Sexual harassment, racism and a secret settlement at the ‘Crossroads of the Marine Corps,’ report shows

WASHINGTON (DC)
USA TODAY

March 8, 2018

By Tom Vanden Brook

A Marine colonel who investigated a sexual harassment claim at a troubled program inside the Corps’ Quantico headquarters was later counseled for allegedly harassing the wife of the unit’s chaplain, referring to her as “eye candy.”

A Marine inspector general’s report in 2015 called out a toxic work environment at the Marine and Family Programs Division at Quantico. The report says the program struggled with complaints of sexual harassment, racial bias and bad management, including a secret settlement reached with one official to get her to leave quietly from the base known as the “Crossroads of the Marine Corps.” The Marines have not released the report, but USA TODAY obtained a copy.

Two civilian employees renewed complaints dating to 2013 about an officer they said made overt sexual overtures to them at the base. The women maintained in interviews and documents that the Marine Corps did not take their complaints seriously.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.