Frisky Business
An investigation by the US Navy has been initiated following the unauthorized release of over 100 sexually explicit videos involving service members. According to recently unsealed court documents, these incidents occurred several years ago aboard ships and at facilities located at the Navy’s base in Guam.
On January 8, 2020, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) discovered the videos, some of which displayed the names and ranks of the individuals, on Pornhub.com, a leading adult content website. The investigation quickly progressed, and by January 15, officials identified approximately 102 videos posted by a user named “playguy148.”
According to a warrant application presented to the federal court in Guam, “Many of the videos — which included audio — appeared to depict various U.S. military members masturbating in bathroom stalls to pornographic materials viewed on electronic devices.”
In another development, the Coast Guard dismissed its Chaplain for failing to address a sexual misconduct case.
Court Records Just Now Have Been Made Public
The court records, which were only made public last week and first reported by the Pacific Daily News, detail how the videos were covertly filmed from above, below, or through openings in bathroom stall dividers. Many videos were labeled with the victims’ rank and last name, such as ‘[U.S. NAVY RANK] [LAST NAME].’”
The investigation pinpointed two Guam-based U.S. Naval commands, the USS Emory S. Land and the USS Frank Cable, with the highest number of identifiable victims. Both ships, which have mixed crews of roughly 900 sailors and 150 civilians, were implicated in the case.
It was also revealed that some footage was taken in the men’s restroom at the Liberty Center on Naval Base Guam and onboard U.S. Navy ships.
NCIS Contacts Pornhub
After NCIS contacted Pornhub, the website removed the videos promptly. Despite efforts to reach out to NCIS for comment, Military.com reported no immediate response.
The warrant application highlighted NCIS’s belief that there is sufficient probable cause to suspect violations of federal laws related to video voyeurism and the illegal interception of communications.
This incident echoes the Marines United scandal of 2017, where active-duty Marines shared nonconsensual nude photos in a private Facebook group, leading to over 100 prosecutions and 11 courts-martial within a year.
