Top Army Officer Pleads Guilty to Inappropriate Relationships

Including having an affair and pressuring female officers to send him nude pictures

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair, one of the highest-ranking officers ever to face a court-martial, pleaded guilty at the start of his trial Thursday morning to several charges, including an illicit affair with a female captain, possessing pornography, impeding an investigation and pressuring other female officers to send him nude photos of themselves.

The general  pleaded not guilty to the most serious charges against him. They include twice forcing the captain to perform oral sex, groping her, committing sodomy, engaging in public sex and threatening to kill the captain and her family if she revealed their three-year affair.

The offenses to which Sinclair has pleaded guilty normally result in fines and retirement at a reduced rank, according to the general's defense team. It is up to the military judge presiding over the court-martial, Col. James L. Pohl, to accept the pleas.