U.S. Coast Guard vs. Yamil Sanchez Padilla

In the complaint served against Yamil Sanchez Padilla in docket 2025-0086, the Coast Guard charged him under 46 U.S.C. § 7704a(b). The complaint alleges that, on or about December 18, 2021, Sanchez Padilla was employed by Military Sealift Command and assigned to the USNS CARSON CITY as Master. It further alleges that, in the early morning hours of December 19, 2021, he returned to the ship, accessed the 1st assistant engineer’s stateroom, and engaged in a sexual act with the crewmember while the crewmember was physically incapable of declining participation in or communicating unwillingness to engage in that act.

The complaint frames that alleged conduct as sexual abuse as defined by 18 U.S.C. § 2242(2)(B), and sexual assault as defined by 46 U.S.C. § 2101(45). After being charged, Sanchez Padilla voluntarily surrendered his Merchant Mariner Credential. Page 7 of the redacted complaint packet contains a March 19, 2025 Notice of Withdrawal stating that the Coast Guard withdrew the complaint under 33 C.F.R. § 20.311(a)(2) due to receipt of Respondent’s voluntary surrender agreement, while reserving the right to file a new complaint.

Under 46 C.F.R. § 5.203, a credential holder may surrender a credential or endorsement to the Coast Guard in preference to appearing at a hearing. The regulation requires a written statement that the surrender is voluntary, that rights to the surrendered credential or endorsement are permanently relinquished, and that hearing rights are waived. The attached complaint documents are preserved from MLAA’s migrated legacy articles and should be read as charging and withdrawal documents, not findings by an ALJ.