NORFOLK, Va., May 21 (UPI) -- A New York man accused of stealing parts from the attack submarine USS Hampton has been convicted of a federal theft charge, officials said.
The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot reported Wednesday that Frank E. Spaulding, also known as Khalif Immanuel Bey, of one count of theft of public property and one count of a false statement
Court papers say he was at Norfolk Naval Station in December 2006 when he found two pieces of submarine equipment at Pier 1 that serve as protective covers for anti-torpedo units bolted to each side of the submarine. Each piece is 3 to 4 feet high and weighs 230 pounds.
"After examining the domes closely, Spaulding believed that they were a valuable type of metal that he could sell for scrap at a profit," the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement. "He loaded the domes in the back of his pickup truck and removed them."
Spaulding called scrap dealers the next day and sold the domes for about $2,000 to a dealer in Virginia Beach, the statement said.