Brig.Gen.Jeffrey A.Sinclair Charged with Sodomy and Rape
Staff photo by Marcus Castro
Staff photo by Marcus Castro
The charges include wrongful sexual conduct, attempted violation of an order and wrongfully engaging in inappropriate relationships, said Col. Kevin V. Arata, the 18th Airborne Corps spokesman.
The one-star general is being charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the legal system of the armed forces.
"The next phase of these proceedings will be an Article 32 investigation," Arata said. "This is a preliminary hearing with an impartial hearing officer." The hearing officer will recommend whether Sinclair should face a court-martial.
The date for the Article 32 investigation has not been set. The hearing is expected to be open to the public.
The Fort Bragg spokesman read a press release at an afternoon press conference and declined to answer questions. Ben Abel, a spokesman, said Fort Bragg officials wanted to avoid prejudicing legal proceedings.
Other charges against Sinclair are misusing a government travel charge card, violating general orders by possessing alcohol and pornography while deployed, Arata said.
Sinclair also is charged with "maltreatment of subordinates, filing fraudulent claims, engaging in conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman and engaging in conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline, or of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces," Arata said.
"Given the nature of these proceedings, it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time," Arata said.
In May, Sinclair was removed from his job as the 82nd Airborne Division's deputy commanding general for support in southern Afghanistan. A criminal investigation followed. He had been deputy commander since July 2010.
His present assignment is special assistant to Lt. Gen. Daniel Allyn, commanding general of Fort Bragg and the 18th Airborne Corps.
The incident is the first in recent memory in which a Fort Bragg general was removed from a position and investigated.
Sinclair was commissioned through ROTC in December 1985 after graduating from West Virginia University. He was trained as an infantry and field artillery officer.
In May 1999, he came to Fort Bragg to become the Army operations officer and later chief of the Plans and Training Division in the Joint Special Operations Command. In June 2001, he became the executive officer of the 3rd Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division and participated in operations in Afghanistan.
Sinclair had deployed to combat in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
From May 1999 to June 2001, he served as the Army Operations Officer, and later Chief, Plans and Training Division, at the Fort Bragg-based Joint Special Operations Command.
Military editor Henry Cuningham can be reached at cuninghamh@fayobserver.com or 486-3585.
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