By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who was based in New York admitted Tuesday in fed court in Newark that he stole tens of thousands of dollars in government property while working for the agency and sold it on eBay.
Steven Kucan, 48, of Wood Ridge, N.J. pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property. Kucan supervised an administrative group at ICE’s offices in New York since the 1990s, and was responsible for obtaining, storing and controlling ICE equipment.
In May, authorities charged, that between December 2004 and February 2011, he regularly stole ICE property including printing cartridges, film, batteries, camera lenses, combat lights for ICE’s M-4 rifles and an immersion suit designed to prevent hypothermia in cold water.
Authorities alleged that Kucan had an eBay account under a relative’s name and sold $37,000 in ICE property.
ICE employees reported seeing Kucan wheel ICE property out of the offices on carts, including on a Saturday.
A raid at his home turned up about $40,000 in ICE property including personal computers, printers, keyboards, police batons, flashlights, work gloves, safety glasses, lifejackets, helmets, handcuffs, gun holsters, camera lenses, emergency lights and sirens, and two-way radio systems, authorities said.
