US General Convicted of Sex Abuse Avoids Prison, Dismissal

Maj Gen William T Cooley, 56, was convicted of abusive sexual conduct Saturday by Col. Christina M Jimenez, the senior military judge in the case, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.

The general avoided more severe penalties that could have been imposed, including dismissal, a reduction in rank or up to seven years in prison.

He was sentenced Tuesday by Jimenez to a reprimand and to forfeit $54,550 in pay over five months. It amounts to $10,910 per month, or about two-thirds of his salary, the Air Force said.

“If this result influenced just one survivor to know that his or her attacker’s rank or status would not prevent them from being held accountable, that is a win for the United States and the military justice system,” Lt Col Matthew Neil, government lead trial counsel, said in a statement Tuesday.

Cooley was accused of abusive sexual conduct with three “specifications” and was convicted of the first one, for “kissing her on the lips and tongue, with an intent to gratify his sexual desire,” the Air Force said Saturday.

Jimenez found Cooley not guilty of the other two specifications, including the accusation that he forced the woman, his sister-in-law, to touch him over his clothing and that he touched her breasts and genitals through her clothes, the authorities said.

A lawyer for Cooley, Daniel Conway, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Conway told The Dayton Daily News that there are plans for an appeal, and that Cooley was “remorseful” while maintaining his innocence.

“I think the military judge here did send a message that she was in fact taking this seriously,” Conway told the newspaper. “It certainly could have an impact on his retirement if he were to retire.”

The victim — who did not want her name used but consented to the disclosure of her family relationship to Cooley — said in a statement after the verdict that “the price for peace in my extended family was my silence, and that was too high a price to pay.”

“Doing the right thing, speaking up, telling the truth, shouldn’t be this hard,” she said. “Hopefully it won’t be this difficult for the next survivor.”

Ryan Guilds, a lawyer for the woman, said that many changes over the past decade have made it less daunting for victims of sexual misconduct by military personnel to come forward. These changes include policy developments that better support accusers, greater sensitivity by military leadership to sexual assault, increased procedural protections for victims, and prosecutors who are more likely to believe survivors.

Cooley’s conviction “is a hopeful sign, for sure,” Guilds said. “The reality, though, is that every survivor who decides to come forward and make that brave choice is going to confront a justice system that is going to be very challenging.”

He added, “In this case, it’s taken years to get where she is today, and I wouldn’t wish that journey on anyone.”

After an evening barbecue in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Aug 12, 2018, Cooley, who had been drinking, asked the woman for a ride, she told the court, according to the Air Force.

“During the short ride, she said he told her that he fantasized about having sex with her,” the Air Force said in its statement. “She alleged he pressed her up against the driver’s side window, forcibly kissed and groped her through her clothes. Cooley denied the allegation, pleading not guilty.”

The case began after the woman and her spouse reported the assault to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations in December 2019.

Cooley formerly commanded the Air Force Research Laboratory, which develops fighting technology for US air, space and cyberspaces forces. He was responsible for managing a $2.5 billion science and technology program and an additional $2.3 billion in research and development, according to his Air Force biography.

In January 2020, Gen Arnold W Bunch Jr relieved Cooley from command of the research laboratory “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to lead, related to the alleged misconduct which was then under investigation,” the Air Force said. It added that, since then, Cooley has been serving as a special assistant to Bunch._TheNewYorkTimes