A Richmond man pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges stemming from the theft of copper wire and pipe fittings from facilities operated by a government veterans agency.

Derek Less, 26, appeared in U.S. District Court before Chief Judge John A. Woodcock Jr. and admitted stealing valuable metal material from buildings operated by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Togus.

Court records indicated that VA employees and police watched as Less removed spools of copper wire from the buildings. Officers asked Less for permission to search his car, but he fled the area at a high rate of speed. An investigation showed he sold more than 400 pounds of copper wire and pipe fittings to Clark’s Cars & Parts, Inc. in July and August of 2012, according to a written statement issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Portland. Less admitted that he stole the copper from the VA buildings to support his drug addition.

He faces a prison term of up to 10 years and a $250,00 fine, or both, on each of three theft counts. His sentencing is expected to follow a pre-sentence report to be completed by the U.S. Probation Office.

The investigation was conducted by the Criminal Investigation Division, Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, according to U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II.