Two enlisted cooks aboard two aircraft carriers each pleaded guilty in January to filming the private areas of shipmates without their consent.
Culinary Specialist 3rd Class Aniel D. Joseph was charged with indecent visual recording for eight incidents in which he made “a recording of the private area of an unknown male person” from November 2015 to October 2016 while serving aboard the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, according to Navy records.
The records don’t specify where the recording took place, but the locations were where the victims had “a reasonable expectation of privacy.”
Joseph pleaded guilty on Jan. 9 and was sentenced to a bad conduct discharge, reduction in rank to E-1 and 13 months’ confinement, but he won’t serve more than 10 months as part of a pre-trial agreement, according to the Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps.
The day before, on Jan. 8, Culinary Specialist Seaman Bryce C. Haye pleaded guilty to three instances of attempted indecent visual recording while serving aboard the carrier George H.W. Bush, according to the JAG Corps.
Haye was charged with attempting to use a cell phone to record the private area of female sailors, including at least one officer, without their consent and in areas where they had a reasonable expectation of privacy on three dates in September 2016, according to legal records.
He was given a bad conduct discharge, reduction in rank to E-1 and 350 days confinement, but he won’t serve more than nine months as part of a pre-trial agreements, according to the JAG Corps.
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Officials with Naval Air Force Atlantic declined to provide further details on either case and referred questions to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.
NCIS did not immediately return requests for comment.
“Both commands took these incidents very seriously and they were quickly and thoroughly investigated,” AIRLANT spokesman Cmdr. Dave Hecht said. “The illicit activities of these individuals are contrary to our core values of honor, courage and commitment. Officers and enlisted Sailors at all ranks are expected to treat each other with dignity and respect.”
Joseph and Haye did not respond to requests for comment.
In the wake of the Marines United scandal, sweeping changes to Navy regulations allowed Marine commanders to pursue cases involving nonconsensual distribution of intimate images.
Commanders have new tools to punish Marines who violate directives, and the Corps also introduced a tip line to go after offenders.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
