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That’s why I asked. I seriously doubt he has the $$ to make it worthwhile. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:I requested DHS Special Agent Hunter Durham come here and post updates for clarification during my phone conversation with him |
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I understand. There is just a lot of speculation and concern without much clarification - I was hoping just to see some minds put at ease. I very much understand not divulging anything related to the investigation. I guess that I was hoping to get a list of serials so we could track them all down ourselves and that was just wishful thinking on my part, thinking we could all help out for the greater good, since we're such a tight-knit community. The company these were stolen from services devices for a wide array of Govt entities that are not .mil. Taken right from the "about us" in the website. "These include numerous government and private agencies such as Civil Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Military Services; Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Department of Energy; Search and Rescue, Fugitive Apprehension, Airborne Surveillance, Airborne Security, and Fire Suppression Missions" I am guessing some of these tubes are linked to the above entities, which is likely why DHS is involved? Otherwise, I would also be confused as to why the gov got involved in a civil theft for commercial devices. That being said, there has to absolutely be a chance that one or more of these devices were sold to a foreign national, either through the initial sale, or further downstream. Hopefully as the case unfolds, more details are shared. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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Can’t speak for the guy, but about 99.99% of the time you’re not going to divulge anything related to your investigation until it’s time to submit stuff for discovery. Short of him telling those of us unlucky enough to have hot tubes, and to surrender them (unless you want a visit from the agents from your nearest HSI field office), I doubt you’ll hear much. Sucks, but he has an investigation to carry out - a complicated one at that considering the scale/amount of time it was going on/etc. I guess that I was hoping to get a list of serials so we could track them all down ourselves and that was just wishful thinking on my part, thinking we could all help out for the greater good, since we're such a tight-knit community. Quoted: Thanks for your insight. I’m still confused as to why this DHS is involved unless he was selling overseas. From the feedback and transactions I could find it seemed like all of the tubes were commercial tubes probably taken while working for ASU as a private employer. Of course there may be something else we do not know about. Taken right from the "about us" in the website. "These include numerous government and private agencies such as Civil Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Military Services; Federal, State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies, the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and Department of Energy; Search and Rescue, Fugitive Apprehension, Airborne Surveillance, Airborne Security, and Fire Suppression Missions" I am guessing some of these tubes are linked to the above entities, which is likely why DHS is involved? Otherwise, I would also be confused as to why the gov got involved in a civil theft for commercial devices. That being said, there has to absolutely be a chance that one or more of these devices were sold to a foreign national, either through the initial sale, or further downstream. Hopefully as the case unfolds, more details are shared. This guy potentially faces both state and federal criminal charges. The feds can build all this up because they have the resources and then drop the case with the local DA to prosecute violations of state law. |
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This is comical. The chances of a federal special agent registering an account on an internet forum to keep you fellas up to speed on his investigation are literally ZERO. View Quote I was not expecting a detailed explanation or even a registered account, but moreso like what is in that linked post, or a "here is my contact info if you have any additional information to share", or "here is my contact information for those that dealt with this seller privately, either outside, or in addition to this forum". |
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And look, all of this is total speculation on my part, but maybe his employer effed up. Maybe they had horrible inventory controls which proximately caused the theft to be so easy that their conduct was negligent, or better yet showed wanton disregard and irresponsibility. They'd be deep pocket defendants. Depending on how clean their noses are, maybe they should share in the reparations. Again, total conjecture here. It's a ball of wax. But it could be worth exploring. This is comical. The chances of a federal special agent registering an account on an internet forum to keep you fellas up to speed on his investigation are literally ZERO. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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That’s why I asked. I seriously doubt he has the $$ to make it worthwhile. Quoted:I requested DHS Special Agent Hunter Durham come here and post updates for clarification during my phone conversation with him |
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You are not going to get restitution from the victim of theft for the purchase of stolen property. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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That’s why I asked. I seriously doubt he has the $$ to make it worthwhile. Quoted:I requested DHS Special Agent Hunter Durham come here and post updates for clarification during my phone conversation with him |
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Would DHS get involved because the tubes are ITAR regulated? My guess is that he was a trusted engineer and all he had to do after evaluating a tube was to say that it was junk (for whatever reason) and they probably took his word that it was properly disposed of. But I’m just 100% speculating, it’s hard to believe that many tubes for that amount of time could just go missing without any red flags popping up.
