FORT BRAGG, North Carolina : A judge is expected to announce on Thursday the sentence for a US Army general who admitted he mistreated a captain during an adulterous sexual affair and had inappropriate relationships with other junior female officers.
Brigadier General Jeffrey Sinclair’s punishment for his military crimes could include jail time, dismissal from the service or retirement at a reduced rank.
The married general avoided a possible life sentence in a plea deal that dropped sexual assault charges involving the female captain. Government prosecutors on Wednesday asked the trial judge, Colonel James Pohl, to dismiss Sinclair from the Army for the harm caused by his criminal acts. They said he abused his power to exploit women. “What did he use his rank to accomplish? Personal gratification,” said Major Rebecca DiMuro, a special victims prosecutor.
The rare court-martial of a general has drawn wide attention at a time when the US military faces intense political scrutiny as it works to curb sexual misconduct in the ranks.
A dismissal would mean the one-star general would lose an estimated $830,000 in lifetime pay, plus all retirement and medical benefits.