NEW ORLEANS – The Coast Guard Eighth District is scheduled to convene a General Court-Martial in New Orleans, Thursday, for a Coast Guardsman accused of misconduct, including sexual misconduct.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Leonel Hinojosa is accused of violating Article 92 (Dereliction of Duty), Article 107 (False Official Statement), Article 120 (Abusive Sexual Contact), Article 120c (Other Sexual Misconduct) and Article 128 (Assault Consummated by a Battery) of the Uniform Code of Military Justice for his conduct towards four fellow service members. Among the allegations, he is suspected of having made fraudulent representation that the sexual contact served a professional purpose, namely that he needed to perform a medical examination upon them.
Rear Admiral Kevin S. Cook, commander, Eighth District, referred Hinojosa’s case to General Court-Martial September 30, 2014, following an article 32 hearing, held on July 16-17, 2014, which is similar to a civilian grand jury hearing.
Hinojosa is a health services technician assigned to the Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi. Hinojosa was administratively assigned to BASE New Orleans for the duration of the investigation and proceedings.
The Coast Guard is not releasing the names of the victims to protect their privacy.
The General Court-Martial will be open to the public. It will be held in room 741a on the 7th floor of the Hale Boggs Federal Building in New Orleans at 8 a.m. on Thursday, March 5, 2015. Members of the media or public interested in attending can contact the Eighth Coast Guard District External Affairs office at (504) 671-2020.