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HSI literally has unlimited subject matter jurisdiction - there are probably no less than 10 reasons why they would or could involve themself in this; defrauding a government contractor, trafficking in stolen government property, ITAR, aside from the obvious potential for these items to end up in the hands of criminals/non-state actors/etc.
Gangs, drugs, white-collar, terrorism, child porn, counter-proliferation, etc. They can basically choose to involve themself in whatever they want. |
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Would DHS get involved because the tubes are ITAR regulated? My guess is that he was a trusted engineer and all he had to do after evaluating a tube was to say that it was junk (for whatever reason) and they probably took his word that it was properly disposed of. But I’m just 100% speculating, it’s hard to believe that many tubes for that amount of time could just go missing without any red flags popping up. View Quote |
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Also got the same letter. Called and left two voice mails with Hunter since then and didn't hear back from him at all. Someone else from DHS called me today from an odd four digit number (thought it was a telemarketer). Guy seemed sharp and he knew his stuff, even the technical details. Sounded like they were still collecting info for their case and this whole thing will take a while to play out.
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thanks, i was wondering the same thing.
anyone who sold tubes... have you tried to contact the people you sold them too? |
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Well, I finally got my call from HSI.
Obviously people are still getting contacted. The caller ID said the call was from phone number 703 with an area code of Russia. I re read the email string I had with Lamneth when purchasing my tubes. When they arrived i noticed one of the tubes had a really small emission point. I emailed him about it and he graciously refunded me a couple hundred bucks. At the time I thought it was an honorable thing to do. I guess it’s easy to give a little refund when you’re playing with house money. What a turd. If these tubes get confiscated I’ll likely never be able to afford another decent setup. First world problems i suppose but it’s still aggravating. Could have bought several cool rimfires and suppressors for my kids with that money. Question for the gallery here: If by some miracle the “Lamneth tubes” around here don’t get confiscated, do we as potential future sellers have any obligation to disclose their provenance? Seems like if the case gets settled and the rightful owner (or HSI) doesn’t take possession of them we’d be ok to sell them as anything else but what’s others opinions? |
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Well, I finally got my call from HSI. Obviously people are still getting contacted. The caller ID said the call was from phone number 703 with an area code of Russia. I re read the email string I had with Lamneth when purchasing my tubes. When they arrived i noticed one of the tubes had a really small emission point. I emailed him about it and he graciously refunded me a couple hundred bucks. At the time I thought it was an honorable thing to do. I guess it’s easy to give a little refund when you’re playing with house money. What a turd. If these tubes get confiscated I’ll likely never be able to afford another decent setup. First world problems i suppose but it’s still aggravating. Could have bought several cool rimfires and suppressors for my kids with that money. Question for the gallery here: If by some miracle the “Lamneth tubes” around here don’t get confiscated, do we as potential future sellers have any obligation to disclose their provenance? Seems like if the case gets settled and the rightful owner (or HSI) doesn’t take possession of them we’d be ok to sell them as anything else but what’s others opinions? View Quote |
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I emailed DHS agent John Ferri (working with Hunter Durham) a couple of questions that may answer some questions and his answer to one. Please note: "the names have been changed to protect the innocent (me) and the guilty (Mother F#@%er).
If you could answer a few questions I'd appreciate it. 1) Are the victims of this case going to be named, so we can seek restitution from "Lamneth" through the court system. 2) How are we going to know if the items we bought are stolen property. 3) Is it possible that the contract company that he stole from will seek restitution from him directly are we allowed to keep the items "Lamneth sold us. 4) After sending in the stolen items back to you, are we able to claim the amount of loss on our taxes. Mr. munnyshot, Thank you for responding. As to your questions 1, 3 & 4 I do not have that information at this time. Regarding question 2, it is the position of the government at this time that all items "Lamneth" sold were originally stolen. John |
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I emailed DHS agent John Ferri (working with Hunter Durham) a couple of questions that may answer some questions and his answer to one. Please note: "the names have been changed to protect the innocent (me) and the guilty (Mother F#@%er). If you could answer a few questions I'd appreciate it. 1) Are the victims of this case going to be named, so we can seek restitution from "Lamneth" through the court system. 2) How are we going to know if the items we bought are stolen property. 3) Is it possible that the contract company that he stole from will seek restitution from him directly are we allowed to keep the items "Lamneth sold us. 4) After sending in the stolen items back to you, are we able to claim the amount of loss on our taxes. Mr. munnyshot, Thank you for responding. As to your questions 1, 3 & 4 I do not have that information at this time. Regarding question 2, it is the position of the government at this time that all items "Lamneth" sold were originally stolen. John View Quote |
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I emailed DHS agent John Ferri (working with Hunter Durham) a couple of questions that may answer some questions and his answer to one. Please note: "the names have been changed to protect the innocent (me) and the guilty (Mother F#@%er). If you could answer a few questions I'd appreciate it. 1) Are the victims of this case going to be named, so we can seek restitution from "Lamneth" through the court system. 2) How are we going to know if the items we bought are stolen property. 3) Is it possible that the contract company that he stole from will seek restitution from him directly are we allowed to keep the items "Lamneth sold us. 4) After sending in the stolen items back to you, are we able to claim the amount of loss on our taxes. Mr. munnyshot, Thank you for responding. As to your questions 1, 3 & 4 I do not have that information at this time. Regarding question 2, it is the position of the government at this time that all items "Lamneth" sold were originally stolen. John |
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Got that letter also.. tubes been pulled and is sitting in the safe until I hear back from Hunter again.
