Man Pleads Guilty to 2012 Obama Van Theft A Richmond man has pleaded guilty to stealing a truck containing President Barack Obama's audio equipment. Eric Brown entered his plea Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Richmond. The 49-year-old Brown faces sentencing April 11 in a plea agreement that calls for a 7-year prison term. A 2005 Ford van containing podiums and electronic equipment used by the president during public appearances was stolen from a Henrico County hotel parking lot in October 2011. The empty van owned by the Defense Information Systems Agency was recovered on the other side of town the next day. The theft occurred just ahead of Obama's visit to a suburban Richmond fire station to promote his jobs plan.