Marine May Be Charged in Porno Ring

The U.S. Marine Corps, in an investigation into Marines’ possible involvement in a pornography ring, announced Friday that an enlisted man may be charged with a felony for posing nude, but there remains little evidence of widespread wrongdoing among Marines.

So far, three Marines from Camp Pendleton have been linked to the ex-convict who has boasted that he ran a gay pornography ring out of Oceanside.

Although Naval Investigative Service agents will continue to screen any new evidence that develops, the Marine Corps said in a statement that the bulk of their investigation has been handed over to the Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division.

Turning the matter over to the investigative division, which handles mostly misdemeanor and administrative matters, signifies a decrease in the investigation, according to Camp Pendleton spokeswoman Staff Sgt. Kelley Ramsey.

“The news media accounts claimed hundreds of Marines (were involved) but after a careful, step-by-step investigation, we’ve found only three,” Ramsey said. “That’s why it’s being turned over to the CID, which handles less-than-felony matters.”

According to the statement, one Marine posed clothed for what he thought was an advertisement for an escort service, and one posed nude, which is a felony under military law. The role of the third Marine is unclear.

NIS agents have examined a brochure advertising pornographic videotapes, one videotape and an album containing 311 snapshots of men posing partially undressed or nude, in an attempt to identify any Marines on active duty. Most of the photos are not recent, and in many of the pictures the men’s faces do not appear.

Luciano Ceballos, 42, a Mexican national who was arrested this week for violating his parole on a forgery conviction, told reporters that more than 500 Marines from Camp Pendleton were involved in his mail-order pornography business.