What a shitshow, hopefully we can get some sort of compensation for this. Pretty cool of TNVC to jump in and offer a discount. |
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I really doubt you are going to get the IRS to go along with a tax deduction for buying stolen items.
I also really doubt you are going to get the victim of a theft to compensate you for their stolen property. |
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That would have to be impossible. I was told from others that did business with him that he took other tubes on trade so people could upgrade to better tubes. That introduces clean tubes into the mix and complicates this even more. View Quote More reason why I always for for TNVC for any night. Ision purchase and advice. |
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That would have to be impossible. I was told from others that did business with him that he took other tubes on trade so people could upgrade to better tubes. That introduces clean tubes into the mix and complicates this even more. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes |
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More than likely already in the system and stolen by him previously. View Quote It is my understanding that there are a number of clean tubes mixed into the pool of stolen goods, which is also why I was asking if there was a list of serial #'s to verify what was stolen and what wasn't. I think you're absolutely right that most are stolen and were moved around from person to person, but most is not all, which makes me wonder how the govt can take a position that "all" goods were stolen goods, unless that type of thing is just a normal stance to take from their position. |
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I highly doubt that. From his feedback, it looks like he moved a couple hundred tubes in a 4 year span from 2015-2019. If you check ebay, there have been thousands sold in that same time frame - and that is just eBay. I bet most vendors sell more legit tubes than that in the span of the last 4 years when NV has really blown up for hunters. There were lots of used "legit" tubes sold from vendors, as well. It is my understanding that there are a number of clean tubes mixed into the pool of stolen goods, which is also why I was asking if there was a list of serial #'s to verify what was stolen and what wasn't. I think you're absolutely right that most are stolen and were moved around from person to person, but most is not all, which makes me wonder how the govt can take a position that "all" goods were stolen goods, unless that type of thing is just a normal stance to take from their position. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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More than likely already in the system and stolen by him previously. It is my understanding that there are a number of clean tubes mixed into the pool of stolen goods, which is also why I was asking if there was a list of serial #'s to verify what was stolen and what wasn't. I think you're absolutely right that most are stolen and were moved around from person to person, but most is not all, which makes me wonder how the govt can take a position that "all" goods were stolen goods, unless that type of thing is just a normal stance to take from their position. You bust a guy with shit ton of pawn tickets, you don't go from the thought process of he must have obtained the goods legitimately at the flea market and then decided to pawn them. It will be interesting to see how this plays out with the inventory records of the place the items were taken from. I'm having serious doubts given that he was able to sell, so many tubes over such a long period of time and was not detected till the OP made his call that their inventory/tracking system was all that accurate. |
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unless that type of thing is just a normal stance to take from their position. View Quote How much time, money, and heartache are you going to waste hiring a lawyer and going to court over a ~$2,000 image intensifier tube? This is the same situation that often happens in the case of Class IIIB IR lasers, even those that have been “legitimately acquired,” provenance or no provenance. Should the government take the position that it’s stolen, you can fight it, but how much is that principle worth to you? A lot of folks spit the good rhetoric of “no step on snek,” but when faced with the real life proposition of mortgaging their homes, liquidating their savings, throwing their whole families into turmoil, sometimes for years—most folks are going to give up that INTENS tube or PEQ-15... It’s the risk you take when you buy on the gray market. The irony of this particular situation is that many folks assumed since Photonis tubes haven’t been widely publicized or fielded, they figured they’d be safe... ~Augee |
