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Ichingcarpenter

(36,988 posts)
Mon Mar 17, 2014, 03:55 AM Mar 2014

U.S. Army General in Sexual Assault Case to Plead Guilty to Lesser Charges

RALEIGH, N.C. — The senior Army officer prosecuted in the military’s most closely watched sexual assault case, Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair, has agreed to plead guilty to sharply reduced charges, including that he disobeyed a commander’s order, misused his government charge card and mistreated his former mistress, a captain.

In exchange for those pleas, prosecutors will dismiss far more serious charges against General Sinclair, including that he twice forced the captain into oral sex and threatened to kill her and her family.

General Sinclair is expected to enter the pleas, outlined in a document endorsed by both sides and distributed by the defense team, in military court at Fort Bragg, N.C., as soon as Monday morning. Once his sentence is decided, possibly later this week, the problem-fraught two-year case will finally draw to a close.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/us/army-general-in-sexual-assault-case-to-plead-guilty-to-lesser-charges.html?emc=edit_na_20140316&_r=0


Its good to be a gangster I mean general.



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U.S. Army General in Sexual Assault Case to Plead Guilty to Lesser Charges (Original Post) Ichingcarpenter Mar 2014 OP
The whole thing is disgusting. liberalla Mar 2014 #1
There were problems with the case involving the witness... Lost_Count Mar 2014 #2
wink wink nudge nudge Ichingcarpenter Mar 2014 #3
Followup... Lost_Count Mar 2014 #4

liberalla

(9,165 posts)
1. The whole thing is disgusting.
Mon Mar 17, 2014, 06:08 AM
Mar 2014

Why would the military procesutor/legal team agree to this? I can understand Sinclair taking it, but why would these greatly reduced charges be offered in the first place? And did the Captain agree to this? I'm guessing she probably doesn't have any input. Or, was she pressured to go along? Maybe she still has to fear recrimination.

 

Lost_Count

(555 posts)
4. Followup...
Mon Mar 17, 2014, 09:09 AM
Mar 2014
The judge, Col. James Pohl, halted the proceedings last week, citing indications that commanders had improperly influenced prosecutors to press the case in order to appear tough on sexual assaults in the military in a heated political climate.

The picture strongly indicates that the brass pushed prosecutors to proceed despite their own doubts about proving the case against Sinclair.

Emails belatedly turned over to the defense showed that military officials questioned the accuser’s credibility after she appeared to have provided misinformation about key evidence.

Still more, a Pentagon lawyer found the prosecutor, Col. William Helixon, crying and apparently suicidal about having to continue with the case, rather than enter a plea bargain with Sinclair.


http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/hope-justice-article-1.1722347
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