Grass Valley, California – Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced that Edward Williams, 49, of Auburn, a former Special Agent with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), pleaded guilty Thursday to theft of government property.
According to court documents, Williams was assigned to the USFS Grass Valley field office at the time of the offense. On October 25, 2021, he accessed the Truckee Ranger District office and stole at least 21 pieces of equipment. The stolen property included items classified as DRMO (Defense Reutilization Marketing Office), referring to retired military-grade equipment previously used by the U.S. Department of Defense and transferred to the USFS.
The equipment, valued at over $200,000, was federal property intended strictly for agency use—not for personal gain, resale, or distribution. Investigators say the theft was not a one-time event.
Williams confessed to the October 2021 theft during a May 19, 2022, interview with law enforcement officials. Later that same day, federal agents searched his home under a court-issued warrant and recovered dozens of items originally belonging to the USFS. These included equipment stolen during the October incident and items taken during other periods.
Authorities also recovered several pieces of night vision equipment that Williams had unlawfully provided to two personal acquaintances. Williams has committed to returning all of the stolen items to the U.S. Forest Service as part of his plea agreement. The total estimated value of the stolen government property is approximately $206,371.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and the USFS Office of Professional Responsibility led the investigation, with assistance from the U.S. Forest Service and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise N. Yasinow is prosecuting the case.
Williams is scheduled for sentencing on September 18, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. However, the court will determine the final sentence after considering federal sentencing guidelines and relevant statutory factors.
Williams’ guilty plea marks a significant development in a case that raised concerns about internal accountability and the misuse of sensitive government-issued equipment within a federal agency.
