Seven US Marines have been court-martialed so far in connection with the Marines United scandal of 2017, the explicit-photo sharing incident that rocked the Marine Corps and shoved them into the spotlight in the most undesirable of ways.
As the investigation continues, 119 potential offenders (including 97 Marines) have been identified, resulting in seven court martials,14 nonjudicial punishments, six administrative separations and 28 adverse administrative actions.
“There’s been accountability, probably not to the satisfaction of some,” General Robert B. Neller, commandant of the Marine Corps, said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in January.
The drama from 2017’s scandal -stemming from leaked nude images sent to offenders by female servicemembers and civilians being circulated on the Marines United Facebook group- seems be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, despite a prolonged investigation.
Not all the cases are monolithic, and “it takes time, it takes a diligent investigation,” to bring perpetrators to justice,“ said Lt. Col. Iain D. Pedden, the branch head for Military Justice at Headquarters Marine Corps.
In the wake of the incident, the US Marines took serious and swift action to deter future instances that would bear similarity and tarnish the reputation of the Corps.
According to the Marine Corps Times, charges have ranged from non-consensual posting of images, extortion, to distribution of filmed sex acts without knowledge of the victim.
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