Huge manhunt over $40 million Army fuel theft

Ex-military contractor has been convicted, now helping with global search

ALEXANDRIA, Virginia – A former U.S. Army contractor convicted of stealing $40 million worth of fuel from a military base in Iraq is helping authorities in a global search for other suspects in the case, according to court records.

One suspect has already been arrested in the Philippines and now awaits indictment from a federal grand jury in Virginia.

Lee W. Dubois of Lexington, South Carolina, pleaded guilty last year to theft of government property and faces up to 10 years in prison. A sentencing hearing scheduled Thursday in Virginia was postponed.

The thefts occurred in 2007 and 2008 from Camp Liberty in Baghdad. Dubois admitted that he and others stole more than 10 million gallons of jet fuel and diesel fuel from the base. They used fraudulent paperwork so that fuel trucks could drive in and withdraw tens of thousands of gallons a day.

Dubois made a personal profit of at least $450,000 from the scheme and told investigators after his arrest that he may have profited by as much as $800,000.

AP