74°
John Merrone, of South Carolina, surrendered to the FBI in New York Thursday morning, June 5, and was arraigned in Brooklyn federal court on multiple charges including aggravated sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact. He was released on bond.
Charging documents, obtained by Daily Voice, accuse Merrone of drugging a female cadet to the point she lost consciousness as the two were aboard a Liberty Maritime Corporation cargo ship traveling from Bahrain to Corpus Christi, Texas, in September 2019.
He then raped the woman vaginally “with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade, and arouse and gratify the sexual desire of any person,” prosecutors alleged.
The victim was a student cadet at the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, located on Long Island, a law enforcement official confirmed to Daily Voice.
The charges also include a criminal forfeiture notice, allowing the government to seek any property or proceeds connected to the alleged crimes if Merrone is convicted.
An earlier investigation, conducted by the Coast Guard in 2021, ended without prosecution after the Justice Department declined to pursue charges, CNN reports.
This is not the first time Merrone has faced serious accusations. In 2011, a woman hospitalized in the Florida Keys with bruises and injuries told medical staff that Merrone had raped her, CNN reports. He was later convicted by a jury of false imprisonment and battery, receiving a two-year prison sentence. However, that conviction was later overturned on appeal.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Rye and receive free news updates.
