Stars of Class Implicated in Annapolis Case

The class president and the co-captains of the football team are among 133 senior midshipmen implicated in the largest cheating scandal in the U.S. Naval Academy’s 149-year history, papers filed in federal court Thursday disclosed.

The three were among 47 midshipmen who asked a federal judge to block any disciplinary action by the academy, claiming the investigation into the cheating scandal violated their constitutional rights.

As a result, Naval Academy officials have postponed the first hearings on the cases, slated to begin today before an officers’ panel that has the power to recommend expulsion for any midshipman involved in the scandal.

Forty-seven of the seniors implicated, including class president Jason Berger and football co-captains Jason Van Matre and Javier Zuluaga, filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Navy Secretary John H. Dalton and top Navy officials.

A hearing will be held Monday before U.S. District Judge Stanley S. Harris.