Marine nude pix scandal
HUNDREDS OF U.S. Marines are under investigation for allegedly swapping photos online of naked women service members and veterans, according to reports.
Those Marines are believed to have shared hundreds, and possibly thousands, of explicit pics on a private Facebook page since Jan. 30, the Center for Investigative Reporting revealed.
The photos exposed more than two dozen women — including many on active duty — and listed their full names and ranks.
“There is no place for this type of demeaning or degrading behavior in our Corps,” Sgt. Major Ronald Green told CBS News in response to the report.
“Let me be perfectly clear; no person should be treated this way. It is inconsistent with our Core Values, and it impedes our ability to perform our mission,” he said.
The War Horse, a nonprofit news organization run by Marine veteran Thomas Brennan, first exposed the sick posts on the Marines United Facebook group.
The photo swaps started just weeks after the first Marine infantry unit took in women recruits.
According to the reports, one Marine followed a woman corporal and photographed her as she picked up gear. Those photos ended up on the Facebook page and drew dozens of explicit comments, with users writing that they wanted to “pound her” and videotape it.
Some of the photos appeared to have been taken by the women and shared consensually, but were intended to be private, the reports said.
Women who spoke with War Horse said they believed the racy pics were either leaked by former partners, or stolen by stalkers or hackers.
The Marine Corps fired one government contractor who posted an initial Google Drive link to the photos.