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Navy admiral punished for adultery and sex harassment

December 9, 1995
Web posted at: 12:35 p.m. EST

From Military Affairs Correspondent Jamie McIntyre

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In the latest sexual misconduct scandal to tarnish the Navy's image, a two-star Navy admiral was found guilty Friday of adultery and sexual harassment.

Rear Admiral Ralph Tindal, a deputy NATO commander in Lisbon, Portugal, was fined and punished for having an affair with an enlisted woman in his command, the Navy said.

Tindal was married, but the woman he had an affair with was not. The woman received administrative counseling but was not punished.

Following an administrative hearing, Tindal was found guilty of being involved in a sexual relationship with an enlisted woman, and was found to have made it difficult for the woman to break off the relationship. In addition to adultery and sexual harassment charges, Tindal was found guilty of conduct unbecoming an officer and fraternization,

He was given a punitive letter, fined $7,600 and placed under arrest in quarters for 30 days. Tindal has requested retirement, and the Chief of Naval Operations has recommended that request be granted, but at the lower rank of rear admiral lower half (a one-star admiral).

Navy Secretary John Dalton has approved that recommendation, and added his own letter of censure.

Tindal's infraction is the latest in a wave of sex scandals to rock the Navy in recent years. Last month, Navy Admiral Richard Macke, was forced to retire for suggesting that three servicemen charged with raping a 12-year-old girl in Japan might have avoided trouble by hiring a prostitute.

A Navy petty officer was recently accused of sexually assaulting a female sailor on a commercial airline flight. Other Navy officers and sailors on the flight were accused of failing to intervene.

Problems with sexual harassment in the Navy first came to light after the 1991 Tailhook scandal in which Navy officers were accused of sexually assaulting women during an official gathering.

Navy officials told the Associated Press the severe administrative penalty reflects the Navy's intolerance for cases in which senior male officers abuse their authority over female subordinates.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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