An Army officer on Tuesday was sentenced to 53 years in prison on 20 charges related to rape, sexual assault and aggravated assault by strangulation.
Maj. Jonathan Batt's convictions stem from six rape counts and 14 additional violent sexual assault charges tied to eight of 15 women who testified during a three-week court-martial at Fort Meade, Maryland, in one of the most sprawling sexual abuse trials in recent Army history.
The jury -- comprised of six men and two women -- heard accounts from women who said the 40-year-old major choked them into unconsciousness, used ligatures including rope and pillowcases, and in some cases bit them before rape or assault, court records show. The attacks took place between 2019 and 2023 in the Washington, D.C., area after most of the women met Batt through dating apps.
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The Army initially charged Batt with 77 offenses against 20 women, including 14 rape counts. Five accusers declined to testify, prompting prosecutors to streamline the indictment to 43 charges involving 15 women; of those, Batt was convicted on counts involving eight and acquitted on the rest.
Most of the women Batt met were civilians with no connection to the Army, according to court records. All of the women agreed to go on dates with him, according to prosecutors -- but most of them reported not agreeing to sex.
He often forced women into sex on his boat in the Potomac River, much of it involving tying up victims or choking them into unconsciousness. One victim was a soldier. During court proceedings, Batt maintained all of the sexual acts were consensual.
The charges were brought by the Office of the Special Trial Counsel, a newly established body created in late 2023 in response to years of criticism over the military's handling of sexual assault, domestic violence, and other serious crimes. Mandated by Congress, the office was designed to operate independently of the chain of command, taking prosecutorial authority out of the hands of commanders and placing it with impartial military attorneys.
Batt is an infantry officer who entered the service in May 2007, according to Army records. Throughout his career, he served in several prestigious units, including the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment; 5th Ranger Training Battalion; 3rd Infantry Division; 75th Ranger Regiment; and 3rd Infantry Regiment.
Batt deployed to Afghanistan four times and amassed a long list of awards, including two Bronze Star Medals, two Meritorious Service Medals, four Army Commendation Medals, and seven Army Achievement Medals, as well as the Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, and Expert Infantryman Badge.
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