AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - A senior cadet at the Air Force Academy pleaded guilty Wednesday to running a pornographic Web site from his dorm room and using his school computer to organize off-campus orgies.
Cadet 1st Class Sterling Barnes, 24, of Topeka, Kan., appeared near tears when he heard his sentence: nine months confinement, a dishonorable discharge, and the forfeiting of pay and benefits from his four years at the academy, which could total more than $120,000. He was immediately taken into custody.
"He valued sex and money above honor and dignity," said lead prosecutor Capt. Annice Barber, who had sought an 18-month sentence.
The soft-spoken Barnes acknowledged to the military court that what he did was wrong. "I cannot say how sorry I am to the court, my fellow cadets, the Air Force and my family," he said before sentencing. "There is no one to blame but myself for these actions."
The charges further tarnished the academy, which has been under scrutiny because at least 142 women have come forward to report sexual assaults, with many saying they faced retribution from superiors. The military is investigating and some commanders have been replaced.
Capt. Michael Freimann, the defense attorney, had argued for a 30- to 60-day confinement and no dismissal. He declined to say after sentencing whether he would appeal.
Barnes had faced up to 14 years' confinement for misusing government equipment and Internet services while organizing inappropriate activities off base. He also faced charges of conduct unbecoming an officer for arranging group sex.
Barnes was accused of sending e-mails to hundreds of people, and organizing and participating in sex sessions involving as many as two dozen men and one woman in nearby Colorado Springs and Denver.
He was accused of using the computer to sell videos of himself or others having sex, receiving up to $14 a video.
Barnes had been on leave from the Air Force since the spring and was not allowed to graduate from the academy.
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