A federal jury in El Paso convicted Joseph Lavar Davis, 47, a former U.S. Army civilian contractor, on two counts arising from the theft of more than 200 pallets of Meals Ready to Eat from Army stores [1]. The prosecution was brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas and was carried under the Trump administration's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud [1]. Davis faced charges of conspiracy to commit theft of government property and theft of government property, both of which survived to trial [1].
The government's evidence centered on Davis's alleged diversion of MRE pallets valued at approximately $1.12 million from Army stockpiles [1]. Prosecutors Lori Hughes and Mallory Rasmussen of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas tried the case for the government [1]. The jury returned guilty verdicts on both counts on June 30, 2026 [1].
No sentencing date has been publicly announced. Davis faces federal sentencing on the theft-of-government-property convictions, which carry statutory maximums that the district court will weigh against applicable U.S. Sentencing Guidelines ranges. No acquittals or hung counts were reported [1].
The conviction is one of a series of prosecutions the Justice Department has attributed to the anti-fraud task force, which has targeted contractor misconduct across federal agencies [1]. No post-trial motions or notice of appeal had been reported as of the verdict date.