Marine in Moscow Spy Case Will Not Face Court-Martial
The Marine Corps will not court-martial one of two Marines still facing charges in the espionage scandal involving guards at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, a military spokesman said Friday.
Cpl. Robert J. Williams, 22, charged with making false statements in the investigation of Marines who guarded the embassy, will instead face a board of review, Warrant Officer Randy Gaddo said.
The maximum sentence he can receive is dismissal from the corps, a less serious penalty than a bad-conduct discharge, Gaddo said.
A board of review will look at evidence in the case and Williams’ service record and recommend whether he should be discharged.
Williams was assigned to the Moscow embassy from March through September, 1986.
Sgt. Kenneth Kelliher still faces court-martial. He is charged with lying and failing to report contacts with Soviet citizens.
Staff Sgt. Robert Stufflebeam faced similar charges but was acquitted of all but minor counts of dereliction of duty at his court-martial earlier this month. He was demoted in rank.
Sgt. Clayton J. Lonetree, the only Marine to face espionage charges in the scandal, was convicted of spying and sentenced in August to 30 years in prison.
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