Shipyard contractor pleads guilty to stealing nearly $600K of computer equipment from US Navy

A civilian contractor at General Dynamics-NASSCO in San Diego pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal theft of government property charges for stealing nearly $600,000 worth of computer equipment from three U.S. Navy ships.

Ernesto Saldivar, 30, admitted that from November of 2022 to August of 2023, he stole hard drives, laptops, and other items from ships undergoing maintenance, then sold the items online.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Saldivar sold two hard drives "containing military communications" on eBay and overall made just over $2,500 in eBay sales.

Prosecutors said the thefts took place on the USS Pinckney, USS Curtis Wilbur and USS Spruance.

As part of his plea agreement, he will owe restitution to the U.S. government for nearly the entire total aggregate value of the stolen items: $596,997.53.