A San Diego man pleaded guilty in federal court on Sept. 16 to charges of twice landing his small airplane on a U.S. Navy airstrip off Southern California and stealing a Navy truck to ram gates, causing thousands of dollars in damage, prosecutors said.

Andrew Kyle White, 37, pleaded guilty to one felony count of theft of government property in excess of $1,000 and one misdemeanor count of illegal entry into a naval institution by flying onto San Clemente Island.

The island, about 70 miles northwest of San Diego in the Channel Islands, is owned by the Navy and is part of Naval Base Coronado. It is not open to the public.

White remains in federal custody after violating the terms of a bond by cutting off his ankle bracelet earlier this year, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.

White allegedly knew it was illegal to travel to or access the island without first getting permission from the government, according to federal prosecutors.

Court documents show that on Oct. 29, 2023, White flew a Glastar airplane to San Clemente Island and landed it on an airstrip without the Navy’s permission.

After this first incident, White received and signed a letter that notified him it was a federal crime to travel to San Clemente Island without the Navy’s permission and instructed him not to return.

Then on April 6, 2025, White flew the same airplane to the island and landed it on an airstrip without permission, according to prosecutors. While on the island, he stole a white Ford F-150 pickup owned by the Navy worth about $16,000.

White was accused of driving the truck to various locations on the island, including places blocked by locked gates. To gain access, White used the truck to damage the gates, causing more than $8,000 in damages and costs to tow the truck.

Navy officials estimate that White’s activities cost nearly 500 man hours and resulted in a $500,000 loss.

“Whatever [White’s] intentions were, the military did not know them; they responded as one might expect the military to respond to an unknown threat: They assumed the worst,” prosecutors argued in court documents. “The island went on a complete lockdown.”

A view of the Pacific Ocean while flying to San Clemente Island northwest of San Diego. (Mindy Schauer/The Orange County Register via AP)

Navy personnel launched a mission to locate the intruder, not knowing if they were in danger from weather, terrain, or potential unexploded ordnance that could have been in the area, prosecutors claimed.

U.S. District Judge Otis Wright scheduled a sentencing hearing for Sept. 29. White will face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for theft of government property and up to six months for illegally entering a naval installation.