A U.S. Naval Academy midshipman and ex-Navy soccer team midfielder has been charged with sexually assaulting sleeping female classmates, according to charge sheets provided to Navy Times.
It remains unclear how many victims Midshipman Nixon Keago allegedly assaulted because their names are redacted in the released records.
The third-year midshipman is accused of entering a female classmate’s dorm room in February 2018, removing her clothes without her permission and sexually assaulting her while she slept, the filings allege.
Prosecutors also say Keago attempted to sexually assault a sleeping midshipman in Annapolis, Maryland, in September 2018.
Keago, 24, allegedly sexually assaulted a sleeping female midshipman on Oct. 21, 2018 in Annapolis and also stands accused of entering a female midshipman’s rack without her permission in New York City in May, kissing her neck, pressing his body against hers and pulling down her shorts without her permission, according to charge sheets.
That alleged incident drew attempted sexual assault charges.
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Keago also faces burglary charges for each of the four incidents because he allegedly broke into dorm rooms or berthing areas to commit the crimes.
He was charged with obstruction of justice for allegedly urging a female midshipman to “lie to military authorities” about the case in September 2018 and in May.
Naval Academy superintendent Vice Adm. Sean Buck approved the charges last month.
Keago’s military attorney, Lt. Daniel Phipps, declined comment.
Keago’s court-martial trial is slated to begin in January at the Washington Navy Yard.
A chemistry major, he’s been assigned a “leave of absence status” from the school and is no longer on Navy’s soccer team, according to academy spokeswoman Jennifer Erickson.
Before he arrived in Annapolis, the Texan served four years as an enlisted Marine and played on the All-Marine soccer team, according to his Navy biography.
He also represented Team USA at the 6th World Military Games in 2015. Assigned then to Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Keago was named to the 2016 Armed Forces Men’s Soccer Championship All-Tournament Team.
Keago attended the Naval Academy Preparatory School during the 2016-17 academic year.
As a Navy freshman, he was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
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.
