More than 30 Marines could face punishments ranging from administrative action to courts-martial in connection with investigations into the Marines United scandal, Corps officials said.
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has identified Marines with online misconduct that did not rise to the level of felony criminal activity, officials said. If their commanders decide to take action, these Marines could receive a Page 11 entry in their permanent record, non-judicial punishment or a court-martial.
Marine Corps officials declined to say whether any of the Marines have already faced disciplinary or administrative actions.
"Due to the sensitivities of ongoing investigations and respect for the independence of the individual commanders' accountability process, specific disposition information will not be provided," said Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Ryan Alvis.
On March 4, Marine veteran Thomas Brennan first reported that troops and veterans were sharing nude photos and making threats against women on the 30,000-member Marines United Facebook group. NCIS has been working with investigators from the Marine Corps and other services to determine if any service members broke the law.
In addition to identifying the Marines who have been referred to their commanders for possible disciplinary action, NCIS has 20 ongoing investigations into possible felony-related crimes, NCIS spokesman Ed Buice said on Friday. Investigators are loking at 16 subjects: nine active-duty Marines, two Reserve Marines, three active-duty sailors, one Reserve sailor and one civilian.
