Contractor found guilty of theft of $1.1 million in MREs after FBI raid at El Paso warehouse

A federal jury convicted a man for stealing more than 200 pallets of Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs) valued at more than $1 million.

Former soldier turned U.S. Army civilian contractor Joseph Lavar Davis, 47, was convicted for conspiracy to commit theft of government property and a substantive count of theft of government property, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas announced on June 30, 2026.

Officials said that between February 24, 2020, and August 12, 2020, Davis and three other co-defendants stole more than 200 pallets containing approximately $1,120,000 worth of MREs.

On August 12, 2020, the FBI and Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division executed a search warrant at a civilian warehouse in El Paso, Texas, and located about 100 pallets of MREs.

Investigators learned that the owner of the company using the warehouse had purchased MREs stolen from Fort Bliss, located at the Texas/New Mexico border.

Further investigation revealed that Davis took part in a scheme involving the creation of “false paperwork to obtain MREs from Ft. Bliss, truck rentals to transport the MREs, coordination among the co-conspirators to pick up and deliver the MREs, communications and financial transactions between the co-conspirators,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Davis is accused of using knowledge he gained while in food service supply in the Army to exploit the process of obtaining MREs and to transport them by rented truck from Fort Bliss.

“Joseph Davis betrayed the very country he once swore to protect in an effort to satisfy his own selfish ambition and a jury of his peers held him accountable for it,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. “Rooting out fraud that undermines our government and our military readiness is a priority of this administration. I want to thank our Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Lori Hughes and Mallory Rasmussen, as well as our support staff and law enforcement partners, for their excellent work in bringing this fraudster to justice. Their dedication resulted in a win for the Western District of Texas, a win for Justice, and a win for the American people.”

“This conviction should send a clear message the FBI and our law enforcement partners at the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division make it a priority to bring to justice those who resort to theft of government property for ill-gotten gain”, said Jarod Brown, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI El Paso Field Office. “We are stronger when we work together to seek justice and will continue to combat these issues through strong partnerships.”