Rape conviction lands Coast Guardsman in prison for ten years

Spread the love

Court-martialed Coast Guardsman sentenced to 10 years confinement, bad conduct discharge, forfeiture of pay, reduction in rate
CLEVELAND — A Coast Guardsman convicted Monday afternoon of sexual assault and other charges was sentenced that evening during a general court-martial in Norfolk, Va.

Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew A. Rogers was sentenced to 10 years confinement in a military brig, a bad conduct discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a reduction to paygrade E-1, the military’s lowest enlisted grade.

Rogers was convicted of two specifications of Article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for sexually assaulting a civilian woman at a hotel in Portsmouth, Va., Aug. 15, 2012.

Rogers was also convicted of:

* Article 134, obstruction of justice (two specifications), for lying to local law enforcement;
* Article 107, false official statements, for lying to federal investigators;
* Article 134, a general article of the UCMJ (two specifications), for illegal use of his military identification card, conduct that is prejudicial to good order and discipline, and of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces;
* Article 81, conspiracy;
* Article 134, wrongful interference with an adverse administrative proceeding, for tampering with a command-directed urinalysis at Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. , March 15, 2013.

Rear Adm. Fred Midgette , commander of the Coast Guard 9th District , was the court-martial convening authority.

While awaiting court-martial, Rogers served at Sector Sault Ste. Marie and then Coast Guard Station Marblehead, Ohio . He was assigned to the Coast Guard Cutter Alder , a 225-foot sea-going buoy tender homeported in Duluth, Minn., since March 2012, and was attending training in Portsmouth, Va., at the time of the sexual assault.

Spread the love

Leave a Reply