A U.S. Army General Has Been Charged with a Laundry List of Sex Offenses

The military’s well-documented sexual assault scandals have just received a horrible new installment — according to the AP, Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair, a veteran of five combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been charged with forcible sodomy, multiple counts of adultery and having inappropriate relationships with several female subordinates.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, two defense officials told the AP about the charges facing Sinclair. He faces a court martial on charges that include forced sex, wrongful sexual conduct, violating an order, possessing pornography and alcohol while deployed, and misusing a government travel charge card and filing fraudulent claims. After allegedly running the gamut of transgressions, Sinclair was informed of Monday of the charges against him, and will now face an Article 32 investigation, which includes a preliminary hearing to determine if his case will go to trial.

Earlier this summer, allegations that a dozen male boot-camp instructors at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas assaulted, harassed, or had sex with female recruits under their command pointed to one of the biggest scandals in U.S. military history. Reports of sexual assault in the military have become so prevalent, that Defense Secretary Leon Panetta publicly acknowledged the seriousness of the problem, announcing in April that the military would take vigorous steps to stamp out sexual assault in its ranks, including subjecting serious offenses such as rape and forcible sodomy to the very court-martial review now facing Sinclair.