Shaffer
03-20-04, 08:46 PM
By: North County Times wire services
CAMP PENDLETON - The Marine officer who turned in a female lieutenant for allegedly sleeping with a subordinate while stationed in Kuwait called the lieutenant derogatory names, the officer testified today.
Second Lt. Michael Bilello gave his testimony at the court martial hearing of his superior, 1st Lt. Tara Burkhart, accused of fraternization, sodomy, adultery, conduct unbecoming an officer and dereliction of duty.
Burkhart, 31, allegedly authorized the men under her command to drink alcohol and ordered them to stash their weapons in the bedroom of a Kuwaiti apartment while they all went to a pool party the night of May 15.
Bilello -- second-in-command that night -- went along with Burkhart and did not protest either the drinking of the stashing the weapons.
"I was too smashed," Bilello testified at the hearing at Camp Pendleton. "There was no excuse."
After the party, the Marines returned to the apartment and spent the night. Burkhart allegedly had sex with Cpl. Jose Montes, a sergeant at the time.
Montes, who received immunity from prosecution for testifying against Burkhart, was demoted for his role in the events that occurred that night.
Burkhart alleges that Montes raped her as she slept.
Montes, a married father of a 2-year-old boy, is being investigated for an alleged rape of a Navy sailor in Kuwait, but has no immunity in that case, said Lt. Col. Bruce White.
Bilello, who received immunity from prosecution for his role in the events of May 15, reported Burkhart more than a week after the incidents occurred.
His promotion to 1st lieutenant has been stalled because he failed to stop the other men from drinking, leaving their weapons behind and spending the night in a private Kuwaiti citizen's apartment.
Bilello was fined and received reprimand letters in his file.
He testified that when speaking of Burkhart to his subordinates, he referred to her as a "ho" and spoke about her proclivities, advancing rumors and her alleged romps in a Kuwaiti pool wearing thong underwear.
Bilello said that early on the morning of May 16, when all had returned from the party and were back in the Kuwaiti apartment, he saw Montes -- wearing only boxer shorts -- walk into a room where Burkhart was sleeping.
Bilello said he thought "nothing" of the incident, because Burkhart and Montes always walked off together to talk and often rode together on errands.
Bilello conceded that he did not get along with Burkhart, hated her management style and often butted heads with her.
At least a week went by before Bilello reported the incident, eschewing the chain of command and going directly to the staff judge advocate, a colonel.
Bilello said he did it "to uphold the moral fiber of the Marine Corps."
Under cross-examination by retired Marine Brig. Gen. David Brahms, Bilello said he did not report the incident to his captain -- Allison Salerno -- because she was friendly with Burkhart.
"I didn't trust Capt. Salerno," Bilello testified. "I felt that she was too close to Lt. Burkhart."
Bilello also did not go to a lieutenant colonel because the colonel was too close to Salerno.
Salerno testified that Burkhart told her about the drinking, but not about the sex or leaving the weapons.
Salerno said she thought her Marines had spent the night in Kuwait because they probably did not want to get caught for drinking.
"I saw it as an isolated incident," Salerno said when asked whey she did not report the drinking.
Burkhart faces up to 26 years behind bars if convicted by two-thirds of a jury of Marine officers, which includes five majors, two colonels as well as two female captains.
The court martial will continue into next week.
CAMP PENDLETON - The Marine officer who turned in a female lieutenant for allegedly sleeping with a subordinate while stationed in Kuwait called the lieutenant derogatory names, the officer testified today.
Second Lt. Michael Bilello gave his testimony at the court martial hearing of his superior, 1st Lt. Tara Burkhart, accused of fraternization, sodomy, adultery, conduct unbecoming an officer and dereliction of duty.
Burkhart, 31, allegedly authorized the men under her command to drink alcohol and ordered them to stash their weapons in the bedroom of a Kuwaiti apartment while they all went to a pool party the night of May 15.
Bilello -- second-in-command that night -- went along with Burkhart and did not protest either the drinking of the stashing the weapons.
"I was too smashed," Bilello testified at the hearing at Camp Pendleton. "There was no excuse."
After the party, the Marines returned to the apartment and spent the night. Burkhart allegedly had sex with Cpl. Jose Montes, a sergeant at the time.
Montes, who received immunity from prosecution for testifying against Burkhart, was demoted for his role in the events that occurred that night.
Burkhart alleges that Montes raped her as she slept.
Montes, a married father of a 2-year-old boy, is being investigated for an alleged rape of a Navy sailor in Kuwait, but has no immunity in that case, said Lt. Col. Bruce White.
Bilello, who received immunity from prosecution for his role in the events of May 15, reported Burkhart more than a week after the incidents occurred.
His promotion to 1st lieutenant has been stalled because he failed to stop the other men from drinking, leaving their weapons behind and spending the night in a private Kuwaiti citizen's apartment.
Bilello was fined and received reprimand letters in his file.
He testified that when speaking of Burkhart to his subordinates, he referred to her as a "ho" and spoke about her proclivities, advancing rumors and her alleged romps in a Kuwaiti pool wearing thong underwear.
Bilello said that early on the morning of May 16, when all had returned from the party and were back in the Kuwaiti apartment, he saw Montes -- wearing only boxer shorts -- walk into a room where Burkhart was sleeping.
Bilello said he thought "nothing" of the incident, because Burkhart and Montes always walked off together to talk and often rode together on errands.
Bilello conceded that he did not get along with Burkhart, hated her management style and often butted heads with her.
At least a week went by before Bilello reported the incident, eschewing the chain of command and going directly to the staff judge advocate, a colonel.
Bilello said he did it "to uphold the moral fiber of the Marine Corps."
Under cross-examination by retired Marine Brig. Gen. David Brahms, Bilello said he did not report the incident to his captain -- Allison Salerno -- because she was friendly with Burkhart.
"I didn't trust Capt. Salerno," Bilello testified. "I felt that she was too close to Lt. Burkhart."
Bilello also did not go to a lieutenant colonel because the colonel was too close to Salerno.
Salerno testified that Burkhart told her about the drinking, but not about the sex or leaving the weapons.
Salerno said she thought her Marines had spent the night in Kuwait because they probably did not want to get caught for drinking.
"I saw it as an isolated incident," Salerno said when asked whey she did not report the drinking.
Burkhart faces up to 26 years behind bars if convicted by two-thirds of a jury of Marine officers, which includes five majors, two colonels as well as two female captains.
The court martial will continue into next week.