EL PASO, Texas – A federal jury has convicted a former U.S. Army civilian contractor in El Paso for stealing more than $1.1 million worth of Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs) from Fort Bliss and selling them, federal officials announced.
Joseph Lavar Davis, 47, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit theft of government property and theft of government property, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Davis was indicted alongside three co-defendants in February 2025.
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The charges stemmed from a scheme that prosecutors say took place between Feb. 24, 2020, and Aug. 12, 2020, involving the theft of more than 200 pallets of MREs valued at approximately $1.12 million.
Investigators said the operation came to light on Aug. 12, 2020, when FBI agents and Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division agents executed a search warrant at a civilian warehouse in El Paso. Authorities discovered about 100 pallets of MREs stored inside.
According to prosecutors, the warehouse was being used by a company whose owner had been purchasing MREs from people who stole them from Fort Bliss.
Federal officials said the scheme involved multiple people carrying out different roles. Prosecutors described a network that included a civilian contractor who knew how to request and obtain the MREs, a soldier who helped transport them, and another person who connected buyers and sellers. The products were sold online.
Investigators said the group used false paperwork to obtain the military food supplies, rented trucks to move the pallets and coordinated deliveries and payments among co-conspirators.
Prosecutors said Davis knew the military food supply process since he served in the Army in a food service supply role. After retiring, he continued working in a similar position as a civilian contractor.
According to the news release, Davis created fake requests for MREs, arranged transportation, coordinated deliveries and handled negotiations and payments tied to the sales.