Capt Michael Nguyen Charged with Theft

FORT LEWIS, Wash.

A Fort Lewis captain is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the U.S. government and spending it on himself.

Twenty-seven-year-old Army Capt. Michael Dung Nguyen faces charges of theft of government property and money laundering. If convicted on all counts he could face up to 30 years in prison

Nguyen, a West Point graduate, spent 14 months in combat in Iraq with the 4th Stryker Brigade. When he returned from Iraq last year, he opened several bank accounts in Oregon and other places and deposited about $10,000 in each account.

It was those deposits and lavish spending that attracted the attention of authorities.

During his time in Iraq, Nguyen was entrusted with hundreds of thousands of dollars in uncirculated U.S. currency. He paid out that money for humanitarian relief and reconstruction.

But federal investigators say he mailed much of that money to his home in Oregon - nearly $700,000 in cash.

"It's really a case of betrayal of country and greed," U.S. Attorney Karin Immergut said. "He betrayed not only the U.S. government and the people of the United States but also his fellow armed services men and women."

When Nguyen got back, authorities say he went on a spending spree. He paid $70,000 for a new BMW and another $43,000 for a new hummer. More money went toward computers, electronics and furniture.

Much of it was confiscated from his Lakewood apartment last week where neighbors say he kept to himself.

"It was the captain's behavior that triggered this investigation," said Kenneth Hines, special agent for the IRS in Seattle. "What he was doing raised red flags for the IRS in conjunction with the Army CID and FBI to work this case jointly and we established enough probable cause for the search warrants."