A US Navy SEAL allegedly raped an unconscious Virginia woman, kept pictures of child pornography that featured sex with animals on his cell phone, and may have filmed his alleged sexual assault of a sleeping girl, according to recently unsealed federal charges.
SEAL Team 1 Petty Officer 1st Class Gregory Kyle Seerden, 31, was placed under arrest in San Diego April 3 on child sexual assault and child pornography charges that stem from the investigation of a rape in Virginia, according to the LA Times.
Lt. Zachary Keating, who is the spokesman for Naval Special Warfare Group 1, has confirmed that Seerden is an active duty member of that unit. Keating would not provide other information, other than to say that NSW is in cooperation with federal authorities in the case.
A woman who has not been identified has stated that Seerden raped her after she passed out in his hotel room at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek–Fort Story. She said later that she had been drinking with Seerden, and could only remember that Seerden was on top of her in the hotel room. She said that she told him to stop. The woman added that she woke up around 4 am and discovered that they had had sex. Seerden then dropped her off at one of the gates at the base.
The woman went to the authorities immediately, and federal agents who were assigned to investigating the alleged assault found child pornography images on his cell phone. Agents asked for and received authorization from the man’s commanding officer to search his iPhone 7. The search revealed the images of prepubescent girls and boys having sex. At least one of the images on his phone showed a naked child and an aroused dog. Another of the images involved bondage.
Federal agents also found videos that were filmed in January 2017 that showed a man assaulting a woman who was asleep and masturbating next to her. Officials who reviewed the footage thing that Seerden could be the man in the video; there were similarities in clothing that was being worn by the man and the clothes Seerden was wearing in pictures that were taken earlier that day. Seerden is also shown clearly in other pictures with the victim.
Seerden is based in San Diego but was in Virginia on temporary assignment when the alleged incident occurred in January. Virginia wants him to be extradited to that state.
Charges were first filed against Seerden at the end of March, but they were just unsealed last week.
It is not known if Seerden’s trident insignia and SEAL status has been revoked. He faces at least 15 years in prison if he is convicted on the child porn charges alone.
Other SEAL Faced Recent Sexual Assault Charges
This is not the only recent headline involving alleged criminal sexual acts involving SEALs. A married SEAL in Norfolk was on trial in March on four counts of rape, sexual assault, kidnapping, and single counts of assault and battery.
Prosecutors in this general court martial case alleged that Chief Petty Officer Stephen Varanko was having with a female in his unit involved jealous-fueled violence; the woman allegedly had begun to date another man.
Defense attorneys in this alleged sex crime SEAL case argued that the victim was just trying to get reassigned, and was trying to get revenge after the man would not leave his wife for her. The two were having an affair for 24 months, including during a deployment in Afghanistan and before the SEAL was married.
The woman was working as an analyst with the SEAL unit based in Little Creek, Virginia. The alleged events in the case happened with the SEAL and his team were in Fort Knox, Kentucky for training.
The group was going back to their hotel after a trip to a Kentucky strip bar when Varanko used her cell phone. He found texts that indicated a sexual encounter had occurred with another man earlier in the year.
When the two went back to Varanko’s room, he allegedly exploded in anger. Prosecutors state that the SEAL threw her against the wall and put his hands around her neck. He also allegedly put her in a ‘submission hold,’ which means her arm was held behind her with his knee in her back.
The argument led to sex, and that is where prosecutors allege that the man raped her. The woman stated in court that she only went along with it because she was afraid he would hurt her further. Varanko’s lawyers have denied that it was rape.
In the end, the SEAL was acquitted for rape, sexual assault, kidnapping and aggravated assault. However, he was convicted of battery and sexual harassment. He will serve three months in the brig and lose rank.