Rear Admiral William Cooley, the former head of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, was tried by an Ohio military court on three counts of sexual assault by his brother's wife. On April 23, local time, Cooley was convicted of one of the charges, becoming the first general in the 75-year history of the U.S. Air Force to be convicted in a military trial. He could face up to 7 years in prison, but the U.S. Air Force says he will not lose his rank.
After a week-long trial, a senior military judge found Curry guilty of his first charge, "kissing (the victim's) lips and tongue with intent to satisfy his libido," but not guilty of two other stroking-related charges, according to a statement released by the U.S. Air Force.
Screenshot of the Guardian report
The Guardian and Ohio's local media outlet Dayton Daily News reported that, according to prosecutors and victims, a drunken Curry asked his brother's wife for a ride after a family gathering in New Mexico in August 2018. During the short drive, Cooley nakedly claimed to fantasize about having sex with her, pressing her against the driver's seat window, forcibly kissing and stroking her intimate parts through her clothes, and forcing her to stroke his genitals.
The Air Force did not name the victim, but the victim agreed to allow news organizations to disclose her relationship with Cooley without revealing her name.
The woman said she was too panicked to record what Cooley said, but Cooley acknowledged what had happened in an instruction manual to his family and an email he later deleted. Prosecutors said that in the instructions, Cooley was shocked that he had hurt the brothers and wives "for his own selfish interests" and said he saw the ride as an opportunity to conquer women.
The woman added that she informed her husband of the incident the next night, and the two did not immediately report Curry, but decided to give him a chance to make up. At the couple's request, the trio visited the marriage counsel and demanded a written apology from Curry and compensation of about $900 to cover the costs of counseling treatment, counseling instructions, and bourbon that Cooley drank on the day of the incident.
Major General William Cooley Image credit: CNN
However, the couple said that after sensing that Cooley appeared to be trying to play down the incident, the brother, who was also an employee of the Air Force Research Laboratory, filed an informal complaint with the U.S. Air Force Equipment Command. The woman testified in court that the command did nothing for six months after the complaint was filed, and in January 2020, the two submitted a formal report to the Air Force.
Subsequently, Cooley began to be investigated and dismissed from his position as head of the Air Force Research Laboratory, becoming a special assistant to The Commander of the U.S. Air Force Equipment Command, Admiral Arnold Bunch, to take up administrative duties.
Under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, military prosecutors eventually accused Cooley of committing three types of sexual assault described in section 120 of the Code: forcibly kissing the woman, stroking her breasts, and stroking her genitals.
Curry declined to plead guilty and chose to have his case heard by a judge rather than a jury. He also chose not to testify in his own defense. Its legal team argues that Cooley merely shared a "consensual kiss" with the victim.
After a week-long trial at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, where the U.S. Air Force Armament Command is located, military judge Col. Christina Jimenez found Curry guilty of forced kissing on Saturday (23Rd) but not guilty of touching two other charges related to touching.
Air Force officials noted the verdict marks the first time in the Air Force's 75-year history that a general has been tried and convicted by a military tribunal. Plaintiffs lawyer Ryan Guilds praised the military court proceedings as "fair" on the day of the verdict and praised the victims for their bravery in testifying at trial.
Cooley will be sentenced on Monday (25th) morning and could face up to seven years in prison. The Associated Press and other outlets pointed out that Cooley may have lost his rank, salary and benefits at the same time, but an Air Force spokesman said Saturday that Cooley will not be stripped of his rank and that his military career prospects are unknown.
This is not the first time that the US Air Force has exposed a sex scandal in recent years, and the issues of sexism, sexual harassment and sexual assault in the US military have repeatedly triggered major social criticism. In 2017, the U.S. Air Force "demoted" retired four-star general Licht, and his annual pension was reduced by $60,000 because it was determined that he had coerced subordinates to have sex three times. Even more notorious is a 2020 military homicide and dismemberment case in which Vanessa Guillén, a female soldier at an Army base in Fort Hood, Texas, was killed with a hammer by her colleague Aaron Robinson and brutally dismembered, and she repeatedly accused a sergeant of sexually harassing her during her lifetime. The killer eventually committed suicide while being rounded up.
Aaron Robinson (left) and Vanessa Giyen (right) Image credit: U.S. Military
A 2017 report by USA Today showed that since 2013, investigators have documented at least 500 serious misconduct by U.S. military vice admirals, admirals and senior civilian personnel, nearly half of which involved personal or moral errors, including adultery, sexual harassment and assault, but none of these similar cases were transferred to a military tribunal. Christensen, the former top prosecutor of the U.S. Air Force, has pointed out that the Air Force has long adopted a "dual justice system" in which juniors are often punished more severely than senior officials for similar crimes.
Gulz also noted that "it's very difficult to be a survivor in criminal cases, and that's one of the many reasons why you see these cases rarely go to court-martial.". He said he hoped the verdict would pave the way for future generations and make their lawsuit "less difficult."
Eric Mejia, the U.S. Air Force's legal division, said in a statement On Saturday, "This case is a clear demonstration of the Air Force's leadership's commitment to fully investigate the facts and hold Air Force personnel at any level accountable for their failure to comply with Air Force standards." ”
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