Marine Corporal allegedly took missile, ammo from Camp Pendleton to Arizona

A U.S. Marine is facing federal charges for allegedly stealing military property, including a Javelin Missile System and multiple types of ammunition, from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and transporting the items to Arizona.

Cpl. Andrew Paul Amarillas, an Ammunition Technical Specialist at the School of Infantry West, is accused of Theft of Government Property and Possession and Sale of Stolen Ammunition between February 2022 and November 2025. 

Authorities say he acted alongside two unnamed alleged co-conspirators.

According to court documents, Amarillas allegedly stole at least one non-demilitarized Javelin Missile System, M855A1 enhanced rifle ammo and M855 non-enhanced ammunition from Camp Pendleton and delivered them to two individuals in Arizona.

Court documents also stated that in October 2024, Amarillas reportedly stole a Javelin Missile System and delivered it to one of the two unnamed co-conspirators in Arizona, who then allegedly sold it to the CEO of a company and stored it at the company’s location. By October 2025, one of the co-conspirators had obtained additional stolen M855A1 EPR ammunition from Camp Pendleton and allegedly sold it to the same CEO.

In November 2025, Amarillas allegedly stole cans of M855 non-enhanced ammunition and transported them from California to Arizona and delivered them to the two co-conspirators, who attempted to sell the items to the CEO of one of the two companies mentioned in the court documents.

The investigation included undercover purchases of the stolen military property by federal agents. 

In March 2024, law enforcement interviewed an individual selling M855 ammunition on social media, who said he purchased the items from one of the companies mentioned in court documents in Glendale, Arizona.  

According to court documents, subsequent undercover buys were made at one company in Scottsdale on April 14, April 30, and May 1, 2025, and at the second company on September 7, 2024, and July 12, 2025.

Law enforcement seized the Javelin Missile System and some ammunition from an Arizona home on October 10, 2025, and additional ammunition on October 17 and November 20, 2025. 

Amarillas is alleged to have signed out the missile on August 13, 2024.

Amarillas was arrested by federal agents in Virginia on March 5, 2026 and appeared in an Alexandria, Virginia courthouse the following day for an initial appearance. He was then brought to Arizona while in the custody of the US Marshal Service.

Amarillas appeared before a federal judge in Phoenix where he pleaded not guilty Thursday morning.