NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. — Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Stephen Varanko III was found guilty Friday of battery and sexual harassment of a female sailor at the conclusion of a four-day trial at Norfolk Naval Station, Navy Times has learned.
The verdict handed down by a military judge found Varanko not guilty on charges of rape. He's been sentenced to 89 days in the brig and will be busted down in rank from E-7 to E-6, Navy officials said.
The verdict concludes a story of obsession and adultery that culminated in a February 26, 2015 incident during a training assignment to Fort Knox, Kentucky.
Varanko and his accuser were immersed in a two-year affair and were involved in a fierce altercation inside their Shepherdsville hotel room.
It is the policy of Navy Times to not identify the victim.
Varanko was acquitted on some of the most serious charges, including rape, aggravated assault, sexual assault, kidnapping and falsifying an official statement.
The SEAL is currently assigned to Special Reconnaissance Team Two at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
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.
