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Sgt. convicted of improperly touching Marines

A sergeant based at Camp Butler, Okinawa, was found guilty Aug. 23 of improperly touching four Marines at an enlisted club, a Marine spokesman confirmed.

Sgt. Tony Agosto, 24, with 3rd Marine Logistics Group, was reduced to private, given a bad-conduct discharge and will spend 45 days in the brig, said 1st Lt. Brian Block, a III Marine Expeditionary Force spokesman.

The four male Marines, who were lance corporals at the time of the March 1 incident, testified during the trial that Agosto approached them at the club, placing his hand on their thighs and making homosexual advances throughout the evening, Block said.

They said they thought he was joking at first, but as the night went on, they were convinced he was making homosexual overtures, Block said.

The four, who are corporals now, testified that, because of Agosto’s senior rank, they were afraid to do anything but walk away or ask him to stop, but after speaking to another corporal about the incident, they reported the incident to authorities the next day, Block said.

Capt. Kristy Milton, Agosto’s defense attorney, argued that the Marines mistook her client’s intent, saying he was playing a joke comparable to football players slapping each other on the buttocks, Block said.

Agosto was also found guilty of being drunk and disorderly.