Sexual Disorder Caused AF Pilot’s Bigamy, Court Told

An Air Force pilot fighting bigamy charges in a court-martial suffered from a sexual disorder that clouded his mind and led him to marry a British woman suspected of spying, his lawyer argued Friday.

Capt. Neil Clark, 41, is accused of bigamy, immigration fraud and conduct unbecoming of an officer for a brief entanglement with a woman who paid him $2,000 to get married in a Reno wedding chapel so that she could remain in the United States.

Five Air Force officers--four men and a woman--make up the court-martial panel.

Clark, a 19-year Air Force veteran eligible to retire next year, stands to lose his military pension and serve up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Signed Papers

His lawyer, Robert Rivkin, said in an interview before the court-martial that Clark, who is married and has two children, acted irrationally in marrying Margaret Vickerage. He said Clark never intended to defraud immigration officials by signing papers to allow Vickerage, as his wife, to remain in the United States.

Rivkin said Clark and Vickerage had a brief affair, and they ended up getting married in a Reno wedding chapel last Nov. 25. The next morning, when Clark awoke in a motel room after having sex with the woman, he voided the $2,000 check and left Vickerage in Reno, Rivkin said.

Clark married Vickerage because he suffered from a “sexual disorder” that made him promiscuous, Rivkin said. His desire for Vickerage was so strong that he suffered from a state of diminished mental capacity, the lawyer said.

Rivkin contends that Vickerage had been under surveillance as a suspected spy by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. He said Vickerage has lived near several U.S. bases in England and the United States and gained extensive knowledge of flight operations through romantic relationships with several Air Force officers.

Not Charged

Vickerage, 46, has not been charged with espionage and is not expected to be called as a witness. She is now living in Nebraska.

Military officials have refused to discuss Rivkin’s allegations about espionage. Presiding Judge Col. Kenneth Randall refused to let Rivkin introduce testimony about spying in Clark’s trial, ruling that there was no basis for the court to consider Air Force suspicions of Vickerage.

Clark piloted KC-135Q aircraft, which refueled the SR-71 spy plane. Rivkin said Clark never provided classified information to Vickerage and fully cooperated with Air Force investigators.

Rivkin said the case against Clark was “discriminatory and hypocritical” because adultery is widespread in the Air Force.