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This is pretty much what usually happens in these kinds of cases. The “right” or the “wrong” of the matter largely becomes irrelevant. How much time, money, and heartache are you going to waste hiring a lawyer and going to court over a ~$2,000 image intensifier tube? This is the same situation that often happens in the case of Class IIIB IR lasers, even those that have been “legitimately acquired,” provenance or no provenance. Should the government take the position that it’s stolen, you can fight it, but how much is that principle worth to you? A lot of folks spit the good rhetoric of “no step on snek,” but when faced with the real life proposition of mortgaging their homes, liquidating their savings, throwing their whole families into turmoil, sometimes for years—most folks are going to give up that INTENS tube or PEQ-15... It’s the risk you take when you buy on the gray market.[h] The irony of this particular situation is that many folks assumed since Photonis tubes haven’t been widely publicized or fielded, they figured they’d be safe...[b] ~Augee View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Quoted:
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unless that type of thing is just a normal stance to take from their position. How much time, money, and heartache are you going to waste hiring a lawyer and going to court over a ~$2,000 image intensifier tube? This is the same situation that often happens in the case of Class IIIB IR lasers, even those that have been “legitimately acquired,” provenance or no provenance. Should the government take the position that it’s stolen, you can fight it, but how much is that principle worth to you? A lot of folks spit the good rhetoric of “no step on snek,” but when faced with the real life proposition of mortgaging their homes, liquidating their savings, throwing their whole families into turmoil, sometimes for years—most folks are going to give up that INTENS tube or PEQ-15... It’s the risk you take when you buy on the gray market.[h] The irony of this particular situation is that many folks assumed since Photonis tubes haven’t been widely publicized or fielded, they figured they’d be safe...[b] ~Augee Folks assumed the guy was selling legitimately acquired devices. Hell, I assumed the tubes I got were Echos and that’s why he wanted what he did. The price per tube isn’t far off at all from what a legitimate dealer has offered me for Echos. |
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Yea, if HSI is assuming everything he sold is stolen goods why bother with collecting serial numbers? Makes it sound like they won’t cross reference them anyway. I get why they might do this from a logistical standpoint with so many tubes involved, but it still seems like there could be some room for error with that method.
And no, I don’t plan to fight the gubment over such a thing. Just sucks all around for the folks that got robbed. |
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If someone’s looking to buy used gear right now with tubes with no sheets, I’m assuming it wouldn’t do any good to run the serial numbers by Hunter since they don’t yet have an accounting of what all’s stolen? Anyone tried that yet?
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Yea, if HSI is assuming everything he sold is stolen goods why bother with collecting serial numbers? Makes it sound like they won’t cross reference them anyway. I get why they might do this from a logistical standpoint with so many tubes involved, but it still seems like there could be some room for error with that method. And no, I don’t plan to fight the gubment over such a thing. Just sucks all around for the folks that got robbed. View Quote |
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If someone’s looking to buy used gear right now with tubes with no sheets, I’m assuming it wouldn’t do any good to run the serial numbers by Hunter since they don’t yet have an accounting of what all’s stolen? Anyone tried that yet? View Quote |
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No updates? Honestly this just sucks for us cause im sure that company is gonna get some type of insurance payout and we will be screwed over if they take them back. I got thinking about it and what if all the victims pulled together and hired a lawyer for a class action and as a more direct line to whats going on.
