Whistleblower Lawsuit Alleges Navy Retaliation Against Former Maritime Administration Chief Counsel for Speaking to Congress About Sexual Assault Coverups
July 26, 2025
By: MLAA
New York, NY
Denise Rucker Krepp, a Coast Guard veteran, attorney, and former Chief Counsel of the U.S. Maritime Administration, has filed a lawsuit against the Secretary of the Navy, accusing senior leadership of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) of retaliation, gender discrimination, and FOIA violations.
A central claim in the lawsuit is the allegation that she was targeted for retaliation after briefing congressional committees about Operation Fouled Anchor, the internal Coast Guard investigation that exposed decades of sexual assault coverups at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Operation Fouled Anchor revealed a systemic pattern of mishandled sexual assault cases, many of which had been ignored or intentionally buried for years by Coast Guard leaders.
According to her lawsuit, Krepp, a long-time advocate for accountability in maritime and military institutions, shared information with the Senate Commerce Committee, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and House Oversight and Transportation Committees to highlight the failures in protecting cadets and service members. Her lawsuit states that this advocacy led to immediate backlash from NHHC leadership.
According to the complaint, Krepp’s supervisors—Rear Adm. (Ret.) Samuel A. Cox and Capt. (Ret.) Patrick C. Burns—retaliated by questioning her congressional communications, accusing her of using government time improperly, and excluding her from key meetings. Her performance evaluations were downgraded, and she was placed on administrative leave despite speaking to Congress on personal time.
In her complaint, Krepp asserts that her involvement in helping to expose sexual assault coverups within the Coast Guard directly triggered the retaliation. The lawsuit also describes a hostile and misogynistic workplace environment. Krepp says she was mocked as the “speech police” after asking NHHC leadership to stop using derogatory language like “bitch” and “pussy” in the office. She alleges that attempts to support female colleagues facing harassment and discrimination further fueled hostility toward her.
According to her lawsuit, in 2024, Burns attempted to have Krepp removed from federal service by issuing a “Notice of Proposed Removal,” which was later overturned by a senior Navy official who found the allegations baseless. In 2025, Krepp claims that NHHC leaders forged her signature on negative performance evaluations to falsely suggest her concurrence. Her lawsuit also alleges the Navy violated FOIA by refusing to release internal investigation records about NHHC’s toxic culture, providing only irrelevant, heavily redacted documents in response to her requests.
The case raises new questions about how the U.S. military handles sexual assault and harassment. Krepp is seeking $300,000 in compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and a court order compelling the Navy to release all responsive records.