Impostor's Easy Access to Local Bases Still an Embarrassing Mystery
By Steve Vogel
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4166-2001Jan30.html
Thursday, February 1, 2001 ; Page GZ19
Washington resident Jeffrey A. Klotz, who managed to check out dozens of rifles and pistols from Fort Meade last July by impersonating an Air Force officer, pleaded
guilty last week to a federal charge in connection with the case, but a variety of military agencies embarrassed by the security breach are still trying to figure out
what went wrong.
Dressed in an Air Force major uniform, Klotz was able to withdraw 30 M-16 rifles and 10 M-9 pistols, along with two Chevrolet Blazers. Then he drove to Fort
Indiantown Gap, a military installation in central Pennsylvania, where he was placed in charge of a rifle range to teach riflery to 109 Civil Air Cadets.
"He had no business ever coming into possession of those weapons and ammunition," said David Barasch, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Klotz, 35, entered a guilty plea to a charge of making a false official statement, a felony charge for which he faces up to five years' imprisonment and a $250,000
fine.
Klotz was charged only in connection with the July incident, but federal officials say he checked out weapons from Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County on a number
of occasions over the years, each time to train cadets.
"As best as we can tell, he had no criminal intent to use the weapons for a nefarious purpose," Barasch said.
Klotz enlisted in the Air Force in 1985 but was discharged after one month because of a bad knee.
Nonetheless, he was also a regular at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George's County, where he would show up in his officer's uniform and ride in firetrucks
assigned to protect Air Force One and other sensitive equipment at the base, personnel at Andrews have reported. Klotz had his own locker in the stall area next to
where firefighters stored their gear, according to a former firefighter.
"The Air Force was quite concerned," Barasch said. In response to the incident, Andrews reviewed its entire database of reservists to ensure such a breach does
not happen again, an Air Force official said.
The National Guard, which operates Fort Indiantown Gap, also has some egg on its face. Klotz had a military identification card issued by the Pennsylvania Air
National Guard, according to military sources. A member of the Guard was assigned to Klotz to help him drive the Blazers filled with weapons from Fort Meade to
Pennsylvania, an official said.
An Army Reserve investigation is still underway. "No final conclusion has been reached, and no punishment has been handed out yet," said Jim Coles, an Army
Reserve spokesman.
"There's been a reiteration of the importance of following existing procedures concerning weapons and equipment and accountability," Coles added.
Klotz acquired the weapons from the 318th Military Police Regiment, an Army Reserve unit at Fort Meade, by presenting a letter saying the guns were needed for
his "unit" at Andrews, an officer familiar with the case has said. A sergeant who issued Klotz the weapons and the Blazers later told authorities that she had known
Klotz for years and always believed he was an Air Force officer.
"What happened is that individuals in some of the units involved at Fort Meade and Andrews let familiarity overcome their procedures, and that's a no-go," said
another military official.
By Steve Vogel
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4166-2001Jan30.html
Thursday, February 1, 2001 ; Page GZ19
Washington resident Jeffrey A. Klotz, who managed to check out dozens of rifles and pistols from Fort Meade last July by impersonating an Air Force officer, pleaded
guilty last week to a federal charge in connection with the case, but a variety of military agencies embarrassed by the security breach are still trying to figure out
what went wrong.
Dressed in an Air Force major uniform, Klotz was able to withdraw 30 M-16 rifles and 10 M-9 pistols, along with two Chevrolet Blazers. Then he drove to Fort
Indiantown Gap, a military installation in central Pennsylvania, where he was placed in charge of a rifle range to teach riflery to 109 Civil Air Cadets.
"He had no business ever coming into possession of those weapons and ammunition," said David Barasch, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Klotz, 35, entered a guilty plea to a charge of making a false official statement, a felony charge for which he faces up to five years' imprisonment and a $250,000
fine.
Klotz was charged only in connection with the July incident, but federal officials say he checked out weapons from Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County on a number
of occasions over the years, each time to train cadets.
"As best as we can tell, he had no criminal intent to use the weapons for a nefarious purpose," Barasch said.
Klotz enlisted in the Air Force in 1985 but was discharged after one month because of a bad knee.
Nonetheless, he was also a regular at Andrews Air Force Base in Prince George's County, where he would show up in his officer's uniform and ride in firetrucks
assigned to protect Air Force One and other sensitive equipment at the base, personnel at Andrews have reported. Klotz had his own locker in the stall area next to
where firefighters stored their gear, according to a former firefighter.
"The Air Force was quite concerned," Barasch said. In response to the incident, Andrews reviewed its entire database of reservists to ensure such a breach does
not happen again, an Air Force official said.
The National Guard, which operates Fort Indiantown Gap, also has some egg on its face. Klotz had a military identification card issued by the Pennsylvania Air
National Guard, according to military sources. A member of the Guard was assigned to Klotz to help him drive the Blazers filled with weapons from Fort Meade to
Pennsylvania, an official said.
An Army Reserve investigation is still underway. "No final conclusion has been reached, and no punishment has been handed out yet," said Jim Coles, an Army
Reserve spokesman.
"There's been a reiteration of the importance of following existing procedures concerning weapons and equipment and accountability," Coles added.
Klotz acquired the weapons from the 318th Military Police Regiment, an Army Reserve unit at Fort Meade, by presenting a letter saying the guns were needed for
his "unit" at Andrews, an officer familiar with the case has said. A sergeant who issued Klotz the weapons and the Blazers later told authorities that she had known
Klotz for years and always believed he was an Air Force officer.
"What happened is that individuals in some of the units involved at Fort Meade and Andrews let familiarity overcome their procedures, and that's a no-go," said
another military official.