Ex-Captain Pleads Guilty: U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Sex Assault Scandal

A former cargo ship captain, John Merrone, 54, of Tennessee, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to drugging and raping a U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) cadet during her 2019 on-the-job training year at sea. Merrone withdrew his original not guilty plea, admitting to all five counts of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, and abusive sexual contact. The victim, identified only as Jane Doe, was a 21-year-old cadet aboard a merchant cargo ship bound for Corpus Christi.

During his allocution, Merrone confessed, "Jane drank alcohol. I knowingly gave her an intoxicant without her knowledge or consent. Jane became incapacitated. I then had sex with her without her consent." The victim, who had endured a six-year struggle with the case, was present in court and told her attorney, Ryan Melogy, "It’s over" after Merrone’s statement. U.S. District Court Judge Ramon Reyes released the jury he had spent two days selecting, following Merrone’s plea.

The incident occurred during the cadets' "Sea Year" – a 12-month maritime academy program providing midshipmen practical experience aboard a working ship. Prosecutors detailed how Merrone began messaging Jane Doe and another female cadet over Facebook before their voyage on the Liberty Glory. A week before the Sea Year's end, he invited them to his stateroom for a "soda." Text messages revealed the cadets' suspicion, with one writing, "Are we drinking coke? I feel like it’s code," to which Jane Doe replied, "Bruh. It’s alcohol." Merrone's response urged them to "Read between lines."

Despite alcohol being banned on the ship, the two women eventually went to the captain’s quarters where Merrone served them each a drink containing alcohol or an undisclosed intoxicant. After discussing their sex lives, neither woman could recall the remainder of the evening. Jane Doe awoke the next morning wearing only a shirt, with no underwear or pants, feeling nauseous and experiencing groin pain consistent with sexual activity. When she questioned Merrone about the night, he allegedly told her "one thing led to another" and later offered her money, which she declined. Merrone subsequently returned her underwear to her room.

The victim initially confided in her mother upon returning from Sea Year but did not report the assault to authorities until 2021. This case marks the first known Justice Department prosecution for an alleged sexual assault committed aboard an American commercial vessel since 1982, highlighting its significance for the maritime industry.

Prosecutors indicated a pattern of behavior, noting that at least five other women have accused Merrone of sexual assault or drugging them, with allegations dating back to 1999. Court papers cited two other women who reported being drugged and sexually assaulted by Merrone, and another who was drugged but not attacked. Federal prosecutor Rachel Bennek stated that Merrone's "use of substances to incapacitate his victims is a common scheme or plan seen across all of his assaults." Merrone was also previously convicted of false imprisonment and two counts of battery in 2011 for an assault in his Florida Keys apartment, though that conviction was later overturned on appeal.

In anticipation of an investigation launched in 2022, Merrone surrendered his U.S. Coast Guard certification, rendering him ineligible to work at sea. The American Maritime Officers union further revoked his membership, deeming him "an immediate threat to the safety of our members and that of their crew."

Merrone faces a maximum life sentence for the top counts, with federal prosecutors recommending 15 to 20 years in prison at his sentencing on December 22. Attorney Ryan Melogy called the charges a "watershed moment for the maritime industry," expressing his client's relief and hope for justice, and for greater protections for cadets and mariners.

The maritime industry has long grappled with sexual harassment and assault on the high seas. The USMMA's 2023-2024 annual report to Congress documented two dozen incidents of unwanted sexual conduct, including two assaults. The Sea Year program, crucial for cadet training, has been suspended twice due to such allegations, with the most recent suspension lifted in December 2021. These issues prompted the implementation of the Every Mariner Builds a Respectful Culture (EMBRC) program, which mandates policies for vessel operators, such as controlled access to master keys, working locks on stateroom doors, and corporate contacts for cadets to address concerns, aiming to prevent sexual misconduct.