USCG Academy Sexual Assault Scandal Grows with Seven New Filings

The U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s now well-publicized sexual assault scandal and the cover-up known as Operation Fouled Anchor is back in the spotlight with news that seven additional complaints have been filed. The law firm representing all the complainants, Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight reports it has filed a total of 29 complaints as the victims rush to file before a pending deadline.

In the seven new complaints, the individuals who were either cadets or prospective cadets of the Coast Guard Academy allege they were sexually assaulted either while in the dorm rooms, other USCG locations, or in one case an instructor’s home. As with the earlier complaints, some allege they were assaulted by classmates who entered their dorm rooms without permission while they were sleeping. In some cases, there are allegations that cadets had been drinking despite the Academy's strict policy against underage consumption of alcohol. Some of the cases were older, higher-ranking members of the service who are alleged to have taken advantage of cadets.

The scandal went public in June 2023 with an exposé by CNN. It recounted the years of sexual incidents at the Academy and how senior officers had ignored or purposefully hidden complaints. It also exposed that the Coast Guard had starting in 2014 conducted an internal investigation known as Operation Fowled Anchor but purposefully hid it and failed to reveal it to Congress.

“Additional Coast Guard Academy sexual assault survivors continue to reach out to me,” said Christine Dunn, Partner and Co-Chair of the Sexual Violence at the law firm. Dunn along with Associate Jillian Seymour and Ryan Melogy of the New York law firm Maritime Legal Solutions, are handling the cases. “I’ve heard story after story of the sexual violence they endured at the Academy and how the Academy turned a blind eye,” said Dunn. “The Coast Guard can no longer be allowed to sweep sexual assault under the rug.”

The law firm says it believes the case to be the first known collective action by sexual violence survivors against a U.S. service academy. Each of the divisions of the military as well as the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy have faced charges of sexual assault. In one of the most famous cases, known as the Tailhook Scandal, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aviation officers were alleged to have sexually assaulted up to 83 women and seven men during a 1991 event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Protections against sexual assault have become a cornerstone issue for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and others.

One of the challenges the complaints face is a complex legal process in which they must first file administrative claims under the Federal Torts Claims Act. Today, the seven new cases were filed against the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security which now oversees the Coast Guard, and the Department of Transportation which formerly had oversight of the Coast Guard.

Under the process, the government has six months to review the filings. Only then can the claimants move to file suit. However, there is a two-year statute of limitations for FTCA claims. The lawyers seek to get around this by claiming the extent of the sexual assaults and the cover-up only became public with the CNN investigation in 2023 and subsequent hearings in the U.S. Congress.

The Congress has been highly critical of the Coast Guard and its leadership for the handling of the scandal and failure to bring it to a close. In addition to faulting the USCG for failing to properly investigate and pursue allegations, Congress has proposed new regulations related to cadet safety. The Coast Guard Reauthorization Act calls for new mandates including requiring the Academy to install electronic locking mechanisms to secure cadet rooms and common spaces. The lawyers have accused the Academy of enabling the behavior by having a rule barring cadets from locking their dorm rooms.
“Decades of documented moral failures by leaders of the U.S. Coast Guard have made it clear to Congress, the public, and survivors that the agency is unwilling to take steps needed to protect Coast Guard Academy cadets from systemic sexual abuse,” said attorney Ryan Melogy. “It has become obvious that only outside pressure can lead to change.”

Dunn and the Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight law firm reported it was filing the first complaints, from 12 women and one man who had attended the Academy in September 2023. In September and October 2024, Sanford Heisler filed similar FTCA complaints on behalf of additional sexual assault survivors, and with today’s filings, bring the total number of former Academy cadets represented by the firm to 29.

In January 2025, the new Trump administration ousted Admiral Linda Fagan, Commandant of the Coast Guard, in part due to her focus on DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Admiral Kevin E. Lunday assumed the duties of Acting Commandant and will face the challenge of addressing what many see as a long-running, systemic problem that is yet to be fully addressed.