Fort Hood prostitution ring court martial begins

A sexual assault prevention officer at Fort Hood, Texas, lured young, financially strapped female soldiers to work in an escort service, a military jury heard. Army prosecutors charged Master Sgt. Brad Grimes with adultery and conspiring to pay for sex from a Fort Hood private, accusing him of participating in a prostitution ring set up by Sgt. 1st Class Gregory McQueen, the facility's sexual assault prevention officer, the Austin American-Statesman reported Monday. Monday was the first day of Grimes' court-martial. Prosecutors allege he used the escort service in February. McQueen is under investigation for the alleged sexual assault of a female private who reported the ring to Fort Hood authorities. She told investigators McQueen touched her inappropriately during what she said was an "interview" to be part of the escort service, the American-Statesman said. Defense attorney Daniel Conway said prosecutors decided to charge Grimes after he said no to their deal to testify against McQueen. "It seems clear that their intent [now] is to charge [Grimes] in hopes of a conviction and of using [Grimes] to testify against McQueen," Conway said. "At the end of the day, Master Sgt. Grimes chose to do the right thing and not have sex with that young lady," Conway said. "This is really a case about sex parties and Master Sgt. Grimes had nothing to do with that." But a second private, who was granted immunity, testified before a military jury of five men and one woman that she had sex with Grimes, for which he paid her $100, the American-Statesman said. The second private said she became part of the escort service after she met McQueen and told him of her money woes. "I felt I couldn't turn anywhere else and this was an opportunity to get somewhere on my bills," she testified. Also Monday, Conway asked military judge Col. Gregory Gross to dismiss the charges, arguing that Army and government officials, including President Obama, exerted unlawful influence by commenting on the importance of prosecuting military sexual assault about the time Grimes was charged during the summer. Gross denied the request. Allegations about the Fort Hood ring followed several other high-profile incidents, including the arrest of Lt. Col. Jeff Krusinski, head of the Air Force's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, who was charged with sexual battery. Also, Congress is debating a bill that would take the prosecution of sexual assault cases from military commanders, which advocates say would result in greater reporting but military officials say would undercut chain-of-command authority.