found in the case was not removed from the war, prosecutors said.
The case also includes M855A1 and M80A1 cartridges – “enhanced performance” rifle cartridges produced by Olin Winchester and limited to US government sales – and M855 rifle cartridges, which are non-enhanced cartridges that can sometimes be purchased directly from the manufacturer. However, M855 ammunition designed for the US military is packaged differently and cannot be handled or sold to the public.
Prosecutors say, at one point, Amarillas gave 30 cans of ammunition — about 25,000 rounds — to the conspirator. Over a period of nearly two weeks, investigators say he stole and sold 66 cans of M855 ammunition, about a third of which has since been recovered. Some of these bullets were bought from the units they were working with, others were confiscated.
Amarillas “never obtained permission from the US military to remove Javelin and M855A1 and M855 surface-to-air missiles from Camp Pendleton, transport them to Arizona, and sell them to civilians for profit,” prosecutors said.
Amarillas pleaded not guilty to the charges in a Phoenix court on Thursday. The charges include conspiracy to steal and misappropriation of government property as well as possession and sale of stolen ammunition and related charges.
A judge ordered Amarillas held in custody during the trial, saying he was a flight risk and had the ability to tamper with evidence and witnesses at Camp Pendleton.
