A Norfolk couple has admitted to stealing high-voltage cables from Naval Station Norfolk, recycling tens of thousands of pounds of copper for cash over several months in 2023.
Almount Gunter, 43, and his wife Tyra Giddens have pleaded guilty to theft of government property in connection with a scheme to steal valuable cables and materials belonging to the United States Navy. Gunter also pleaded guilty to wire fraud related to fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans.
The scheme unraveled on Sept. 1, 2023, when Naval Station Norfolk base police arrested Gunter at approximately 11 p.m. while he was attempting to drive out of the Naval Facilities supply yard in a rented Ford F-250 truck loaded with pieces of high-voltage cable, according to the records. A third party was in the passenger seat.
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Gunter worked at the base during business hours as a Department of Defense civilian contractor.
"They call them ship-to-shore cables. These are massive cables to supply all the power needed for these huge military vessels and so you can imagine how big those cables are. And they're very expensive," crime analyst Richard James said.
The cables Gunter cut and stole are used to provide power to Naval vessels while in port. Naval Facilities, known as NAVFAC, assessed the damage and found that 4 spools of ship-to-shore cable were irreparably damaged, according to the statement of facts.
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Court records show the scheme ran from at least April 2023 through September 2023. Over that period, Gunter accessed the base more than 60 times outside of his authorized work schedule — including on nights and weekends — using his credentials to enter when he was not approved to work. His standard schedule was Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Giddens rented 21 trucks over 168 days between December 2022 and September 2023, spending more than $15,000 on rentals from Enterprise car rentals in Norfolk. The Ford F-250 seized at the time of Gunter's arrest had been rented by Giddens on Aug. 18, 2023, for a 23-day period at a cost of $2,272.82.
A forensic review of the truck's onboard computer system revealed a pattern of trips between the couple's residence, the Naval Facility Supply Yard, and a recycling facility in Richmond, in the days leading up to the arrest.
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"With this huge organization, the world's largest naval base, would have tons of supplies come in all the time," James said.
It states on Aug. 13, 2023, a commercial wire stripping machine was delivered to Gunter's residence. According to customs records, the machine cost $5,700 and arrived in a 40-foot shipping container. Gunter acquired the machine after learning from the manager at the recycling facility that wire is worth more when recycled stripped of its insulation.
Giddens set up 2 separate accounts at the recycling facility using 2 different Virginia driver's licenses — one under her maiden name, Tyra Giddens, and one under her married name, Tyra Gunter. Surveillance footage from the facility showed Giddens typically drove the vehicle to the recycling center while Gunter rode in the passenger or back seat.
From May 2023 through October 2023, the couple recycled 60,671 lbs. of materials — primarily copper and insulated copper — receiving $147,105.60 in cash.
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On Aug. 28, 2023, the couple recycled 7,097 pounds of materials, including high-voltage ship-to-shore cables, using the same rented Ford F-250 that was later seized by authorities.
The day after Gunter's arrest, he returned to the recycling facility and traded approximately 3,000 lbs. of copper for more than $10,000 in cash. Giddens also continued recycling after the arrest, bringing in 1,800 lbs. of copper on Sept. 2, 2023, for $5,490, and another 1,500 lbs. on Oct. 10, 2023, for $4,575.
"It is very unfortunate, and when you say stealing from the government, basically what they're doing is stealing from citizens of the United States that pay taxes to the government. It's the taxpayers' money," James said.
Court records also reveal that from May 2020 through August 2021, Gunter executed a separate scheme to fraudulently obtain money through multiple government-backed Paycheck Protection Program loans by claiming a fictitious business.
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It states between May 8 and May 10, 2020, Gunter submitted 5 PPP loan applications through PayPal and its subsidiary Swift Capital for an alleged sole proprietorship called "Almount Gunter's Cooking and Catering," listed at his Norfolk residence.
The applications contained conflicting information and falsified documents, including inconsistent business start dates, varying payroll figures, and employee pay statements that did not align with one another.
On May 11, 2020, Gunter digitally signed a borrower application and loan note for a first-draw PPP loan of $11,800. The loan was approved and funded to his Navy Federal Credit Union account on May 13, 2020.
On March 13, 2021, Gunter applied for a second-draw PPP loan, falsely claiming his business had been operating since 2016 and had a gross income of $78,921 in 2020. That application, along with additional documents submitted on April 5, 2021, resulted in a second loan of $23,018, funded to his Navy Federal Credit Union account on April 12, 2021. Gunter later applied for forgiveness on the second loan, but the application was denied due to suspected fraud.
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"It's always the taxpayers that's the real victims here," James said.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service led the investigation into the couple's activities.
"The Naval Criminal Investigative Services did the investigation. They connected the dots, did the investigation, and made the arrest. I say good job," James said.
Both Gunter and Giddens pleaded guilty to theft of government property. Gunter additionally pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Both are awaiting sentencing.
