After 16 years, United States Marine Maj. Mark Thompson has plead guilty in a case that he has been lying about for years.
United States Marine Maj. Mark Thompson pleaded guilty to charges of making a false statement and of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentlemen. It was a case of crime, scandal, and cover-up that eventually found its way back to Thompson being unveiled.
In 2001, Thompson had sex with two female midshipmen during a drunken night of strip poker at his home in Annapolis. One of the women reported that her relationship with Thompson was consensual and ongoing, the other woman said that she had been raped.
Thompson had fought to prove that he was innocent of the charges. He had even agreed to be interviewed by a reporter for The Washington Post. After years of proclaiming innocence , it was the interview in 2016 which prompted military authorities to launch a new investigation. That launch led to Thompson’s court martial on three new charges: one count of false official statement and two counts of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.
Both women have moved on with their lives since the scandal. Years prior, one of the women was even involved in a botched attempt by investigators to record Thompson in an effort to obtain guilty evidence. And today, the federal government demands back the tens of thousands of dollars invested in the women's school and training at the Naval Academy.
Initially, Thompson was disciplined but was allowed to keep his salary and pension. Meanwhile, the female midshipmen were left with unanswered questions and self-doubt.
After Thompson admitted to lying to the military court at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, he was expelled from the Corps and sentenced to 90 days confinement. Thompson also lost his $120,000 salary. His military pension of $40,000 a year remains uncertain. Maybe now the two former midshipmen can forward at a slightly better pace.
