United States: Army chaplain court-martialed in Germany for forcible sodomy against enlisted men he was counseling

Cited record

Sources

WFMY News 2 / Associated Press (2005) 'US Army Chaplain Sentenced To Prison For Sodomizing Troops', 1 November 2005.

Capt. Gregory Arflack, a 44-year-old Roman Catholic priest and Army chaplain, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty at a court-martial in Bamberg, Germany, to three counts of forcible sodomy against enlisted men. One of the victims, whom Arflack had been counseling about homesickness and family troubles, told the court about the abuse's impact. Arflack apologized during the court-martial, saying he was ashamed of what he had done as a priest and an officer.

9News/AP (2005) 'U.S. Army chaplain convicted of forcible sodomy against enlisted men'.

Confirms Arflack's guilty plea and court-martial conviction; assaults occurred in Doha, Qatar (21 June 2004) and in Bamberg, Germany (29-30 July 2004). Judge Col. R. Peter Masterton ordered Arflack dismissed from the Army with forfeiture of all benefits, in addition to the prison sentence.

Stars and Stripes, republished by BishopAccountability.org (2005) 'Bamberg Chaplain Suspended during Sexual Assault Probe: Army Investigating Allegations Priest Forced Himself on Soldiers', 17 August 2005.

Details the Army's suspension of Arflack pending investigation into allegations that he, as chaplain, forced himself sexually on soldiers under his pastoral care, including men who had come to him for confidential counseling.