GRAND RAPIDS, MI—Kirk Edward Weir, 40, of Cadillac, was sentenced to almost two years in federal prison for fraudulently acquiring technology equipment and software and misusing a company purchasing card. Additionally, Weir was ordered to pay $371,738.18 in restitution to the victims of the scheme and must forfeit an additional $350,000 to the United States in the form of a money judgment. He will serve three years of supervised release after his prison sentence. The Honorable Robert J. Jonker, U.S. District Judge, imposed the sentence.

Weir pled guilty in June 2014 to one count of wire fraud in a scheme involving his former employer, AAR Mobility Systems, a global supplier of rapid deployment equipment and mobile tactical shelters to the government and defense industries. Weir committed the scheme between 2007 and 2012 while employed as a technology administrator by causing AAR to purchase approximately $290,000 in equipment and software and $60,000 in company credit card purchases for items ostensibly for use by AAR. In truth, Weir diverted the technology items to sell on the Internet and purchased personal items such as outdoor and sports equipment, boating accessories, and clothing, some of which he sold on the Internet. He admitted altering company records and manipulating internal controls to conceal his crimes.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles, Jr. said, “Weir abused the trust placed in him by his employer by quietly but systematically stealing from the company over the course of several years. Despite the great lengths he took to conceal the theft, the scheme ended and unraveled when a concerned citizen reported the suspected fraud to law enforcement. We applaud those who refuse to simply look the other way by reporting suspected criminal activity. This helps ensure that offenders are held accountable and justice is brought to victims.”

The case was investigated by Detective/Lieutenant Todd Golnick of the Cadillac Police Department, the Wexford County Prosecutor’s Office, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher O’Connor prosecuted the case.