USNS Patuxent Galley Assault DOJ Prosecution NCIS File

USNS Patuxent Galley Assault Led to Rare DOJ Prosecution, Then Not-Guilty Verdict

MLAA Signal Prints illustration of an anonymous mariner chopping vegetables in a ship galley, with redacted case files and federal courthouse imagery.

MLAA Signal Prints illustration for the USNS Patuxent galley assault case file.

A USNS Patuxent civilian employee told NCIS she was chopping vegetables in the ship's galley when a man pressed his body and penis against her. A witness said she saw him lean into the reporting person and heard someone say "stop." DOJ took the case to federal court in Virginia as simple assault, where the accused was found not guilty.

Abusive Sexual ContactUSNS PatuxentGalleyCivilian MarinerWitness AccountFederal CourtAcquittal

This page summarizes one Naval Criminal Investigative Service case file. The source PDF and optical character recognition transcript appear below so readers can compare the summary against the record.

What the NCIS File Says

The NCIS file says a USNS Patuxent civilian employee reported being assaulted while she was chopping vegetables in the ship's galley. She told investigators that a man walked over and pressed the lower part of his body against her upper thigh and lower buttock area, and that she could feel his penis against her body over their clothing.

The reporting person said she moved away and yelled for him to stop. A witness told investigators she saw the accused lean the lower part of his body against the reporting person and heard a female voice say "stop." Two other witnesses had no direct knowledge. The accused exercised his right to remain silent.

NCIS obtained photographs of the galley, victim-support personnel were notified, and the ship ordered the accused to have no contact with the reporting person. A Special Assistant U.S. Attorney was later assigned, and the case went to U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia as a simple-assault case.

The federal trial ended with a not-guilty verdict. NCIS closed the investigation after the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia provided the results-of-trial letter.

Case Timeline

October 30, 2014

The alleged contact occurred in the USNS Patuxent galley while the ship was in Norfolk.

December 9, 2014

NCIS Resident Agency Djibouti was informed by MSC Bahrain.

December 12-13, 2014

USNS Patuxent arrived in Djibouti; NCIS interviewed the reporting person and notified victim-support personnel.

January 27, 2015

A Special Assistant U.S. Attorney was assigned to the investigation.

June 11, 2015

The federal trial was held in the Eastern District of Virginia, and the accused was found not guilty.

July 8, 2015

NCIS received the results letter and closed the case.

Why This Record Matters

The file describes a workplace assault allegation inside a shipboard galley, supported by one witness account and followed by a no-contact order.

Unlike many MSC-linked NCIS files in the archive, this case reached federal court after a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney was assigned.

The court result was a not-guilty verdict on simple assault, so the record has to distinguish the allegation, the charging decision, and the final legal outcome.

NCIS Source Document

This is the NCIS Report of Investigation for the USNS Patuxent file. MLAA has preserved the source PDF, Bates range, and NCIS file number so readers can inspect the record directly.

First page preview for USNS Patuxent Galley Assault Led to Rare DOJ Prosecution, Then Not-Guilty Verdict

First page of the NCIS case file.

Source type: NCIS investigation file
Command or vessel: USNS PATUXENT/48888
NCIS file number: 13DEC14-MEDJ-00134-8SNA/C
Bates range: 0105-0106
Source file length: 2 pages

View NCIS Source PDF for Case 13DEC14-MEDJ-00134-8SNA/C

Readable OCR Transcript

The transcript below reproduces the substantive report text from the NCIS file in readable form, including the executive summary when one appears in the source. Paragraph numbers come from the original report. Redactions are shown as [REDACTED]. Because the text was generated from OCR, verify exact quotations against the source PDF.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On 09Dec14, NCISRA Djibouti was informed by U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command (MSC) (Bahrain) that [REDACTED], reported to MISC that [REDACTED], rubbed his penis against her lower left buttock and upper thigh area. On 12Decl14, after the USNS PATUXENT (T-40 201) arrived at the Port of Djibouti, Africa [REDACTED]was interviewed [REDACTED](G) Stated on 30Oct14, while the ship was at port in Norfolk, VA, she was chopping vegetables in the USNS PATUXENT's galley [REDACTED] reported [REDACTED] (o\ (walked over to her and leaned the lower portion of his body from waist down against her upper thigh and lower buttock area. [REDACTED] Stated she could feel[REDACTED] ¢ypenis against her body [REDACTED] advised [REDACTED] touch her with his hands. Both [REDACTED] andy[REDACTED] were fully clothed during the incident [REDACTED] stated she immediately moved over to the side and yelled for [REDACTED] to stop [REDACTED] provided a detailed sworn statement. A witness [REDACTED], was interviewed and advised she was walking by the galley when the incident occurred and observed [REDACTED] lean his body from waist down against [REDACTED] stated she heard [REDACTED] say "stop." Two (2) other witnesses were interviewed but had no direct knowledge of the alleged assault of [REDACTED] 13Dec14[REDACTED] interviewed; however, he exercised his right to remain silent. Photographs of the USNS PATUXENT's galley, where the alleged assault occurred, were obtained. [REDACTED] Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC), was notified on 12Dec14 and met with [REDACTED] 13Decl4. A Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) was not conducted because of the type of assault and date of occurrence. Alcohol was not involved with this incident [REDACTED] USNS PATUXENT, ordered [REDACTED] to have no contact with [REDACTED] provided a Victim Witness Assistance Program (VWAP) pamphlet on 13Dec14 [REDACTED] not provided a U.S. Navy Victim's Legal Counsel representative due to the fact she is a civilian [REDACTED] departed the ship to return to MSC in Norfolk, VA on 13Decl14. On 27Jan15, Special Assistant U.S. Attorneyity().[REDACTED] assigned to captioned investigation. On 1lJun1i5 [REDACTED] was acquitted of simple assault in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. This investigation is now closed.

NARRATIVE

1. This reactive investigation pertains to suspected violation of Title 18 U.S.C. Section 2244- Abusive Sexual Contact. References (A)-(D) document investigative activity to date.

2. Subsequent to the submission of Reference (D) it was identified that the Exhibit listed in Reference (D) was incorrectly listed as Exhibit (8) when it should be reflected as Exhibit (9).

3. On 11Jun15, the trial of United States v/ FOY was held in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Present for the trial were the following % [REDACTED] counsel, Military Sealift Command Legal Counsel, Special Assistant United States Attorney [REDACTED] -...._.J " [REDACTED], JAGC; and witnesses for government and defense.

4. On 08Ju115, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia (USAO-EDVA) provided a Results of Trial stating that on 11lJun15,

5. All present for the trial to include [REDACTED] and[REDACTED]employer, Military Sealift Command were apprised of the results of the trial at the end of the trial on 11Jun15. A [REDACTED] Civilian employee and was acquitted of all charges, a Sexual Assault Disposition Report (SADR) will not be forthcoming. This investigation is closed.