Queens Man Convicted of Stealing Submarine Parts

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) -- A Jamaica, Queens, man has been convicted in Virginia of stealing counterattack parts worth $70,000 from a submarine to sell for scrap metal.

A federal jury found 37-year-old Frank E. Spaulding guilty on Tuesday of theft of public property and making false statements.

The U.S. attorney's office in Virginia said Spaulding took two steel domes from a pier at Norfolk Naval Station in December 2006, when the USS Hampton was being refurbished. The domes, weighing 230 pounds apiece, cover anti-torpedo units that confuse approaching enemy torpedoes.

Spaulding sold the domes for about $2,000 to a scrap dealer in Virginia Beach.

He's scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 21.

And you thought stealing a bell was a big deal...