Captain Pleads Guilty in Ship Rape Case | Lafayette Louisiana News

Lafayette Louisiana News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Jul 16, 2026 · 1m

A former cargo ship captain pleaded guilty to drugging and raping a 21-year-old U.S. Merchant Marine Academy cadet during a Sea Year training voyage — a case that took years to bring to justice and highlights the ongoing struggle to prosecute sex crimes at sea. The victim, present in court, called it “over,” as prosecutors had planned to introduce multiple accusers. The captain, with a prior overturned conviction for false imprisonment, invited the cadet and another student to his cabin, served them drinks from an open bottle while pouring himself from a new one — both women later lost memory…