Ex-captain pleads guilty to drugging and raping a US Merchant Marine Academy cadet on a cargo ship
NEW YORK (AP) — A former cargo ship captain pleaded guilty Wednesday to drugging and raping a 21-year-old U.S. Merchant Marine Academy student who was working on the ship as part of the academy’s Sea Year training program.
John Merrone, 53, pleaded guilty as his trial was about to begin in Brooklyn federal court. In 2019, he admitted to having sexual intercourse with the student without her consent “on a ship, in the middle of the ocean” after knocking her out with an intoxicating substance.
The jury had been selected and the woman, identified only as Jane Doe, was waiting at the courthouse to testify. Prosecutors also planned to call as witnesses several other women who accused Merrone of sexual assaults over the past three decades.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they agree to be identified.
Merrone was previously convicted of false imprisonment and battery after a Florida Keys waitress accused him of having sex with her against her will, but an appeals court overturned the verdict and prosecutors did not retry the case.
Ex-student says ‘it’s over’ after six-year quest for justice
The former student, who still works in the maritime industry, watched through tears from the courtroom gallery as Merrone nonchalantly pleaded “guilty” to each of five charges, including aggravated sexual abuse and abusive sexual intercourse.
His lawyer, Ryan Melology, said he then turned to her and said, “It’s over.”
“Sex crimes in general are known to be difficult to prosecute,” said Melogy. “When they occur on a ship in the middle of the ocean, the level of difficulty in prosecuting them likely increases exponentially.”
Merrone faces life in prison, but Assistant U.S. Attorney Kayla Bensing said federal sentencing guidelines call for about 15 to 19 years behind bars. Merrone’s lawyers said they thought that estimate was too high. The guidelines are advisory and judge Ramon E. Reyes Jr. could land him in prison more or less.
Merrone remains free on bail pending sentencing, scheduled for Dec. 22. Merrone and his attorneys, Bruce Barket and Nicole Aloise, declined to comment as they left court.
“I hope today’s guilty plea provides the survivor of this attack with some closure, knowing that the defendant is being held accountable for his despicable conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr..
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy said in a statement that it is “committed to providing a safe, professional and respectful learning environment for all midshipmen both on campus and at sea.”
Captain raped student after inviting her to his room for ‘soda’
According to prosecutors, Merrone began sending Facebook messages to the student and another student several weeks before boarding his 623-foot-long (190-meter-long) ship, the Liberty Glory, for a voyage from Bahrain to Corpus Christi, Texas.
On Sept. 9, 2019, after more than a month on the ship and just over a week before the end of the voyage, prosecutors said Merrone texted the student and his friend, asking them to come to his room to get a “soda.”
“Captain, you know I stay away from soda!” student wrote.
“You might like my soda!?!?” Merrone replied.
Prosecutors said the women consented and the captain poured a drink each from an already open bottle of alcohol, then opened a new bottle and poured himself a drink.
Shortly after drinking some of the drinks, the women “had no memory of the rest of the night,” prosecutors said.
The student woke up the next morning in her bed wearing only a shirt and bra, but no pants or underwear, feeling nauseous; Prosecutors said she had a headache and vaginal discomfort. Her friend woke up with stomach cramps and a debilitating headache, prosecutors said. He did not accuse Merrone of sexual assault.
Prosecutors said Merrone called the student to his room and told him he “had fun last night,” “one thing led to another,” and asked him to do the same thing again. Prosecutors said Merrone offered him money after the student said he did not remember what happened to him and that the encounter was not consensual, but Merrone refused.
Merrone later sent the student a photo of himself holding money he believed was from the night of the attack and a message: “Hahaha. That’s how you make a woman happy!!!!” Prosecutors said he did not remember the photo being taken.
After that, the captain went to the student’s room and removed from his pocket the underwear he was wearing on the night of the attack, prosecutors said.
Sea Year program grapples with sexual abuse concerns
The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, trains students to work in the merchant marine industry. It has approximately 1,000 registered students. It is one of five military service academies and the only one affiliated with the U.S. Department of Transportation.
academy in 2016 Temporarily closing the Sea Year programSending students to work on container ships, oil tankers, cruise ships and other vessels due to concerns about sexual abuse and bullying. The program continued in 2017 on ships operated by three companies that the academy said had implemented new preventive policies.
The Sea Year program was suspended again in 2021 after another student said a cargo ship supervisor got her drunk and raped her. It restarted after more safety protocols were put in place.
Congress passed the Safe Seas Act, which strengthens reporting requirements for sexual crimes on U.S.-flagged commercial vessels. The academy updated its amnesty policy to encourage victims and witnesses of sexual assault and harassment to report.
It has expanded prevention education and support resources, providing satellite phones to all students during Sea Year and conducting confidential interviews with students returning from the program.
The academy said in a statement that it “will continue to work with Congress, industry partners and federal partners to further strengthen the safety and well-being of every midshipman.”
