A decorated Navy captain was found guilty of attempting to have sex with a child and will spend the next eight years behind bars, forfeit all pays and allowances and will be dismissed from the service once his sentence is finished.
Capt. Alan Damian Dorrbecker, a 27-year submarine warfare officer currently assigned to Submarine Force Atlantic, was found guilty by military judge, Capt. Robert J. Crow on one of two specifications of sexual assault of a child as well as four of five counts of sexual abuse of a child.
Dorrbecker was also found guilty of an orders violation as well as conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. The sentence also means that Dorrbecker will not be eligible for retirement or retirement benefits because he is being dismissed from the service.
He was found not guilty of one specification of sexual assault and one specification of sexual abuse of the same child.
The crimes took place between August and December 2015, when Dorrbecker was serving on the staff of Naval Forces Europe in Naples, Italy.
According to the charge sheets released by Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, Dorrbecker was found guilty of sending is victim a series of emails in August and September that contained descriptions of a wide graphic sexual content.
In November 2015, Dorrbecker is accused of emailing the victim sexual messages indicating a desire to meet, and he was found guilty of an orders violation by using his Navy-issued Blackberry cell phone to arrange the meeting.
Dorrbecker was found guilty of meeting the under aged girl on Dec. 2, 2015, when he "attempted" to have sex with her, according to the details in the specification of sexual assault for which he was found guilty.
He was found not guilty an additional count of sexual assault that allegedly occurred in November 2015.
Dorrbecker was commissioned in May 1990 and served at sea on three fast-attack submarines before commanding the fast-attack submarine USS Greeneville from 2007 through 2009, according to his releasable information provided by the Navy. He is a graduate of both the Naval War College and Air War College.
His list of awards are below:
- Joint Service Commendation Medal; (2) Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal; (7) Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal; (2) Meritorious Unit Commendation
- Navy Expeditionary Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Southwest Asia Service Medal
- Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal Armed Forces Service Medal
- Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
Mark D. Faram is a former reporter for Navy Times. He was a senior writer covering personnel, cultural and historical issues. A nine-year active duty Navy veteran, Faram served from 1978 to 1987 as a Navy Diver and photographer.
