A Virginia woman who accused a sailor of raping her has now admitted the rape never occurred, according to a recent court filing and a U.S. Department of Justice statement. She accused him of the crime in case her “significant other” found out about their affair.
On Jan. 22, federal prosecutors charged Miranda Overton, 21, of Chesapeake, with one count of making a false statement to an agent.
The lone count stemmed from her July 2, 2018, interview with a Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent at the Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center in Norfolk, where the civilian woman claimed a sailor had raped and sodomized her at Naval Station Norfolk.
In reality, she knew “she had consensual sex” with him, according to the criminal complaint.
A Feb. 11 court filing revealed she asked a federal judge to accept her guilty plea. In a prepared statement released Tuesday, DOJ officials said that her plea has been accepted.
According to the DOJ, agents confronted the sailor about Overton’s allegations and he explained that they hooked up through an online dating application.
Investigators obtained surveillance footage that caught Overton and the sailor kissing in the elevator immediately before the alleged assault. NCIS also reviewed the statement she made during her sexual assault forensic examination where she conceded they agreed to engage in intercourse, officials said.
During a second interview, Overton recanted her accusation, admitted that she “had made another false allegation in the past” and confessed that she lied to NCIS “out of fear that her significant other would end their relationship” if that person learned about the sailor, according to the DOJ statement.
Overton is slated for sentencing on June 3. She faces a maximum penalty of five years behind bars, although most sentences fall short of that.
Her attorney, federal public defender Kirsten Kmet, told Navy Times on Wednesday that office policy barred her from commenting on Overton’s case.
Overton was not placed into pretrial confinement, according to court records.
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Prine came to Navy Times after stints at the San Diego Union-Tribune and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He served in the Marine Corps and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His awards include the Joseph Galloway Award for Distinguished Reporting on the military, a first prize from Investigative Reporters & Editors and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
