First Marine court-martialed for ‘Marines United’ nude photo-sharing scandal
First man court-martialed over ‘Marines United’ scandal where servicemen shared explicit photos of female colleagues on Facebook page
The Marine pled guilty June 29, to ‘non-consensual sharing of explicit photos’
He was sentenced to ten days confinement and three grades rank demotion
One female Marine said the photo sharing scandal ruined the Corps for her
Another was left disgusted by her comrades’ crude comments
The court-martial was the first in relation to the ‘Marines United’ scandal
The first Marine has been court-martialed for the “Marines United” scandal where service members would share naked pictures of their fellow marines.
Images of female soldiers and veterans, including some with their full names and ranks, were shared on the Facebook page and other sites, launching an investigation that has since expanded into other branches of the military.
One Marine pleaded guilty to a court-martial on June 29 for sharing explicit photos on “Marines United” and was sentenced to 10 days behind bars, a loss of three ranks and the loss of two-thirds of a month the Marine Corps announced Monday.
The Marine was not identified because he was facing a “summary” administrative court-martial rather than stricter measures, Military.com reported.
A US Marine has been court-martialed over the ‘Marines United’ scandal – where men would share explicit pictures of their female comrades on a Facebook page.
The Marine was sentenced to ten days confinement, three grades rank demotion, and a loss of two-third of his monthly pay.
He pleaded guilty at the summary-court martial to a charged, ‘related to the non-consensual sharing of explicit photos on the Marines United Facebook group.’
The court-martial was a part response to a scandal which rocked the Corps, where Marines shared explicit photos of female soldiers and veterans.
Some of the pictures would include the women’s full name and rank.
Since news of the scandal broke in February the NCIS, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the law enforcement agency for the US Navy and Marine Corps, has gone through 131,000 images across 168 social media sites.
Officers from the NCIS identified 89 persons of interest – 22 civilians and 67 active-duty marines.
General Glenn Walters said the Marine Corps ‘will not tolerate a lack of respect for any member of our team’
General Glenn Walters, Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, said the service has updated their training about what is appropriate on social media.
He said: ‘While those changes address the immediate behavioral issue, we also remain committed to addressing and evolving our culture by changing the way we educate, train and lead our Marines.
‘We will not tolerate a lack of respect for any member of our team.’
The photos would be shared without permission and often contain the servicewomen’s name, rank and base
Members of the Marines United Facebook group, which has since been shut down, shared the photos without the consent of those photographed.
They were also suspected of harassing women online.
The female Marines whose explicit photos were exposed on a secret Facebook page say the photo swaps left them feeling they should never serve again.
One of the women subject to the ordeal was Lance Corporal Marisa Woytek, who had pictures taken from her Instagram account and posted on Marines United.
The group has since been shut down, and investigators are looking at 89 persons of interest
She said: ‘Even if I could, I’m never re-enlisting. Being sexually harassed online ruined the Marine Corps for me, and the experience.’
Another active duty marine, Erika Butner, said she was disgusted by fellow marines making crude comments on her picture.
She told CBS: ‘You’re telling me there’s 30,000 people in this Facebook group and like not one person said anything?
‘How are you supposed to trust these people that you potentially could be going to combat with when they’re objectifying and sexualizing you and targeting you?’
“I love the Marine Corps. But after seeing that, I wouldn’t re-enlist,” Marisa Woytek, a Marine lance corporal who served at Camp Pendleton, told The New York Times about the scandal that has rocked the Marine Corps.
Attorney Gloria Allred, who represents victims of the “Marines United” page, said that despite the Marines announcement Monday, the service is not doing enough to address “the widespread and serious nature of the Marines United scandal, which has been very damaging to the status and image of many women Marines.”
Marines Marisa Woytek [left] and Erika Butner [right] seen here with attorney Gloria Allred, were two of the active duty personnel harassed online 
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