Woman who worked for subcontractor pleads guilty to $160K theft of government property

A woman who worked for a subcontractor at the Lake City Ammunition Plant in Independence pleaded guilty Friday to stealing about $160,000 in equipment.

Brooke Brooks appeared in U.S. District Court in Kansas City where she waived a grand jury indictment and pleaded guilty to theft of government property.

Brooks, 36, was responsible for ordering equipment and supplies for the plant.

Over a four-year period, she created false paperwork and over-ordered equipment such as power washers, electric drills and electric saws, according to the terms of her plea agreement with prosecutors.

The government paid for all of the equipment, but only some were for the plant.

Brooks kept the rest and sold it on sites like Craigslist and eBay. She also sold some to other Lake City employees who were told it was excess equipment.

“Because the items cost Brooks nothing, and were being sold at prices well under retail, she had no difficulty selling the items,” according to the plea agreement.

The scheme was discovered in February 2017 when an employee complained that he had not received equipment he ordered from Brooks.