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No updates? Honestly this just sucks for us cause im sure that company is gonna get some type of insurance payout and we will be screwed over if they take them back. I got thinking about it and what if all the victims pulled together and hired a lawyer for a class action and as a more direct line to whats going on. View Quote |
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I had some email correspondence with John Ferri, another hsi agent working the case. This was his response when I asked him if he thought the items in question would be confiscated:
“At this time any equipment identified as stolen will likely need to be returned at some point in the future, yes. Let know what you have in your possession. Thank you, John Ferri” |
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Yea, if HSI is assuming everything he sold is stolen goods why bother with collecting serial numbers? Makes it sound like they won’t cross reference them anyway. I get why they might do this from a logistical standpoint with so many tubes involved, but it still seems like there could be some room for error with that method. And no, I don’t plan to fight the gubment over such a thing. Just sucks all around for the folks that got robbed. This also assumes that his former employer has the records to show that the tubes he sold us were in fact stolen from their inventory. I think they probably do have company inventory records of the tubes that he sold us and that they’ll be confiscated from us by legitimate means. These are ITAR controlled items. It’s hard for me to believe that a gov contract supplier would fly that loose with sensitive items, but who knows?? I have come to terms with the fact that I’ll lose my green eyed super powers over this bit if I don’t I’ll be that much happier. I’ll certainly be reticent to purchase used NV equipment in the future without some good provenance to prove it wasn’t stolen. I wouldn’t have the time or energy to expend on a lawsuit to try and get made whole over this. I don’t see how you’d get anywhere with it anyway. Who’s going to give us anything even if a lawsuit were successful? Sounds like barracks lawyer talk to me but I dunno? |
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Quoted: Right. I understand they’ll want the serials for documentation and it’s likely that most of the tubes he dealt were stolen. But what happens if there’s a tube, or tubes, that don’t match serials from stolen stock AND there’s no other provenance for them? Do they assume they’re stolen and confiscate those as evidence or whatever along with all the others? That seems like the part that’s heavy handed or downright illegal on HSI’s part. This also assumes that his former employer has the records to show that the tubes he sold us were in fact stolen from their inventory. I think they probably do have company inventory records of the tubes that he sold us and that they’ll be confiscated from us by legitimate means. These are ITAR controlled items. It’s hard for me to believe that a gov contract supplier would fly that loose with sensitive items, but who knows?? I have come to terms with the fact that I’ll lose my green eyed super powers over this bit if I don’t I’ll be that much happier. I’ll certainly be reticent to purchase used NV equipment in the future without some good provenance to prove it wasn’t stolen. I wouldn’t have the time or energy to expend on a lawsuit to try and get made whole over this. I don’t see how you’d get anywhere with it anyway. Who’s going to give us anything even if a lawsuit were successful? Sounds like barracks lawyer talk to me but I dunno? View Quote |
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This is a long shot but I wouldnt even mind getting the option of keeping them and paying the company for them, just to not have the hassle of having them taken out and replaced with others
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Quoted: I still wouldnt mind restitution from the guy who sold me them... View Quote Maybe there’s solace in the fact that a lot of this thread, including my own posts, are speculation about what might happen once things are sorted out. We may still luck out and come out better than it might seem. |
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That dude worked for a big govt contractor, you know he's got a 401k. There's our restitution.
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If tubes are taken, your best bet will probably be a class action against the individual. But this will be very expensive unless there is a very friendly attorney out there.
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Could probably push for a reduced sentence if he pays restitution, no?
Pile up all the charges, he'll have like 300 years, let him pay it back, he can get it down to 15, he'll be out in 5 with good behavior. I think I'd find a way to come up with the money if it meant I would see freedom again while I can still get an erection. |
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Forum members,
DHS/HSI has initiated a joint investigation with other agencies pertaining to the theft and sale of Night Vision Devices (NVD). HSI has wide jurisdictional interest, discretion and responsibility to investigate a very wide range of criminal behaviors including (in this NVD case) theft, fraud and other unlawful activities. The government requests contact from those persons who made purchases from Lamneth if you have not already done so. If you received the initial contact letter and have not made contact then please do so as soon as you are able. If you did not receive a letter but made purchases from Rosine then please use the letter posted in this forum thread to contact us. This investigative process will take substantial time due to the variety/volume of our workload and the nature of this case. However, we are making progress. There are three phases of witness/victim contact planned in this case: 1) The first initial contact with all parties (ongoing), 2) Second contact and recovery of property discussions and 3) Third contact notification/assistance in Legal / Charging / Court Proceedings (This includes sentencing and court restitution requests). We cannot provide a timeline for these phased actions. Please do NOT contact me by AR15 direct message on this account OR reply with questions to this post. I prefer email contact if witnesses or victims have general questions but as many of you know I am also available by phone. If you are not involved in a purchase then please do not contact me with general questions. I am sorry your community is involved in this situation, sympathize with your individual frustrations and aim to work respectfully with each person during this resolution of this matter. Thank you, Hunter Durham Special Agent / HSI Washington D.C. [email protected] |
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Forum members, 3) Third contact notification/assistance in Legal / Charging / Court Proceedings (This includes sentencing and court restitution requests). We cannot provide a timeline for these phased actions. View Quote |
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