<p>Eight of the 11 people charged in an alleged scheme to steal insulin and insulin test strips from U.S. Army pharmacies pleaded not guilty Monday during a brief hearing in federal court.</p><p>The defendants were all released on $10,000 bond after being arraigned. Their next court dates have not been scheduled.</p><p>The 11 were indicted last week in what U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren said was a $2 million scheme to steal the insulin and insulin strips between 2002 and 2004 from Fort Riley, Kan.; Fort Polk, La.; Fort Knox, Ky.; Ft. Lee, Va.; Fort Gordon, Ga.; and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C.</p><p>Nine of those indicted were Army pharmacy technicians on active duty; the two others were technicians' wives. The technicians were in charge of post pharmacies.</p><p>All were charged with one count of conspiracy to transport stolen goods in interstate commerce, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and one count of forfeiture of $2.3 million in currency plus real estate in Virginia.</p><p>The indictment alleges that the conspirators were paid about $2.3 million for the stolen insulin and test strips. An estimated 40,000 vials of insulin were stolen.</p><p>A 10-month investigation into the scheme was sparked by a traffic stop in Topeka, during which officers reportedly found a substantial amount of stolen pharmacy goods in the possession of Eric A. Hernandez, 21, a pharmacy technician at Fort Riley.</p><p>Those appearing in court Monday included Hernandez; Ronald Ausberry, 27, of Peterburg, Va., stationed at Fort Lee; Stefan M. Carty, 33, Wheaton, Maryland, stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center; John W. Cooper, 28, Elizabethtown, Ky., stationed at Fort Knox; Hazra Kishun, 27, Manhattan, Kan., Fort Riley; Wakan G. Stamm, 28, Leesville, La., Fort Polk; Sabrina Ausberry, 22, Petersburg, Va., Ronald Ausberry's wife; and Donna L. Cooper, Elizabethtown, Ky., John Cooper's wife.</p><p>First appearance dates have not yet been set for Antoine D. Brown, 25, Illesheim, Germany, stationed at Fort Polk; Michael M. Harper, 29, Augusta, Ga., Fort Gordon; and Max H. Thomas, 22, Fort Riley.</p>
